The Megadeth Reissues - All 8 Albums Reviewed
Published August 08, 2004
The lyrical concerns rarely stray far from the paranoid, politically conscious, war-is-hell musings of old, but stylistically they surpass most anything Mustaine wrote hitherto. Symphony Of Destruction equates military action as something akin to how "The Pied Piper led rats through the street". The schizophrenic narrative of Sweating Bullets is inspired, and also a tad disturbing. "Hello me, meet the real me…"
Of all the remasters in this batch, Countdown To Extinction perhaps surprised The Duke most of all. I expected the likes of So Far, So Good… So What? to sound cleaner, sharper, but I didn't expect much improvement on this 1992 opus, simply because it sounded pretty perfect in the first place.
Colour The Duke shocked as all fuck, though, on account of a clarity hitherto undetected rains from the speakers.
The title-track is a masterpiece, The Duke feels compelled to relate, the ascending melody of the verses giving way to one of the most memorable choruses in an album busting with anthemic dementia.
Countdown To Extinction is that rarest of things, a metal protest-record, and rarer-still, one what is fantastic throughout. The band as a whole sound much more energised than on the similarly themed Rust In Peace, and the songwriting is light years ahead so far as melody and tunes and stuff are concerned. There's still plenty of the guitar-solos and so on, but here they actually add to the songs, as opposed to the fretboard antics on Rust In Peace what actually knackered the momentum on occasion.
To note that Countdown To Extinction is probably the best place for beginners to start may well be fairly accurate, but it also does it a disservice, creating the impression that it is somehow safe, not especially challenging, something relatively harmless to acquaint oneself with before bounding into the waters of more complex shenanigans.
The reason, however, what The Duke would give for suggesting Countdown as the perfect starting point, is that it is most likely the best album Megadeth recorded. It has as strong a run of standout tracks as any other great record you care to mention, like Rubber Soul or To Hell With The Devil, and remains inventive, rewarding, intelligent and bleakly humorous.
As far as bonus stuff is concerned, it follows the Rust In Peace template of an unreleased (in the US anyroad) outtake, coupled with three demo versions. The alternate version of the title track is fascinating with regards how much Mustaine sounds like Kurt Cobain throughout the verse, but it's nothing to get overly orgasmic about.
Crown Of Worms, the unreleased number, is fairly unremarkable, notable mostly for the outstanding drumming on display. Mostly, it's a pretty generic bout of the thrashing-about what sadly dilutes some of the impact of proper-album-closer Ashes In Your Mouth.
Youthanasia (1994)
Opening with a riff half-inched from Metallica's Master Of Puppets, Youthanasia has the reputation of being the first genuine misstep in Megadeth's discography.
The Duke (Aaron McMullan to his parents and the clergy) is a Northern Irish writer, performer and insomniac currently residing in London. He is the creator of Mondo Irlando, wherein his scribblings and hollerings can be found. He is currently working towards the completion of his first novel, and his debut "punk / country / folk / whatever" album has recently been released by Ex Libris Records . You can also pop by His MySpace Page and maybe have a coffee and a biscuit.
- The Megadeth Reissues - All 8 Albums Reviewed
- Published: August 08, 2004
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- Section: Music
- Writer: Duke De Mondo
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Tom, thanks loads for the info!
I tried to talk as much as possible about the remastering, but you now how it is when you've got 8 records for to write about! Your input is really, really appreciated.
I've been hearing good things about the later record you mention, The World Needs A Hero, and apparently the upcoming The System Has Failed is great too. Who knows? I'll seek out the original MD 45, based purely on your reccomendation, and also, obviously, the fact that i loved this version.
Again, thank you.
Duke, the little teasers of The System Has Failed that I've heard (via mp3s posted by Mustaine at Megadeth.com - you can also hear "Die Dead Enough" as an e-card at the site now) indicate it's going to be a great album, covering pretty much everything the band has done so far, but with a lot more fast Rust In Peace-era riffing.
2004's been an incredible year for metal . . . and it's only a little over half-finished!
I saw a set of all eight albums (pre-release) for sale for $45 at the local, monthly record show. I was tempted, but didn't have the cash on me. If thats there next month, I'm totally picking it up.
theory, i'd say thats quite the bargain. I could live without the last three megadeth releases, but still, 45 quid is a fine price. The others are all fantastic, and sound great.
yo u all dont like criptic ritings u can suk mi dik bcuz its da shit just like all their other albums
by the way probly 1 of the most crucial Megadeth songs eveer is RATTLEHEAD i looooooooove killing is my business it kicks so much ass!!!!!!peace n anal grease
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Cool, Duke! I was hoping to see your take on these sometime soon. One big thing that needs to be addressed is that these are not simple remasters - they are remixes from the ground up. Each album was mixed as if it was brand new, with Mustaine going back to the originally recorded master takes of each instrument and mixing it to remove the really sadly dated effects the producers back in the day added to make it sound so "modern." What we get to hear now is about as close to the natural sounds of the instruments and vocals as you'll ever hear coming out of a major label studio effort. It's also interesting to note that Mustaine re-recorded the vocals for Rust In Peace's "Take No Prisoners," which has had some fans up in arms over on the Megadeth fan forums. Me? I don't care - it sounds amazing and if you'd never heard the original, you'd never know the difference (and might not know the difference, period.)
I picked these all up the week of release and each one has had quite a bit of rotation since then, but like you suggest, it's those later ones that just don't call me back as often. I have to say, however, that when I put Cryptic Writings on, I was STUNNED at how much better that album was than I'd remembered it being, It's been a while since I'd heard it, actually, having sacrificed it to the used-CD gods for other "necessary" stuff that I probably also sacrificed someday later on, but I immediately noticed, and thanked Mustaine in my thoughts, for removing the really cheesy vibrato-guitar from the chorus of "Almost Honest," like the live version found on Rude Awakening. (Yes, I'm not ashamed, I actually do love that song, and actually much of the whole album.)
Even Risk has turned out to be pretty fun listening - as long as I don't expect it to sound like Megadeth. Mustaine's liner notes about the time really go along way to excusing the changes - afterall, having the label, the producer, AND rest of the band leaning on you to produce a commercial hit can likely lead to a little loss of dignity. Happily, the follow up, on Sanctuary records, The World Needs A Hero is a return to the post-Countdown, pre-Risk era, with a little of the frantic power of the earlier four thrown in for good measure (except "Moto-Psycho" - seriously, was this a Risk leftover?)
The original MD.45 is worth seeking out - the differences are not just in the vocals. But Ving's vocals are also kind of fun, kind of choked and deeper than Mustaine's, giving the album a more punk feel than the new remix. I think you can likely track down a copy in a used shop - I see them all the time - or on something like half.com or Amazon. It's worth owning if you enjoy the new one so much.