All of the hits are included, but what is really cool is the older live material. None of this has been released before. Both of Megadeth's live releases came later in their history. This set gives the first retail release of live material from their, arguable, peak period of the early 1990s. I never got to experience those years and the few live tracks on the sampler are great. From the performance to the sound quality, you cannot beat it. In particular, "Ashes in Your Mouth" sounds great, ending with a brief Nick Menza drum solo. Of course, it is also cool to have the Wembley Stadium performance of "Holy Wars." That song is a classic, and this is one of those early performances from when the song was young.
What can I say? Megadeth is a kick ass band that has pretty consistently delivered metal for over two decades. This collection shows Mustaine in all of his metallic glory, shredding like only he can, singing the only way he knows how, and surrounded by a revolving door of first rate musicians. Whatever lineup you prefer, you cannot deny that he has always surrounded himself with quality musicians, highlighted by the early 90's lineup that featured David Ellefson (bass), Marty Friedman (guitar), and Nick Menza (drums).
Bottomline. This is bound to be a must have for Megadeth fans. Sure, we have a bunch of the songs already, but for the demos, session takes, and live material, the Warchest will be priceless.
Based on the sampler:
Recommended.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
Really looking forward to this set, and this review does nothing to change my mind - I have to have it, mostly for the live material, but it looks like a good, extensive "best of" as well. The only live stuff I've heard is on a few crappy bootlegs and a promo live CD from the Countdown era that I stumbled upon a few years ago.
2 - Chris Beaumont
My intentions were to make you want it!
3 - Joel
Not worth if you already own the albums and the remasters. Most fans already have all the remasters and though remastering makes the sound better on the first 2-3 records and Risk, the rest of the records sound better on the originals.
4 - nick
I think that this is sweet!!!!!!!!