Chris Poland

Chris Poland (born December 1, 1957) is an American guitarist, best known as the former guitarist of the thrash metal band Megadeth.

Poland joined Megadeth in 1984 after being introduced to Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson by Jay Jones, who was Megadeth's manager at the time.

Poland 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.

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

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 all the songs that would end up on the studio album.

Ultimately, Megadeth recruited Marty Friedman to play the solos for the album.

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.

Since 2002, Poland has been the guitarist of the instrumental rock/jazz fusion bands OHM and OHMphrey, among others, and has appeared on several projects and albums from a variety of different genres.

Poland joined Welkin as a replacement for their guitarist, Dick Maxfield.

Other members of the band included drummer Mike Meany and bassist MoonMcGeach.

Poland's solos can be heard on the 2004 remastered version of Rust In Peace.

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".

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.

In 2009, Poland formed OHMphrey, a side-project with Robby Pagliari of OHM, and Jake Cinninger, Kris Myers, and Joel Cummins of progressive rock band Umphrey's McGee.

He reunited with both of them at a "clinic/performance" in April 2010 at House of Guitars in Rochester, New York.

Poland would move to California and form the band The New Yorkers with Gar and Stew Samuelson, as well as Robbie Pagliari and other musicians.

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.

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.