Yep, it's that time - time for me to critique a professional critics' discography ranking once again. This time it's Megadeth. Sadly I couldn't find many decent up-to-date articles featuring last year's The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, so I've had to go back to Dom Lawson and Loudersound once again. Like I said in the Judas Priest ranking post, this guy's name pops up in a lot of different places, and the man clearly knows what he's talking about, unlike that tool at the Guardian who wrote the Black Sabbath ranking list.
Original article: https://www.loudersound.com/features/megadeth-albums-ranked-worst-best
16. SUPER COLLIDER (2013)
What they say:
"It was all going so well, wasn't it? The follow-up to the widely acclaimed Th1rt3en should have been another corker, not least because Dave Mustaine's mojo was very much perked up after his band's mid-noughties revival, but Super Collider was a hideous disappointment. Plodding, banal and lacking testicular fortitude, it was a half-arsed attempt to strip things down to hard rock basics and, one or two half-decent tunes aside, it went down spectacularly badly with even the most diehard 'deth-heads. Yawn."
What I say:
He's not wrong about Super Collider going down badly with the fans, that much is true. But there's a lot here that I disagree with. First of all (and unrelated to Super Collider), Th1rt3en certainly wasn't 'widely acclaimed'. I'd say it received lukewarm reception - not a bad album, but it's not exactly anyone's favourite Megadeth record. Second, I actually quite like Super Collider! In no way do I find it to be one of Megadeth's best; Chris Broderick is shamefully underutilised for example, but it's definitely not as bad as many people would have you believe - in fact, I think it's comparable to Th1rt3en and United Abominations. He mentions "hard rock basics" - I've seen numerous other fans and critics state the same thing, but I just don't hear it. Maybe it is slightly more melodic overall, but it's still metal. Favourites for me include 'Built for War', 'Kingmaker' and the fun Thin Lizzy cover, 'Cold Sweat'.
15. RISK (1999)
What they say:
"Despite it's reputation as a career-wrecking, St. Anger-style clanger, Risk is nowhere near as bad you may have been led to believe. Admittedly, Dave Mustaine's half-hearted attempts to appease so-called alternative rock radio in the US did lead to some rather daft filler tracks - 'Crush 'Em', in particular, is a calamitous sack of arse - but 'Prince of Darkness' and the closing, two-part 'Time' are genuinely great and 'Breadline' is insanely catchy. A mixed bag rather than an outright turkey."
What I say:
You're a kind man, Mr. Lawson. Unlike Super Collider which I find to be underrated, I think Risk fully deserves it's shitty reputation, because it is a shitty album. I mean, come on! Megadeth doing alternative rock?! Who the fuck wants to hear that! Calling 'Prince of Darkness' a great song is like calling Hitler a great man. Yeah, 'Breadline' is catchy, but then so is Cardi B. Doesn't mean she's actually any good. The only credit I can give to Dave Mustaine and Risk is that if he'd released this album under a completely different band name, then maybe, just maybe it would qualify as a passable 90's alternative rock platter. At least we can all agree that 'Crush 'Em' is a big pile of wank though.
14. THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO (2001)
What they say:
"The return of bassist David Ellefson buoyed the hearts of many a Megadeth fan, and while The World Needs a Hero was no kind of classic, it certainly repaired some of the damage done by the confused and patchy Risk. Boosted by the one-off involvement of noted shredder Al Pitrelli, songs like 'Dread and the Fugitive Mind' and 'Disconnect' paved the way for the greater creative triumphs that followed a few years later."
What I say:
'Dread and the Fugitive Mind' rocks, sure, also 'Moto Psycho' and 'Recipe for Hate... Warhorse' are competent, but in general this record is mediocre at best. Why? Way, way too much mid-tempo filler, that's why. It might be listenable, but at least 80% of the songs here are barely memorable. I look at the tracklisting and genuinely struggle to remember how most of these tracks go. 'Nuff said.
13. CRYPTIC WRITINGS (1997)
What they say:
"Celebrated primarily for 'Trust', a stone-cold classic Megadeth single and a truly great album opener, Cryptic Writings inspired neither devotion nor much vitriol among the band's fanbase. Arguably the last time the Mustaine/Friedman/Ellefson/Menza line-up fired on all cylinders, tunes like 'She-Wolf' and 'Almost Honest' may not rival the band's greatest classics, but they still rule. The rest is good but not great."
What I say:
'Trust', 'The Disintegrators' and 'FFF'. These are the only good songs Cryptic Writings has to offer in my opinion. 'She-Wolf' is almost a decent track thanks to one really cool riff, but the bulk of it is generic filler. The rest of this album is poor, quite frankly. Most of the songs are basic and uninspired, and honestly aren't even that heavy. It's quite clear that Dave was getting desperate for more commercial success in 1997 - Metallica were doing the whole Load and Reload thing around this time and doing extremely well within mainstream rock. Of course, Metallica were better than Megadeth at doing this sort of thing anyway, and their mid-90s songs were far more mature by comparison. For Megadeth however, it just didn't work.
12. THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED (2004)
What they say:
" Released two years after Dave Mustaine had effectively disbanded Megadeth due to a serious arm injury, The System Has Failed emerged to suggest that the ginger magician's recovery was very much underway. Originally intended as a solo record, The System Has Failed is as vicious and progressive as anything the band have produced, albeit slightly lacking in killer hooks. The involvement of former guitarist Chris Poland certainly gave old school fans something to cheer about, too."
What I say:
A good, solid album alright. However, I don't agree with the man when he describes it as "viscious and progressive as anything the band have produced" - if anything, this album sits closer to the Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia brand of metal more than it does the thrashy, highly-technical thrash output of the first four records. So in actuality, I'd say the hooks on this album are actually one of it's stronger points and also more of a focus within the songs. 'Blackmail the Universe', 'Kick the Chair', 'Back in the Day' and 'Tears in a Vial' are great tracks, while the rest is enjoyable enough. The System Has Failed sits higher in my own ranking, personally.
11. UNITED ABOMINATIONS (2007)
What they say:
"Newly signed to Roadrunner Records, Megadeth did the decent thing and continued their creative recovery on their 11th studio effort. United Abominations signified a thrilling return to form: from pulverising opener 'Sleepwalker' and the fiery 'Washington Is Next!' through to the snarling 'Burnt Ice', it was an exercise in supreme confidence, refined songwriting and proud, purposeful heavy fucking metal. The only downside was a slightly pointless re-recording of 'A Tout Le Monde' featuring Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia. You can't win 'em all."
What I say:
I agree with what he says about the re-recorded 'A Tout Le Monde'. It sucks, and at the time it felt like a cheap way to attract younger fans, because Lacuna Coil were sort of popular back in '07. Aside from that, the rest of this record is pretty good overall. The only song that is a total banger for me is the thrash-fest that is 'Sleepwalker', but there's a few other highlights to be found in 'Gears of War', 'You're Dead' and the aforementioned 'Washington Is Next!'. For me personally, it sits just below The System Has Failed, but this is still a competent, if unremarkable album.
10. YOUTHANASIA (1994)
What they say:
"Many fans baulked at Megadeth's deliberate drift into less thrashy, more mainstream territory, but with hindsight Youthanasia is a very strong record and one that makes a lot more sense than the similarly-inclined but genuinely dreadful Super Collider. Some of the band's finest '90s cuts are contained within: 'Train of Consequences', 'Addicted to Chaos', 'Reckoning Day' and 'A Tout Le Monde' are all certified monsters and 'Blood of Heroes' is one of the great unsung Megadeth tunes."
What I say:
Correct - this is a very strong record. Incorrect - ranking it number ten! It deserves better. In my opinion, Youthanasia is by the far the best of the 'non-thrashy' Megadeth albums. 'Train of Consequences' is one of the greatest tracks Dave has ever written, period. I agree with all the other songs he listed as highlights (except maybe 'Blood of Heroes'), but I'd also like to add 'Elysian Fields', 'The Killing Road', 'Victory' and the title track. Yep, there's a lot of great material on this album. While it still doesn't compete with the first four LPs, the music is still heavy in a different sort of way. It's slower and hookier, sure, but it's not necessarily geared towards radio airplay in the same way that the woeful Cryptic Writings or Risk would turn out to be. Classic.
9. TH1RT3EN (2011)
What they say:
"Following the mind-blowing Endgame was never going to be easy, but Mustaine's ability to churn out rampaging anthems was much in evidence on this diverse but destructive slab of prime Dave. The best moments are as good as anything Megadeth have done since the '80s: 'Public Enemy Number One', 'Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)', 'Black Swan' and 'New World Order'... ripsnorters all, and even closing quasi-ballad '13' exuded a certain menacing charm."
What I say:
Hmm, I think 'Black Swan' and 'New World Order' are actually two of the weaker tracks from this album, so I definitely can't agree there. More importantly though, is the part where he claims "The best moments are as good as anything Megadeth have done since the '80s" - what?! Absolutely nothing from here comes close to anything from Killing Is My Business or Peace Sells!! Don't get me wrong, I think Th1rt3en is a pretty solid album overall, but that's it really. No classics, just (mostly) good, but unspectacular metal songs. If anything it's almost interchangeable and very similar to The System Has Failed, United Abominations and Super Collider. I respect the man's love for this particular record, but I have a hard time believing that 99% of Megadeth fans hold it in the same regard as this guy.
8. SO FAR, SO GOOD... SO WHAT! (1988)
What they say:
"Despite its vexed production and the inclusion of a frankly dismal cover of the Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy In the UK', Megadeth's third album remains a revered classic and a laudable bridge between the nascent brilliance of Peace Sells and the genre-defining master of Rust in Peace. Epic and adventurous on 'In My Darkest Hour' and 'Set the World Afire', brutal and snotty on '502', 'Liar' and 'Hook in Mouth', SFSGSW was an uncompromising statement and it still slays today."
What I say:
A good description. I mostly agree. I'd argue that the production is just fine, but he's absolutely right about the unnecessary Sex Pistols cover. However, I certainly don't agree with the placing at number eight! This is the worst album of the legendary run of the first four records, but it's still a stone cold thrash metal classic. I think it still sits above anything Dave Mustaine recorded post-Rust in Peace. '502' and 'Liar' are two of the most underrated songs in the entire discography, and so is the ripping instrumental 'Into the Lungs of Hell'.
7. DYSTOPIA (2016)
What they say:
"A surprise inclusion this far up the list, perhaps, but while nostalgia will always nudge us towards older records, Dystopia is genuinely one of Megadeth's finest albums and a timely reminder that few people know how to write and perform face-flaying thrash metal like Mustaine and his cohorts. Kiki Loureiro and Chris Adler's contributions are undeniably significant, but it's the sheer power and ingenuity of songs like 'The Threat Is Real' and 'Death from Within' that confirm Megadeth's ongoing greatness."
What I say:
This was the best Megadeth record to come out in a long time. It's so good in fact, that I think it's the best album Mustaine and co. ever recorded post-Rust in Peace. The album still has the crisp, modern sheen that modern production values often bring to newer metal releases, and the songwriting is a nice blend of classic Megadeth and all the more recent stuff from the past couple of decades. Tons of great songs including 'The Threat Is Real', 'Fatal Illusion', Death from Within', 'Bullet to the Brain', 'Poisonous Shadows' and the title track... I mentioned in my review that when Dave's brain is working at maximum capacity, he can still write better songs than most of his contemporaries. Dystopia proves this. It's just a shame that for every great Megadeth album he churns out these days, we get three more solid yet unexciting ones.
6. KILLING IS MY BUSINESS... AND BUSINESS IS GOOD! (1985)
What they say:
"In terms of refining and defining the thrash metal template, Dave Mustaine is unquestionably the genre's kingpin. Aside from writing at least half of Metallica's Kill 'Em All, he also created his own band's debut album: a fast, furious and relentlessly pissed off assault on the senses that haughtily upped the ante for the entire metal scene. More technically impressive than the rest and driven by fury and revenge, Killing... revealed that Megadeth were a unique and formidable proposition."
What I say:
I mean, yeah. The description here is spot-on. Only thing that's wrong is the goddamn placement once again! Number six - nahhh!! This is a top three! Out of thrash's 'Big Four' (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax), Killing Is My Business is my favourite debut of the lot. Sure, the Nancy Sinatra cover 'These Boots' makes zero sense, but the remaining seven tracks are gold, from the ferocious 'Loved to Death', the surprisingly catchy speed metal of 'Chosen Ones', the brooding 'Looking Down the Cross' and the band's mascot, Vic's own anthem 'Rattlehead', this album displayed a new level of technicality that other metal bands lacked. It also has the original turbo-charged version of Metallica's 'Four Horseman', 'Mechanix'.
5. THE SICK, THE DYING... AND THE DEAD! (2022)
What they say:
"Megadeth have no business making an album as great as The Sick, The Dying... and the Dead! this far into their career. Audibly electrified by the arrival of drummer Dirk Verbeuren, songs like 'Life in Hell', 'We'll Be Back' and 'Soldier On!' offer a highly evolved take on the cutting edge precision of Rust in Peace, but with the berserk energy of Megadeth's earliest efforts thrown in. On the epic and monstrous likes of 'Night Stalkers' (which boasts a glorious cameo from Ice-T) and 'Dogs of Chernobyl', Megadeth sound utterly imperious."
What I say:
"...songs like 'Life in Hell', 'We'll Be Back' and 'Soldier On!' offer a highly evolved take on the cutting edge precision of Rust in Peace, but with the berserk energy of Megadeth's earliest efforts thrown in." - I can't agree with this statement. Like Dystopia, this album sounds more like a blend of Rust in Peace as well as more recent stuff like United Abominations, Endgame etc.. I don't really get any blatant '80s vibes from anything Dave's done in the past thirty years. Rust in Peace sometimes, but definitely not Killing Is My Business. Either way, that's fine! The Sick... is a fine follow-up to Dystopia. I'd say it's a tad weaker than said predecessor, but still great none-the-less. 'Night Stalkers' is the Megadeth coolest, tightest track I've heard from the band in a long time, and Lawson also forgot to mention the cheesy fun of 'Mission to Mars', which is simultaneously one of the best and worst songs Mustaine has ever written! As good as this album is however, I rather predictably cannot go along with it being in the top five.
4. COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION (1992)
What they say:
"By any sane reckoning, Megadeth's most commercially successful album is a classic. With Marty Friedman and Nick Menza on blistering form and the Mustaine/Ellefson axis as potent as ever, everything from exhilarating opener 'Skin O' My Teeth' and the grim stomp of 'Symphony of Destruction' through to the angular prog-out of 'Ashes in Your Mouth' brimmed with confidence and intensity. The tunes were massive, the lead guitar trade-offs took the roof off and world domination was inevitable."
What I say:
No. Just no. Marty and Nick can't be on blistering form when the band deliberately decided to slow the songs down, simplify them and make them more accessible in the same way Metallica had done the previous year with their insanely successful Black Album! Yep, this was the first back-to-basics album from Megadeth, post-Rust in Peace. Granted, there's a number classic tunes here: 'Skin O' My Teeth', 'Architecture of Aggression', 'Sweating Bullets' and 'Foreclosure of a Dream' are all fantastic. They're all great heavy metal songs regardless of the blatant dumbing-down of the music. But honestly, 'Symphony of Destruction' is Megadeth's best known number for all the wrong reasons. It's slow, basic, boring, hideously overplayed and it actually manages to annoy me whenever I hear it nowadays. There I said it. I actually like this album as a whole, I just think it's by far their most overrated.
3. PEACE SELLS... BUT WHO'S BUYING? (1986)
What they say:
"Dark, raging and vastly more inventive than anything else that was going on in the thrash scene, Peace Sells was a fearsome affirmation of values and skill that enabled Megadeth to snap at Metallica's heels for the first time. Songs like 'Wake Up Dead' and the immortal title track are so firmly established as classic speed metal anthems that it seems a bit redundant to sing their praises again. But let's do it anyway. Peace Sells fucking slays."
What I say:
Like any of the first four, it's an absolute classic. He mentions 'Wake Up Dead' and the title track, but my favourites are 'The Conjuring', 'Good Morning/Black Friday' and 'Devil's Island'. Either way, every song here is legendary, save for that stupid Willie Dixon cover 'I Ain't Superstitious'. I'd argue that this was the heaviest album they ever made, and behind Rust in Peace, also the tightest. Gar Samuelson (RIP) and Chris Poland really made those early years special.
2. ENDGAME (2009)
What they say:
"Megadeth fans were full of optimism as the band readied their 12th album, but no one was expecting Endgame to be as straightforwardly magnificent as it turned out to be. Everything fell into place on this towering slab of modern metal: producer Andy Sneap weaved his usual magic, Dave Mustaine wrote some of his finest ever songs and every last musician played his merry bollocks off throughout. Whether delivering total thrash euphoria ('This Day We Fight!') plunging into dark, progressive waters ('Endgame'), this was unequivocal triumph and one of the finest metal albums of the 21st century so far."
What I say:
I was almost tempted to call it quits with this post after I read this Endgame segment. Yes, this is one of the better latter-day Megadeth albums - I can't deny that. It's in the same ballpark as Dystopia and The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, but calling it one of the finest metal albums of the 21st century is just flat-out insane!! It's not even a 9/10 for me! The problem I have with Endgame is that while the good songs are really good ('This Day We Fight!', '1,320"' and the title track), there's still a fair share of mid-tempo stuff to sit through here - which is fine, but they've done this far better in the past *cough* Youthanasia! *cough*. And not every song is even that great ('The Right to Go Insane' and 'How the Story Ends' come to mind). So yeah. That's my two cents.
1. RUST IN PEACE (1990)
What they say:
"Something magical happened when Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson joined forces with guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza. Rust in Peace is one of those albums: a masterpiece with no obvious flaws, not an ounce of filler or flab and some of the most obscenely thrilling moments in all of recorded metal history. 'Holy Wars... the Punishment Due', 'Hangar 18' and 'Tornado of Souls' may be the obvious highlights, but the entire record still leaps from the speakers 26 years later, sounding supremely arrogant and startlingly powerful. But beyond its hallowed contents, Rust in Peace is a seminal work because it completely upgraded metal's sonic vocabulary, heroically raising levels of precision, technicality and compositional suss and kick-starting the '90s with a sustained blast of immaculate, state-of-the-art savagery that continues to send shockwaves through the metal world today."
What I say:
The predictable number one choice, but also the correct one. Rust in Peace has gotta be one of the greatest metal albums of all time. The songs are so finely-tuned and well performed; 'Holy Wars... the Punishment Due' for example, is one of very few 100% perfect metal tracks with absolutely zero flaws. This album as a whole may not be particularly heavy, even against many of it's contemporaries, but the balance between technicality, heaviness and good hooks/memorable riffs is near-enough perfect. Writing technical songs can go too far when all the melodies are suddenly gone, and you just get a barrage of non-stop notes and chords. Mustaine knows this, hence why all these songs are still memorable despite displaying a higher level of technicality that many rival thrash acts simply did not have. Better than Master of Puppets? For me, yes. Better than Reign in Blood though? Nah! But not by much...
Well, unlike Mr. Lawson's Judas Priest album ranking, I found a lot of his Megadeth list to be far more disagreeable. Putting albums like Endgame and The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! above Killing Is My Business and So Far, So Good... So What! is just insane to me. They're strong albums, I'm not denying that, but each of the first four Megadeth records are absolute classics that I don't think Mustaine will ever top. And I'm not even one of those guys that thinks all bands' old stuff is best! Like, Deep Purple, Saxon and Uriah Heep for example, have all been putting out fantastic music in the past couple of decades. And Megadeth have occasionally put out something special in recent years too, but I just feel with this particular catalogue the early stuff really is best. Also, I think he's way too kind about Risk, Cryptic Writings and The World Needs a Hero, meanwhile the amount of praise he gives Th1rt3en is bordering on flat-out weird! How dare he have opinions of his own! To each their own I guess, at least his ranking was less predictable than many others. Here's my list anyway:
16. Risk (1999)
15. Cryptic Writings (1997)
14. The World Needs a Hero (2001)
13. United Abominations (2007)
12. Super Collider (2013)
11. Th1rt3en (2011)
10. The System Has Failed (2004)
9. Countdown to Extinction (1992)
8. Endgame (2009)
7. The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022)
6. Youthanasia (1994)
5. Dystopia (2016)
4. So Far, So Good... So What! (1988)
3. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985)
2. Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986)
1. Rust in Peace (1990)
