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==