Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction 20th Anniversary
EMI/Capitol
www.megadeth.com
Rating: B+
It is hard to fathom that it has been 7,300 days since Megadeth released their iconic album Countdown to Extinction. Luckily for the band and album, time has been kind to this classic release. This sucker sounds as heavy, scary, intense and powerful today as it did back in 1992. Now the classic album is available as a 20th Anniversary edition.
The care given to this special package is impressive. There is a large full color poster, postcards and a bonus concert disc included in this shiny box of metal music.
It is easy to review the original album, as this was the one where Dave Mustaine took his former band, Metallica, to the mat and proved to them he was as solid a musician and a songwriter as anyone they had. In fact, Mustaine is more creative and a better songwriter than Metallica could ever hope to be.
The madman genius was able to hold his sanity together long enough to create a true heavy metal masterpiece. “Skin O’ My Teeth,” “Symphony of Destruction,” “Sweating Bullets” and “Ashes in Your Mouth” are all true Megadeth classics. The band made a giant statement of who they were at the time and who they were becoming in the future.
The bonus disc, Live at the Cow Palace is what makes his edition so attractive. Recorded in San Francisco in 1992, Megadeth was on fire. “Holy Wars,” “Hanger 18,” “In My Darkest Hour,” “Peace Sells” and the Sex Pistols classic “Anarchy in the UK” join many of the tracks from the album as the band pumped out an amazing live performance.
Megadeth remain a leader in the Metal scene and they are still cranking out high voltage doom and gloom with the best of them. This box, however, takes us back to a time when a band like Megadeth could go against the mainstream yet become mainstream. This one rocks.
By Jeb Wright
