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Megadeth
With a prescient front cover that wishfully depicts the headquarters of the irrelevant and dysfunctional United Nations being blissfully blitzed out of existence, right out of the gate Dave serves up the first in a series of Megadeth concept albums which articulate a skeptical societal worldview known as the Mustaine Doctrine. Even what initially seems to be little more than an innocuous cover of Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious" ends up fitting in perfectly with this posited purview. But more than anything else, it's the vocals which make Peace Sells…But Who's Buying? totally unique in the annals of metaldom. Eschewing the flat pedestrian singing style adopted by so many of his unimaginative peers, Dave strives to adopt a different nuanced vocal persona for each song. The phrasing of his vocals on the title track especially owe a lot to the theatrical way that Alice performs. Which is you don't feel like you're listening to a conventional metal album so much as you're witnessing a multi-character morality play. INSANE IN THE MUSTAINE—PART ONE: In his liner notes, Dave candidly reveals that Peace Sells…But Who's Buying? would've sounded a lot better if he hadn't spent all the production money on drugs. Who's buying, indeed.
Two years later, with a new guitarist in tow, Dave forges a diverse album that contains more insightful hard rock than prototypical headbanging metal. For one thing, Dave has the supreme confidence to begin So Far, So Good…So What! with an sonic-shredding instrumental, the evocatively titled "Into The Lungs Of Hell." And his unlikely inclusion of "Anarchy In The U.K." (which features Pistolero for hire Steve Jones) shows his willingness to rock out while not compromising his editorial stance. But man does not live on social issues alone, which is why "502" has Dave hitting the road to chill out behind the wheel of his hot rod. But even then it seems he can't escape the injustice of society's structures. "Driving the interstate, I'm stopped for a 502!" he bellows before warning all of us: "Next, it's gonna be you!" And let's not forget "In My Darkest Hour," Dave's touching tribute to former band mate Cliff Burton. INSANE IN THE MUSTAINE—PART TWO: In his liner notes, Dave candidly reveals that So Far, So Good…So What! would've sounded a lot better if he hadn't spent all the production money on drugs.
Another two years and another new guitarist and drummer. But the result this time around is a hard rocking alien conspiracy/anti-nuke album that's even more brutally bludgeoning than the first two albums combined—and is probably even more influential. Everything about it is spot on from start to finish. Rust In Peace has no covers, no filler material, nothing but a truly impressive display of skill from a band showing a quantum degree of growth in the past four years. You name it, everything about this album is better: the songs, the solos, the vocals, the arrangements, the production. Rust In Peace is easily the equal of Metallica's Master Of Puppets, if not better—and that's a comparison I never thought I'd be able to make. If you don't already own this record, go out and buy it. And if you happen to have a previous version on hand, upgrade. INSANE IN THE MUSTAINE—PART THREE: In his liner notes, Dave candidly reveals that if he'd known Rust In Peace would be so successful, he would have paid more attention to it during the recording process.
Just like clockwork, we're another two years further down the road and Dave's back with, you guessed it, still yet another brand new guitaris…no wait! It's the same band that's on Rust In Peace! Will wonders never cease? Same producer too: Max Norman, the ace knob twiddler who gave Randy Rhodes' two solo albums—you know, the ones that Ozzy sang on—their polished sheen. This time around, the weighty topic for discussion is how every living thing on the planet is a potential endangered species and what we can do to avoid the inevitable. Dave believes that Countdown To Extinction is the gold standard against which all other Megadeth albums should be measured, and after one listen it's easy to see why. Not just a mere concept album like his previous releases, this thoughtfully ambitious album is nothing less than a full blown art rock album. You can actually hear the conceptual cogs whirling around in the background of each song as it self-consciously tries to make a Big Statement. Far too plodding for my liking, Countdown To Extinction may provide a good Rush, but not a head rush.
You can set your watch by these guys. If it's 24 months, then it must be Megadeth time. But here's the paradoxical dilemma: when you last album was your biggest, it's only natural that you'll want to duplicate the successful formula. But if your last album was also less real 'metal' than a slick electroplated heavy pseudo pop placebo, do you then come up with another ersatz effort? Thankfully, Dave didn't. Now it may just be me, but Youthanasia seems to have a helluva lot more going for it than Countdown To Extinction does. Unlike its predecessor, not only is every song on Youthanasia punchier and more sharply focused, they all exudes a surfeit of catchy hooks and vocal melodies. So don't waste your time wondering whether it's as good as Rust In Peace Sells…But So What? All you need to know is that Youthanasia hits hard with that good old-fashioned classic rock sound. It's got a beat, you can bang to it, I give it a 10.
Youthanasia was so good that Dave did what anyone else would do hot on the heels of such an aesthetic success: he put his band on hold and recorded a solo album instead. A solo album comprised of mostly dumb rock songs. With another guy singing. Dave, who recorded all new vocals for this reissue himself, calls The Craving "punk metal" but junk rock is more like it. Sure I'm being a tad on the harsh side, but I'm only comparing it to Dave's own Megadeth benchmark standards. Granted, there's a surfeit of fairly good riffs which running throughout, but tend to be a bit on the retarded boogie side, if you know what I mean. But you gotta love a guy who's smart enough to save up all his worst wilted songs for a solo album. Because that means his next proper band album will contain nothing but fresh lettuce. See you in another two years.
What's this? Only a three year wait? Well, not to worry because nobody knows Megadeth like Megadave, right? Oh dear. Are those orchestral strings? Well, in Dave we Trust, right? Oh dear, oh dear. Surely that's not the delicate lilting tone of a Spanish acoustic guitar? Well, I'm sure Mr. Megadeth knows what he's doing, right? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Is Dave singing in a distinctly heretical Hetfieldian style? Y'know, all of a sudden, that MD.45 "punk metal" solo album is beginning to sound like a genuine refreshing breath of fresh air compared to Cryptic Writings. Well, at least things can't possibly get any worse, right?
Wrong. As Dave writes in his liner notes: "How can this be happening to me? Megadeth is even considering doing a disco song? And even worse, my partners are buying this. Wasn't this Megadeth? Wasn't I Dave Mustaine? It was all over now but the fat lady showing up. All I could foresee was people mocking Megadeth for selling out, people having a field day with this song, this record, the image, the logo change, the artwork. I was reeling. I kept seeing Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in disco garb, trying to validate 'I Was Made For Loving You.' I knew that the days were numbered now, and that the band's end was near." Truth be told, the aptly-titled Risk isn't nearly the unmitigated disaster that Dave makes it out to be, although it does come perilously close in many places. But it is a pop album nevertheless; one that's about as far removed from classic Megadeth as you can possibly imagine. Indeed, the only thing that somehow manages to transcend the dismal proceedings is Dave's energetic Alice-inspired vocals, which rank right up there with his very best efforts over the years. "I was able to escape from all the other guys allowing our majestic supergroup to be slaughtered while I was singing," Dave allows. "I knew the only solace I had left was to pour my heart out in my singing." He's not kidding, either. In fact, Dave oughtta cut Alice a large royalty check for all the vocal inspiration The Coop has provided over the decades. So there you have it. Eight studio albums in thirteen years. Not a bad haul, all things considered. And if you're the least bit intrigued after wading through this diatribe, here are the albums that I'd recommend that you get: Rust In Peace, Youthanasia, Peace Sells… But Who's Buying? and So Far, So Good… So What!
As you may know, Dave is back with an all new Megadeth studio recording. Judging from the title, it sounds as if he's returned to his Mustaine Doctrine roots—and not a moment too soon, if you ask me. As for the album itself, I'll let you know what I think of it as soon as I hear it. See you in 2022. |
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—Jeffrey Morgan September 2004 |
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Photo by Greg Allen
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