Chris Poland

Chris Poland (born December 1, 1957) is an American guitarist, best known as the former guitarist of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Since 2002, Poland has been the guitarist of the instrumental rock/jazz rock bands OHM and OHMphrey, among others, and has appeared on several projects and albums from a variety of different genres.

Biography

Welkin Poland joined Welkin as a replacement for their guitarist, Dick Maxfield. Other members of the band included drummer Mike Meaney and bassist Moon McGeoch. He reunited with both of them at a "clinic/performance" in April 2010 at House of Guitars in Rochester, New York.

The New Yorkers Poland moved to California and formed the band The New Yorkers with Gar and Stu Samuelson, as well as Robbie Pagliari and other musicians. Poland left the band abruptly, and was replaced by guitarist Mike Albert before Megadeth embarked on their first tour. Poland returned in October 1985 and then remained in the band until he and Samuelson were fired in 1987, due to alleged substance abuse, which had led Poland to sell off Mustaine and Ellefson's guitar gear, along with his own. In response, Mustaine wrote the song "Liar" for their following album So Far, So Good... So What!, which was partly meant as a callout to Poland.

Frontman Dave Mustaine retrospectively referred to Poland as "an amazing guitar player—he can play circles around me" in a Behind the Music episode that aired on VH1 in 2001.

Circle Jerks Poland played bass with Circle Jerks briefly in 1989, replacing Zander Schloss.

Rust in Peace demos In 1990, Mustaine asked Poland to record solos for demos that would become songs for Rust in Peace. Poland agreed to play the solos, but did not rejoin the band, at the urging of his manager, Janie Hoffman. He played on demos of "Rust in Peace ... Polaris", "Lucretia", "Five Magics", "Tornado of Souls", "Take No Prisoners", "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" and "Poison Was the Cure". Ultimately, Megadeth recruited Marty Friedman to play the solos for the album. Poland's solos can be heard on the 2004 remastered version of Rust in Peace.

Final return to Megadeth and lawsuit He and Mustaine teamed up one final time in 2004 to record Megadeth's comeback album, The System Has Failed, though Poland opted not to rejoin the band full-time.

In 2004, after the reissue and re-release of Rust in Peace, a lawsuit was filed against Mustaine regarding the use of three Rust In Peace demos on the album's reissue without Poland's permission. Poland settled and "ended a professional relationship with Mustaine and Megadeth". Poland explained the circumstances in a 2018 interview with the As The Story Grows podcast, realizing that he would not be paid for the demos that were included on the reissue.

In 2019, Poland appeared on the track "Hammer (Comes Down)", on Megadeth bassist David Ellefson's solo release Sleeping Giants, with Mark Tremonti, Thom Hazaert, Dave McClain and Joey Radziwill of Sacred Reich, and Flotsam and Jetsam vocalist Eric AK. It was later announced Poland had signed to Ellefson's revived Combat Records, who would release a 30th Anniversary Edition of his solo debut Return to Metalopolis in 2020. The expanded 2-CD/LP configuration, features a remastered version of the original LP, with four new tracks, and material from the independently released, out of print 2007 release Return to Metalopolis Live. It was later announced in 2020 that Poland would tour Australia and Japan, with Ellefson and Hazaert, supporting Ellefson's eponymous solo band.

In January 2020, Poland was inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame, alongside Geoff Tate, Don Dokken, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Prong, Graham Bonnet, and more. Poland was inducted by Hazaert and former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel who joined Poland for a performance of "Peace Sells", with Butcher Babies bassist Ricky Bonazza, and Dead by Wednesday drummer Opus Lawrence and guitarist Dave Sharpe, who also tour with Ellefson and Hazaert in Ellefson's "Sleeping Giants" solo band. Poland also performed "Paranoid" at the induction, with Vai, Satriani, and Tate.

Discography Solo albums 1990: Return to Metalopolis 2000: Chasing the Sun 2000: Rare Trax (compilation) 2007: Return to Metalopolis Live (live) 2019: Resistance 2020: Return to Metalopolis 30th Anniversary Edition

With Megadeth 1985: Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! 1986: Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? 1990: Rust in Peace (Poland's solos appear on the demo recordings of "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", "Take No Prisoners", and "Rust in Peace... Polaris", which were released as bonus tracks on the 2004 remaster) 2000: Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years (compilation) 2004: The System Has Failed 2005: Greatest Hits: Back to the Start (compilation) 2007: Warchest (compilation) 2008: Anthology: Set the World Afire (compilation) 2019: Warheads on Foreheads (compilation)

With Damn the Machine 1993: Damn the Machine 1993: Silence EP 2022: The Last Man

With Mumbo's Brain 1995: Excerpts from the Book of Mumbo 1999: Rare Trax

With Lamb of God 2003: As the Palaces Burn 2004: Ashes of the Wake

With OHM 2003: OHM: 2004: "Live" On KPFK 90.7 FM, Lion Music 2005: Amino Acid Flashback 2006: Live at the New Brookland Tavern (DVD) 2008: Circus of Sound 2012: Tsunami Jams

With OHMphrey 2009: OHMphrey, Magna Carta 2012: Posthaste, Magna Carta

With Polcat 2012: Polcat, Ashro Records

Other album appearances 2001: Warmth in the Wilderness: A Tribute to Jason Becker, Lion Music 2002: Squadrophenia, Cosmosquad, Marmaduke Records 2004: Give Us Moore! – Gary Moore Tribute, Lion Music 2006: The Longest Night, Pharaoh 2006: Double Heart Project – Human Nature's Fight, Brennus 2006: Jimi Hendrix Tribute – The Spirit Lives On Vol. 1 & 2, Lion Music 2007: Long Live Me, THE SCREAMIN' LORDS, Brannick Records 2008: Innervisions, Tadashi Goto, Progrock 2009: Guitars That Ate My Brain 2009: Misty Mountain Hop: A Millennium Tribute to Led Zeppelin 2009: The Call of the Flames, Shredding the Envelope, Standstill And Scream Music 2011: Metalusion, Glen Drover, Magna Carta 2012: Plains of Oblivion – Jeff Loomis 2012: Two Minutes to Midnight: A Millennium Tribute to Iron Maiden, Versailles Records 2013: Intermezzo, Michael Angelo Batio 2013: Virtue and Vices, Robot Lords of Tokyo, RLoT Records 2013: Frequency Unknown Queensryche(guest appearance), Cleopatra 2013: Belt Buckles and Brass Knuckles, Moccasin Creek, Moccasin Creek Music 2014: Curve of the Earth – Lion Drome 2014: Will to Power – Lord Volture, Mausoleum Records 2014: Onward to Freedom – Tourniquet 2016: The Art of Loss - Redemption 2018: Gazing at Medusa – Tourniquet 2018: Long Night's Journey into Day - Redemption 2019: Sleeping Giants - David Ellefson 2020: Alive In Color - Redemption 2023: I Am The Storm - Redemption 2023: San Tropez with Graham Bonnet, Rick Wakeman, Joe Bouchard, and Dave Lombardo - Meddle Reimagined A Tribute to Pink Floyd