MEGADETH — Countdown to Extinction (review)

MEGADETH — Countdown to Extinction album cover Album · 1992 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
RuneWalsh2112
It sure feels great to finally be able to review "Countdown To Extinction"!

Although I by no means consider myself a Megadeth fan I still have managed to hear most of their career highlights over the years. Surprisingly enough "Countdown To Extinction" is the one album I tend to revisit on regular basis and probably will continue doing so just for its fun factor.

The album kicks off with the raw force of "Skin O' My Teeth". It's probably not the best album opener that Dave Mustaine has delivered over the years but it does show that the material of the album is going in a whole different direction than the extreme Thrash Metal sound that Megadeth are famous for.

"Symphony Of Destruction" is probably the most well recognized composition out of the bunch, although the title-track does come close in that department. It's just a true Metal classic which has to be known by all fans of the genre and, if you are in a band, then I definitely recommend playing it in a band setting because it always lightens the mood after a tough day of jamming.

"Foreclosure Of A Dream" and "Sweating Bullets" returns the music to the setting that "Skin O' My Teeth" was trying to establish by, once again, offering us a light version of the Thrash Metal that we're so used to by now. "This Was My Life" goes even further with this whole concept by showing some of Mustaine's most melodic vocals to date on the chorus sections.

Still it's that famous title-track that I think shows the best performance for the whole band and it almost makes me imagine how this whole direction could have evolved if the Megadeth chose to proceed with this style on the next albums. The lyrics might be considered slightly cheesy but isn't that what Mustaine was aiming for here? I'm not even going to touch on the lyrical themes of "Psychotron"! My personal favorite performance comes right towards the end of the album with "Ashes In Your Mouth" since this track doesn't waste any time by laying down the most memorable intro section out of all these compositions. On top of that the middle section of this song is also pretty brain shattering which I guess comes with the territory.

"Countdown To Extinction" is some of the best brainless fun I've had while listening to a record! Seriously this album is really enjoyable even if you're not a fan of Metal music.

**** star songs: Skin O' My Teeth (3:14) Symphony Of Destruction (4:02) Foreclosure Of A Dream (4:17) Sweating Bullets (5:26) This Was My Life (3:42) Countdown To Extinction (4:16) High Speed Dirt (4:21) Psychotron (4:42) Captive Honour (4:14) Ashes In Your Mouth (6:10)

*** star songs: Architecture Of Aggression (3:34)
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