MEGADETH — Hidden Treasures (review)

Boxset / Compilation · 1995 · Thrash Metal

2/5 · 2015-08-11
Vim Fuego

It would also be too easy to dismiss this little collection of soundtrack out takes and covers as "hidden talent", as in so far hidden it can't be found, but that would be unfair. As with all things related to Dave Mustaine, this is an album of contradictions and inconsistency. At once stunning and bland, Mustaine is one of the most infuriating musicians in metal, and one of the most difficult to fathom.

First track off is a cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr Nice Guy", from the `Shocker' soundtrack. It was recorded as a three piece, with Mustaine handling all guitars, and Dave Ellefson the only other member kept from the `So Far, So Good...So What!' line up. It's one of Cooper's cheerier little songs, and Mustaine actually handles the vocals reasonably competently. There are a couple of trademark Megadeth solos and flourishes, stamping a new identity on the song. So far, so good?

Nick Menza's drum intro to "Breakpoint", from the `Super Mario Bros' soundtrack, is promising, but it's really the only exciting part of the entire song. It's mid-tempo, mid-career Megadeth, which we all know and, well, tolerate. Disappointingly, Dave's singing voice slipped back to its whiny worst.

"Go To Hell" is far more promising. A menacing bass intro, and a prowling riff give it an air of the demonic, and so it should. The song accompanied Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan as they entered Hell in the delightfully silly "Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey". While stronger than much of the material on `Countdown To Extinction', is was possibly used for the soundtrack instead of the album because of the slightly childish lyrics.

"Angry Again" should be called "Symphony Of Destruction Again", because the riff is so similar. Otherwise, the song is quite similar to the movie it came from - Arnold Schwarzenegger's big budget bomb `Last Action Hero'. Neither is very good.

"99 Ways To Die" came from the `Beavis And Butthead Experience' soundtrack, and it's quite easy to see the miscreant cartoon teens headbanging and flicking Devil horns to the song. Unfortunately, the song does nothing, goes nowhere, and is instantly forgettable. Next please!

Fortunately, "Paranoid" is next, from the `Nativity In Black' tribute album. Black Sabbath's straight forward headbanger is given the reverent treatment it deserves. The chugging riffing is suitably powerful, and Mustaine and Marty Friedman give it their all in the soloing. Sensibly, Mustaine lowered Ozzy Osbourne's vocal lines to better suit his voice. While it's impossible to better the original, this must be one of the best covers of "Paranoid" of all time.

"Diadems" is the best of the originals here, written for the `Demon Knight' soundtrack. The acoustic intro and almost whispered vocals give way to a complex yet subdued main riff, and the song feels like the band is about to lash out at any moment into a headlong sprint for the finish. Instead, the impending musical violence is reined back into a catchy groove, which retains its menacing feel, and defies the more obvious urge to Thrash out.

Dave Mustaine's love of the Sex Pistols is well known, with his reworking of "Anarchy In The UK" on `So Far, So Good...So What' a solid enough cover. This time though, the love is demonstrated like a dirty old man in a raincoat masturbating in a bus shelter. "Problems" is grovelling squalor. It shows a lack of good judgement in letting something so tuneless and pallid carry the Megadeth name.

The title of the album is somewhat appropriate, because there are some treasures here. There just aren't as many as the title might have you think.