After spending the better part of the last eight months on the road in support of "Risk," you would expect that Megadeth would be winding down and planning a bit of a break.

Of course, you would be wrong.

Rather than rest, the band was in New York on Wednesday unveiling a new JVC billboard bearing photos of the group, and addressing the concerns of a metal band in a pop universe.

"I think in all honesty right now, because of the band's current situation, we've had to seek out some additional publicity and support outside of what has been available for the record company to work with," Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine told MTV News of why the band now appears larger than life in Times Square.

The band plans to grab even more exposure on the road with Mötley Crüe this summer and actually hopes to have a new album recorded by the time the trek kicks off on June 24.

The tour, the album, and even the billboard should help the band in its attempt to keep its name (and its heavy sound) visible in a cultural landscape that seems to offer fewer and fewer opportunities to metal vets.

"It's ironic that [the new billboard] is right outside the window from MTV. I'm thinking, 'Are they going to scramble the window so that they don't see my face looking at Carson each day?,'" Mustaine joked.

"There are very few outlets left for this type of music," Mustaine explained. "We can't get played at MTV because of our name. We are getting played at VH1. Alternative radio won't touch us. They like the music, but don't like the name. Rock radio loves the band, but isn't very fond of the last record."

Mustaine and bassist Dave Ellefson are hoping to change that a bit with Megadeth's next offering, an album that already promises to pack a wallop reminiscent of the band's earlier efforts.

"There's stuff in there that's so heavy that I had to shake out my hand because my forearm froze up because it had been so long since I had played something that fast," Mustaine said.

Ellefson said that the band began writing music last December during soundcheck, and then headed to Mustaine's studio earlier this year to begin recording. So far, the band has finished eight tracks, and has six more that Mustaine describes as being "an inch or so away" from being done. The group hopes to have the album in the can before hitting the road this summer and would like to see the album's first single hitting radio as the tour kicks off.

"We've gone back to what we know works for us... playing hard, heavy, aggressive, politically inspired music that still has a lot of the personal comings and goings that happen to us in it," [RealAudio] Mustaine said of the new material.

Some fans have already sampled that sound as the band's live performances of some of the new songs have already turned up online. While that development by and large doesn't exactly thrill the band, Ellefson noted that the leak has yielded one positive byproduct. "The good news is that the response that people have to the new music is great, and I think it's what they want to hear from Megadeth," the bassist said.

The band promises to roll out plenty of that new material on its tour with Mötley Crüe. Here's how that itinerary shapes up:

  • 6/24 - George, WA @ The Gorge
  • 6/26 - Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre
  • 6/27 - Concord, CA @ Concord Pavillion
  • 6/29 - Phoenix, AZ @ Desert Sky Pavillion
  • 6/30 - San Bernadino, CA @ Blockbuster Pavillion
  • 7/1 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphipheatre
  • 7/3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
  • 7/5 - Salt Lake City, UT @ E Center
  • 7/6 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
  • 7/8 - Albuquerque, NM @ Mesa de Sol
  • 7/9 - El Paso, NM @ Don Haskins Center
  • 7/11 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheatre
  • 7/12 - San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
  • 7/14 - Monterey, Mexico @ Auditorio Coca- Cola
  • 7/15 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Sports Palace
  • 7/18 - Houston, TX @ Woodland Pavillion
  • 7/19 - New Orleans, LA @ UNO Lakefront Arena
  • 7/21 - Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
  • 7/22 - Memphis, TN @ Mud Island Amphitheatre
  • 7/23 - Little Rock, AR @ Riverfest Amphitheatre
  • 7/25 - Charlotte, NC @ Blockbuster Amphitheatre
  • 7/26 - Raleigh, NC @ Walnet Creek Amphitheatre
  • 7/28 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Mars Music Amphitheatre
  • 7/29 - San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Luis Munoz
  • 8/1 - Virginia Beach, VA @ GTE Amphitheatre
  • 8/2 - Washington, DC @ TBD
  • 8/4 - Scranton, PA @ Montage Mountain
  • 8/5 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows
  • 8/6 - Rochester, NY @ Finger Lakes PAC
  • 8/7 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ SPAC
  • 8/9 - Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center
  • 8/11 - New York, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre
  • 8/12 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
  • 8/13 - Camden, NJ @ E Center
  • 8/15 - Toronto, ONT @ Molson Amphitheatre
  • 8/16 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheatre
  • 8/18 - Milwaukee, WI @ Alpine Valley
  • 8/19 - Minneapolis, MN @ River's Edge Park
  • 8/20 - Chicago, IL @ The World
  • 8/22 - Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheatre
  • 8/23 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport Amphitheatre
  • 8/25 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
  • 8/26 - Nashville, TN @ AmSouth Amphitheatre
  • 8/27 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
  • 8/29 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deer Creek Amphitheatre
  • 8/30 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
  • 9/1 - Columbus, OH @ Polaris Amphitheatre
  • 9/2 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Post-Gazette Star Lake Amphitheatre