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Megadeth turns to online artists to revamp mascot

Heavy metal veterans Megadeth have turned to an online community of artists to redesign their longtime mascot, Vic Rattlehead.

Dave Mustaine, the band's founder, singer and guitarist, ran into licensing issues with the artist who originally drew the mascot in the early 1980s based on Mustaine's idea -- a skull with jaws wired shut, steel visor and metal earplugs.

So he started a contest on Internet site deviantART (http://www.deviantart.com), where 2 million members post photographs, traditional and digital art, and even poetry.

"I'm just looking for somebody to revamp it," Mustaine, 44, told Reuters in a phone interview. "I'm looking for a surprise. I'm open to them having their way with it."

The contest ends on February 14, when three winners selected by Mustaine will receive one of his signature series ESP guitars. More than 600 submissions have been entered in the first week.

"There are enough fantastic submissions to the contest already, but every day more and better stuff shows up," Mustaine said.

The new mascot will appear on band merchandise and will grace the cover of Megadeth's next record.

Mustaine, who left Sanctuary Records after his band's 2004 album "The System Has Failed," said he is considering offers from three other labels.

"This will probably be my last record contract," said the one-time Metallica member. "It's either going to be great and I'll stay there forever or it's going to suck and I'll be so bitter with the music industry that I'll just quit and go play Cat Stevens songs up in Tibet."