Megadeth is an American thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, shortly after Mustaine's dismissal from his previous band Metallica. In 1985, the group released its debut album through Combat Records, an independent record label. The album's moderate commercial success caught the attention of bigger record labels, and they soon signed to Capitol Records. Their first major label album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, which is considered highly influential in the underground metal scene, was released in October 1986. Despite this album being prominent to thrash metal, the frequent disputes between the band members and the issues with drug abuse earned the band a negative publicity during this period.