MEGADETH — Countdown to Extinction (review)

MEGADETH — Countdown to Extinction album cover Album · 1992 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Stephen
Looking at the cover of the album portraying an elevated old man inside a prison cell will probably left you wondering where's their Vic Rattlehead trademark mascot. I suspect its disappearance perhaps have something to do with the fact that Megadeth decided to move away from their thrash platform to incorporate a commercial plant of hard rock and heavy metal, therefore it acted like a silent scream to the fans that please beware of a change in sound. The intention of capturing a wider audience apparently fruitful, spawning four successful videos, nominated for Grammy Awards, and nailed 2 platinums of sales.

I can assure you that despite their departure of early roots, Megadeth still has some astonishing moments with their signature thrashy riffs and immortalized many tracks as classic that almost always included in their giglist such as the suicidal-attempt of "Skin o' My Teeth" that's simply became the best song of the entire album, the addictive chugging hooks of "Symphony of Destruction" that's later covered by Nightwish and Arch Enemy, the circuslike funny riffs with the typical grumpy granny's voice of Mustaine in schizophrenic-based "Sweating Bullets", or the simple but effective "High Speed Dirt". However, the inconsistency of the songwriting is dragging the points down, displayed in the bad hard rock single "Foreclosure of a Dream", or the weird roborock "Psychotron", and the worst-of-it-all-award bestowed on "Captive Honor".

To me, "Countdown to Extinction" is a pleasing album, one of a few that I always spin once in a while for the last 10 years, and I think that "Countdown" is incomparable to "Rust" as each of it has its own sparkling moment but one thing for sure is "Countdown" is a mighty heir to the throne of "Rust" and an obligatory record to buy for all metal fans.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Sunmancer - Realms of Dilemma (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 7 days ago
Sunmancer - Lower Cavalier (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 7 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed