Megadeth - 7 Japanese SHM-CD (1986-1999) (2013, Toshiba, TOCP-95117~23)

Arguably Megadeth's strongest effort and a classic of early thrash, Peace Sells combines a punkish political awareness with a dark, threatening, typically heavy metal worldview, preoccupied with evil, the occult, and the like. The anthemic title track and "Wake Up Dead" are the two major standouts, and there is also a cover of Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious," which takes on an air of supernaturally induced paranoia in the album's context. The lines between hell and earth are blurred throughout the album, and the crashing, complex music backs up Mustaine's apocalyptic vision of life as damnation – his limited vocal style is used to great effect, growling and snarling in a barely intelligible fashion under all the complicated guitar work. Vital, necessary thrash.

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Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Chris Poland
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Gar Samuelson

Produced by Dave Mustaine and Randy Burns.
Engineered by Casey McMackin and Randy Burns.
Recorded at The Music Grinder, L.A., CA., mixed at Can-Am Recorders, Tarzana, CA.
Remixed and remastered by Dave Mustaine and Ralph Patlan.

Track List:

01. Wake Up Dead [3:37]
02. The Conjuring [5:02]
03. Peace Sells [4:02]
04. Devil's Island [5:05]
05. Good Mourning/Black Friday [6:40]
06. Bad Omen [4:03]
07. I Ain't Superstitious [2:45]
08. My Last Words [4:55]
09. Wake Up Dead (Randy Burns mix) [3:40]
10. The Conjuring (Randy Burns mix) [5:02]
11. Peace Sells (Randy Burns mix) [4:00]
12. Good Mourning / Black Friday (Randy Burns mix) [6:40]

A largely uninspired effort recorded with a new guitarist and drummer, So Far, So Good…So What! lacks the conceptual unity and musical bite of Peace Sells, which helps push much of its lyrical material into the realm of self-parody, as Mustaine rants about the PMRC, the apocalypse, ex-girlfriends, and other people he is angry with, while hinting at the depth of his substance abuse problem with "502," a paean to driving drunk. The album wants to sound threatening but mostly comes off as forced and somewhat juvenile; typical is the embarrassing cover of "Anarchy in the U.K.," which is played in Megadeth's tightly controlled riffing style and without the looseness of the original, making it sound stilted and stiff – and Mustaine doesn't even get the lyrics right. This one is for diehards only.

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Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Jeff Young
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Chuck Behler

Produced by Dave Mustaine and Paul Lani.
Engineered by Paul Lani, assisted by Matt Freeman.
Mixed by Michael Wagener at The Enterprise, North Hollywood, CA
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Lacquer, Hollywood, CA
Remixed and remastered by Dave Mustaine and Ralph Patlan.

Track List:

01. Into The Lungs Of Hell [3:23]
02. Set The World Afire [5:48]
03. Anarchy In The U.K. [3:01]
04. Mary Jane [4:25]
05. 502 [3:29]
06. In My Darkest Hour [6:27]
07. Liar [3:21]
08. Hook In Mouth [4:49]
09. Into The Lungs Of Hell (Paul Lani mix) [3:31]
10. Set The World Afire (Paul Lani mix) [5:53]
11. Mary Jane (Paul Lani mix) [4:08]
12. In My Darkest Hour (Paul Lani mix) [6:11]

A sobered-up Mustaine returns with yet another lineup, this one featuring ex-Cacophony guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza, for what is easily Megadeth's strongest musical effort. As Metallica was then doing, Mustaine accentuates the progressive tendencies of his compositions, producing rhythmically complex, technically challenging thrash suites that he and Friedman burn through with impeccable execution and jaw-dropping skill. Thanks to Mustaine's focus on the music rather than his sometimes clumsy lyrics, Rust in Peace arguably holds up better than any other Megadeth release, even for listeners who think they've outgrown heavy metal. While the whole album is consistently impressive, the obvious highlight is the epic, Eastern-tinged "Hangar 18."

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Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Marty Friedman
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Nick Menza

All songs composed by Mustaine, except tracks 6-8 by Ellefson/Mustaine
Produced by Mike Clink and Dave Mustaine.
Engineered by Mike Clink and Micajah Ryan. Assisted by Andy Udoff
Mixed by Max Norman at One On One Recording. Recorded at Rumbo Recorders.
Remixed and remastered by Dave Mustaine and Ralph Patlan.

Track List:

01. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due [6:33]
02. Hangar 18 [5:11]
03. Take No Prisoners [3:27]
04. Five Magics [5:40]
05. Poison Was The Cure [2:57]
06. Lucretia [3:56]
07. Tornado Of Souls [5:19]
08. Dawn Patrol [1:52]
09. Rust in Peace… Polaris [5:44]
10. My Creation [1:37]
11. Rust In Peace… Polaris (Demo) [5:26]
12. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due (Demo) [6:17]
13. Take No Prisoners (Demo) [3:23]

Megadeth guns for arena thrash success and gets it on Countdown to Extinction. Following the lead of 1991's Metallica, Megadeth trades in their lengthy, progressive compositions for streamlined, tightly written and played songs more conducive to radio and MTV airplay. Cries of "sellout" seem pointless when the results are artistically (as well as commercially) successful; songs like the mega-hit "Symphony of Destruction," "Skin O' My Teeth," "Foreclosure of a Dream," and "Sweating Bullets" are among the band's best.

allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Marty Friedman
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Nick Menza

Producer by Max Norman and Dave Mustaine.
Engineered and mixed by Max Norman, additional engineer - Fred Kelly Jr.
Recorded January 6- April 28, 1992 at The Enterprise Studio, Burbank, CA.
Remixed and remastered by Dave Mustaine and Ralph Patlan.

Track List:

01. Skin o' My Teeth [3:16]
02. Symphony Of Destruction [4:07]
03. Architecture Of Aggression [3:40]
04. Foreclosure Of A Dream [4:22]
05. Sweating Bullets [5:27]
06. This Was My Life [3:43]
07. Countdown To Extinction [4:19]
08. High Speed Dirt [4:21]
09. Psychotron [4:42]
10. Captive Honour [4:15]
11. Ashes In Your Mouth [6:15]
12. Crown Of Worms [3:18]
13. Countdown To Extinction (Demo) [3:55]
14. Symphony Of Destruction (Demo) [5:30]
15. Psychotron (Demo) [5:28]

Megadeth's follow-up to the hit Countdown to Extinction lacks the focus of its predecessor, but Youthanasia makes up the difference with more accessible, radio-friendly production and tighter riffs. Unfortunately, they have abandoned some of the more experimental, progressive elements in their music, but those are hardly missed in the jackhammer riffs of tracks like "Train of Consequences."

allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Marty Friedman
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Nick Menza

Producer and mixed by Max Norman and Dave Mustaine.
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.
Remixed and remastered by Dave Mustaine and Ralph Patlan.

Track List:

01. Reckoning Day [4:35]
02. Train Of Consequences [3:31]
03. Addicted To Chaos [5:28]
04. A Tout Le Monde [4:22]
05. Elysian Fields [4:03]
06. The Killing Road [3:51]
07. Blood Of Heroes [3:50]
08. Family Tree [4:12]
09. Youthanasia [4:08]
10. I Thought I Knew It All [3:42]
11. Black Curtains [3:38]
12. Victory [4:30]
13. Millennium Of The Blind [2:16]
14. New World Order (demo) [3:46]
15. Absolution [3:27]
16. A Tout Le Monde (demo) [6:20]

With Youthanasia, Dave Mustaine began moving Megadeth away from its thrash roots, incorporating synthesizers into their sound and writing subtle, textured songs. Cryptic Writings continues this evolution, which unfortunately reads better than it plays. Megadeth doesn't quite have the skill or imagination to craft such ambitious material; they sound better playing thrash, which they only occasionally do on Cryptic Writings. Essentially, the band sounds tired and listless instead of reflective, especially since the production is so slick. It's admirable that the group is attempting to move forward, but the music simply doesn't resonate.

allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Marty Friedman
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Nick Menza

Produced by Dave Mustaine
Mixed by Ralph Patlan & Dave Mustaine
Engineered by Ralph Patlan
Assistant engineered by Lance Dean

Track List:

01. Trust [5:12]
02. Almost Honest [4:09]
03. Use the Man [4:04]
04. Mastermind [3:48]
05. The Disintegrators [3:05]
06. I'll Get Even [4:19]
07. Sin [3:06]
08. A Secret Place [5:25]
09. Have Cool, Will Travel [3:40]
10. She-Wolf [3:38]
11. Vortex [3:23]
12. FFF [2:47]
13. Trust (Spanish version) [5:12]
14. Evil That's Within [3:22]
15. Vortex (alternate version) [3:31]
16. Bullprick [2:47]

In many ways, Megadeth's career trajectory has run parallel to Metallica's; both bands started out as speed-metal outfits, then broadened into technically adept progressive thrash, and in the early '90s, streamlined and slowed down their songs for mass-market acceptance. While that mainstreaming process was initially viewed as both commercially and artistically successful, it also meant that neither band represented heavy metal's cutting edge any longer. As MTV combined its appetite for new trends with decreased music programming, Megadeth found themselves unable to rely on it or a cultish underground fan base to promote their music. So, they began to concentrate on a medium that had all but ignored them during the '80s: album-rock radio. Certainly, radio had become more willing to accept their music as time passed, and Megadeth cultivated that more conservative audience with polished production and reduced fury. And that's what they continued to do with 1999's Risk. To their credit, Megadeth never went as far as trying to reshape their sound around AOR's rampant '70s worship, so even if their music lost a good deal of its danger and excitement, it has aged gracefully (something that can't always be said of Metallica's '90s output). Risk is not much of a departure from its two predecessors; more reflective, melodic, and conventional than the Megadeth of old, it delivers a well-played set of hard rock tunes suitable for metal and AOR fans alike. Some of those tunes are catchier than others, and they're enough to carry the album if you're a fan of this style. Even if the album's title is a misnomer, it's startling to see Megadeth still around – and still successful.

allmusic.com

Musicians:

Vocals, Guitars : Dave Mustaine
Guitars : Marty Friedman
Bass : David Ellefson
Drums : Jimmy Degrasso

Engineered by Ralph Patlan
Assistant engineered by Lance Dean
Remixed and remastered by Dave Mustaine and Ralph Patlan.

Track List:

01. Insomnia [4:16]
02. Prince of Darkness [6:27]
03. Enter the Arena [0:44]
04. Crush ’em [4:54]
05. Breadline [4:32]
06. The Doctor Is Calling [5:44]
07. I'll Be There [5:13]
08. Wanderlust [5:48]
09. Ecstasy [4:31]
10. Seven [4:46]
11. Time: The Beginning [3:11]
12. Time: The End [2:41]
13. Insomnia (Jeff Balding mix) [4:20]
14. Breadline (Jack Joseph Puig mix) [4:29]
15. Crush ’em (Jock mix) [5:10]