My Favorite Metal Band from the United States

We have reached the final post in this series. And we close things out with what is probably a bit of a surprise. Yes, I prefer Megadeth over Metallica. I believe that the first four Metallica albums were amazing and probably as good a run as any band out there, but I am considering more than just those four albums. The larger discography Of Megadeth is superior to Metallica's. Megadeth has only released one bad album, compared to three by Metallica. Furthermore, Dave Mustaine was largely responsible for a lot of the best songs recorded by Metallica on their first four albums anyway. One other reason for my preference for Megadeth over Metallica is that Megadeth is better right now. If I had to choose between a new Megadeth album and new Metallica album, I would take the Megadeth album. Endgame was better than Death Magnetic to my ears.

NOTABLE SCENES: Everything.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Too many to name, Metallica gets second billing.

Year in Metal: 2009

Link to larger post.

My Top 10 as shown in that post:
10. Thanatos: Justified Genocide
9. Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know
8. Amorphis: Skyforger
7. Dawn of Azazel: Relentless
6. Seance: Awakening of the Gods
5. Cauldron: Chained to the Nite
4. Goatwhore: Carving Out the Eyes of God
3. God Dethroned: Passiondale
2. Razor of Occam: Homage to Martyrs
1. Destroyer 666: Defiance

Again, the Top 10 has not changed, but I want to look at some different albums from 2009.

BARONESS: BLUE RECORD
I originally avoided Baroness. I had heard that Baroness was basically Mastodon, and I have not been nearly as impressed with Mastodon's material since Blood Mountain. However I heard some decent songs off the Baroness album, coupled with the fact that it was Decibel's Album of the Year, and eventually decided it was time to pick it up. I am glad that I did. This is a very good album. Though I am not the biggest fan of the recent surge in sludge/doom metal acts, much preferring the original sludge artists such as Eyehategod and Acid Bath, I do admit the songs on this thing are damn catchy. I am not yet sure whether I will continue to check out Baroness, but they got my attention.

COBALT: GIN
Cobalt was the subject of an awful lot of hype leading up to this album. The American black metal band had switched up their sound a little bit for this release, going with a more all-encompassing sound on this release. This is not a simple black metal album. It has elements of punk, rock, and sludge metal. Then there is the fact that vocalist/guitarist Phil McSorley was stationed in Iraq as a U.S. Army scout which adds an intriguing element to the band's music. This is an incredible album that is not like any other black metal album from the U.S. or anywhere else for that matter.

MEGADETH: ENDGAME
Well, since I covered Metallica's sort-of-return-to-form for 2008, I figured I should cover Megadeth's here. Of the two, Megadeth's was far closer to their early glory days. This actually sounds like thrash metal and all of the characteristics that made Megadeth stand out are present. Fast riffs, check. Amazing guitar solos, check. Snarling vocals, check. Angry, political lyrics, check. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Dave Mustaine is one hell of a guitarist and that shows here. Ultimately, I prefer this album to Metallica's most recent.

NAPALM DEATH: TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE
Napalm Death keeps doing what Napalm Death does. And that is put out album after album of furious death/grind every 18 months or so. I have always been a fan of vocalist Barney Greenway, and although I prefer his work with Benediction, his ferocious roar sounds great with the crushing and grinding riffs of Napalm Death. I have in the last few months become a much bigger fan of this band and admit that this is one of their best albums I have heard.

SUFFOCATION: BLOOD OATH
Suffocation had a hand in the creation of several subgenres of death metal from slam to brutal death to deathcore. Their own music exists on a bit more of the brutal death side of things although there have been many bands that are clearly more brutal now. However, Suffocation still puts out great albums and though brutal still remain listenable. Suffocation has never had to change their musical formula and still remain as powerful now as they did on their debut.

Top 5 Thrash Metal Ballads

Well I was going to link to an article on the Deciblog but I can't find it anymore and I get a 404 error all the time.

Anyway, as I recall, there was an article on the Deciblog naming the writer's top 5 thrash metal ballads. I only remember three of them off the top of my head: Anthrax: "Black Lodge", Metallica: "Fade to Black", and Testament: "The Ballad". I agree with one of them. Anthrax's song is okay but I would not go so far as to call it one of my top 5 thrash metal ballads. Testament has produced better ballads than "The Ballad" in my opinion.

Here's my list:

5. Suicidal Tendencies: "Nobody Hears". Highly underrated song from a band that has not achieved the fame and recognition they deserve. It's a bit more experimental than their usual fare, but still sounds great.

4. Megadeth: "A Tout Le Monde". Soul-crushing. Plain and simple.

3. Pantera: "Cemetary Gates". Excellent song with an amazing riff and incredibly sad. Pantera was basically a thrash metal band at this point, but slowed down into groove metal on the next album.

2. Metallica: "Fade to Black". I do love this song and Ride the Lightning was the first metal album I ever bought. This song was a big reason why I practically wore it out.

1. Testament: "Return to Serenity". As I stated before, Testament has done better ballads. This is my favorite song of all time.

EDIT: Death Angel: "A Room with a View" and possibly Pantera: "Cemetary Gates" were the other two on the list.

Megadeth Discography Pt. 2

Well I decided to go ahead and post a little look at some of my other compilations that I have by Megadeth. I will not look at the live concert I recorded off of the radio due to the fact that it is not an official release by the band, but there's a greatest hits compilation, rarities compilation and a bonus live CD.

LIMITED EDITION MEGADETH LIVE!
This is a six-song bonus disc that came with the Countdown to Extinction album. It features a decent look at several of their big songs up until that point. No songs were picked from the debut album, but there is one song each from Peace Sells and Rust in Peace, and two songs from So Far, So Good and Countdown. The "Symphony of Destruction" track is my favorite because it is played faster and with more intensity than the album version. I have never been a big fan of their Sex Pistols cover, so I could throw away the last track. The rest are quality recordings of very good Megadeth songs.

HIDDEN TREASURES
This is an EP collection of songs that have appeared on various soundtracks and other compilations. There are some great songs on here, such as "Angry Again" and "99 Ways to Die". There's also a couple of clunkers, in particular "Problems", another punk cover. Overall though, this is a great pickup for a Megadeth fan as it has a bunch of their early rare tracks. The other way to get these at the time this was released was to pick up a bunch of soundtrack albums that may not be worth it. Of course now that there's downloading, this would no longer be necessary.

CAPITOL PUNISHMENT
This is the first of the band's greatest hits compilations and features music up through Risk. It also features two new tracks, "Kill the King" and "Dread and the Fugitive Mind", the latter of which later appeared on The World Needs a Hero. It also featured a medley of a bunch of songs at the end. This is an okay compilation but there are not really any surprises on it and there are far too many later-era songs. The songs are all in reverse chronological order as well, which just is not that creative. Still it's a decent way to get most of the band's big hits.

Megadeth Discography Pt. 1?

If I had to pick a favorite band that I have listened to since I first got into metal, it would be difficult to choose between Metallica and Megadeth. I have oftentimes enjoyed Megadeth's far more emotional style of thrash metal and politically-minded ravings than Metallica's workmanlike machinations. Vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine is a better musician than any given member of Metallica and his voice is more interesting than James Hetfield's. What makes Megadeth falter though is Mustaine's inferiority complex about Metallica. It has caused him to make some very poor musical decisions over the years resulting in some albums that do not rise to the level of memorability as much of Metallica's work, to say the least of mainstream exposure. Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica shortly before they recorded their debut album and has held a grudge against them ever since. He is also apparently difficult to work with as Megadeth has had 20 members over the years with only Mustaine being there the whole time.

However, when Mustaine wants to, he can still write some very good music. I have been a fan of Megadeth almost as long as Metallica. My older brother had their Countdown to Extinction album and I borrowed it frequently when I was getting into metal. Megadeth was the first metal band outside of Metallica whose album I bought. I got Youthanasia around Christmastime of my eighth grade year with a gift certificate.

I own every full length Megadeth album, as well as a live bootleg that was played on the local hard rock station in Lincoln, a live bonus CD, a compilation of songs for soundtracks, and a greatest hits compilation. I will use this post to only discuss the full-length albums and perhaps I will have a follow-up later on to cover the other stuff I have.

KILLING IS MY BUSINESS...AND BUSINESS IS GOOD!
The debut album by Megadeth showed that the band was ready to take on the thrash scene. They played much faster than Metallica and were louder and more brazen. The best example of the difference in the bands' speed can be found in the song "Mechanix". This was the early version of the Metallica classic "The Four Horsemen", except it is much faster and more chaotic. In addition, Mustaine's air raid siren vocals and sinister sneer made their first appearances. Mustaine was nastier and angrier than Hetfield, adding a malevolent edge to the music with his unique vocal style. The guitar work is fantastic, but still a shell of what it would soon become.

PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING?
Megadeth reached their full potential already as a thrash metal band on this terrific album. The production quality is not great, but it gives the songs a raw, dirty vibe. This album is a thrash metal landmark, but it came out at the same time as Master of Puppets so it does not get the credit that it so richly deserves. What distinguishes this album from others is the very impressive lead guitar work. There are almost constant guitar solos running through everything, a trait which would continue in a lot of Megadeth's albums. The bass is also incredible. David Ellefson is a very underrated musician. Mustaine's sneer has improved by leaps and bounds. The songs do not feature a typical progression and there are frequent, long instrumental interludes, but that's not a problem when the music is this good. The opening bassline for "Peace Sells" was featured as opening music for MTV News for years.

SO FAR, SO GOOD...SO WHAT!
This album certainly has some classic songs, but it is evident that the band is attempting to break into the mainstream somewhat. A lot of the raw feel has been smoothed over on this album. This is the band's first album on a major label and it is clear that the label viewed the band as some sort of poor man's Metallica. Hence the production values. This album just is not quite as memorable as the two that came before it although, again, there is some great stuff here. Mustaine's lead guitar work has continued to improve, as have his vocals. The album is still fast and loud as hell, but the glossy sound kind of takes out some of the fun. It is nice to fully hear what is going on in the music, but the raw feel is greatly missed. The band did show off a rare somber side with "In My Darkest Hour", which I believe is the best song on the album.

RUST IN PEACE
This is not only the best album Megadeth has ever released, it is one of the best metal albums in history. I had it ranked #3 behind only Metallica's Ride the Lightning and Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The songs are all amazing, with only one exception. The musicianship is incredible, and Mustaine's vocals sound better than they have before or since. The real key to this album is the solo contest Mustaine had with new axe-slinger Marty Friedman. He truly found a guitarist every bit as talented as he was and the trading solos on this album proved a bit of a friendly rivalry as to who could out-shred the other. The songs featured a little more of a progressive songwriting style and the genre of the album fluctuates between thrash, progressive, and traditional metal depending on the song. "Hangar 18" and "Tornado of Souls" are probably two of my absolute favorite Megadeth songs, if not metal songs in general. Megadeth would never be as good as they were on this album again, which is a major shame.

COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION
Countdown was Megadeth's bid to be more commercially successful and was mostly the result of Mustaine's continuing envy of the success of Metallica. The songs are much shorter and feature more traditional metal song structures, such as verses and choruses, something which had been lacking in their music previously. It was extremely successful and this is the band's best-selling album to date, featuring many hit songs such as "Symphony of Destruction", the title track, and "Sweating Bullets". The title track also won the band the Humane Society's Genesis Award for its spotlight on species extinction and canned hunting. Unfortunately, while many of the songs are good, this album was the album in which Mustaine really sold out, choosing radio-friendly songs instead of the thrash classics of the band's past.

YOUTHANASIA
This was the first Megadeth album I owned. The album was an effort to combine the radio-friendly aspects of the last album with some harder-edged more metallic elements. The songs were still very melodic, including the hit "A Tout Le Monde", but the album also featured some very heavy riffs, such as the one at the beginning of "Train of Consequences". This album essentially continued the downward turn from the prior album, but all was not lost as Mustaine's gift for writing catchy and interesting songs was still very much intact. The songs on this album were not as heavy as prior material, but they were interesting in their own way.

CRYPTIC WRITINGS
I'm not really sure what happened here. At least the last two albums prior to this bore some resemblance, however slight, to the albums that came before them. This album was a total shift in sound. There are very few moments where any signs of thrash metal still exist. For the most part, this album was produced in order to get Megadeth their long-desired #1 album. It was hugely successful as there were many radio hits on the album. There are still some harder songs, such as "The Disintegrators", "Vortex", and "She Wolf". However, many of the songs are lighter and geared towards modern rock radio. It is still mostly a metal album, but it fit in well with stuff on the radio at the time. At least the songs were good and catchy, and I still like this album better than Metallica's Load.

RISK
The name of the album says it all. This was a huge risk, and it did not pay off. After the success of the last album, Mustaine gave up more creative control over his band to a producer to again try for a #1 record. What resulted was a commercial and musical failure. This is one of my least-favorite albums in my music collection. I drag it out to listen to maybe once a year. Mustaine refuses to play any songs off of this album in concert, and for good reason. There is virtually no metal at all present on this album and Megadeth incorporates influences from electronic music, country, and several other areas the band had no business reaching into. Quite frankly, other than Mustaine's voice, this sounds nothing like Megadeth. There are very few decent moments and a whole lot of bad ones. It's odd that one band can supply one of my absolute favorite albums, as well as one of my most hated.

THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO
Thankfully after the mess that was the last album, Megadeth made a comeback of sorts. This album is not a complete return to form, but it does at least reach back to their more melodic traditional-sounding metal of the early 1990's. There are definite metal riffs and the album is significantly heavier than the last couple of albums. Mustaine's voice sounds great once again and his guitar solos have slowed a little but made up for their decrease in speed with improved technicality. Marty Friedman had left the band by this point because he did not want to return the band to its prior metal sound. It's unfortunate, but it did lead to Mustaine retaking the reins of the band and the spotlight. The album features some more personal songs such as "1000 Times Goodbye" and it also features a continuation of "Hangar 18" called "Return to the Hangar" with new lyrics centered around the same riff. This is a decent album, certainly better than their last couple, but not at the level as their early work and it really drags in the middle section.

THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED
This album basically built on the previous one. Megadeth were clearly on their way back, but they seemed to be taking baby steps. This album is a little more consistent and did not have a long dragging point in the middle of it, but they were not quite all the way back yet. Megadeth had gone on quite a long hiatus before releasing this album. Mustaine suffered a horrific injury that threatened to end his guitar-playing days and he broke up the band setting off major lawsuits with longtime bassist David Ellefson. He then found God and made a full recovery. His newly Christian values are apparent in this album with the last two tracks. Politcal rants re-emerged as the major lyrical topic. The guitar work is once again fantastic. At the least, Mustaine proved that he could definitely still play. Unfortunately there are not really any must-hear tracks on this one. They are all good, for the most part, but there are not any standouts.

UNITED ABOMINATIONS
Again building on the previous improvements, Megadeth is still fighting on this album to regain their place among the pantheon of thrash metal greats. They take another step closer on this album. It was well-received critically and commercially. Mustaine even managed to ruffle some feathers with the United Nations based on the title track and received a rebuttal of his claims in that song. That's pretty impressive that a metal band forced the U.N. to respond. This album also features a re-recording of "A Tout Le Monde" with Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna COil providing guest vocals. The only real issue with the album is that it does sound quite a bit like the previous two albums. It's clearly the best album Megadeth had produced since Youthanasia at least. It also again gave fans hope for the next album to be what they have desired for the next one. The old Megadeth was clearly on its way.

ENDGAME
And they arrived. This is an incredible album. It's the best Megadeth album since Rust in Peace, better than all of the albums that came before it. Megadeth's aggression and anger came roaring back on this album with the blazing "Head Crusher" and "The Right to Go Insane". The album kicks off with a bang on "Dialectic Chaos", one of the best album opening tracks I have heard in a long time. The intensity level never backs off either. It is the most complete Megadeth album in a very long time. Even Rust in Peace had a throwaway track, but this album really does not. This was one hell of a comeback and was a very pleasant surprise. Even the frequent guitar soloing sounded like the old Megadeth. Hopefully the band continues in this vein.

Megadeth released some bad albums but they have been striving for a comeback for quite awhile. As far as the Big 4 of American thrash, Megadeth is probably the most musically gifted and they have also proven that they can still be viable in the metal scene. Slayer has been the most consistent, but none of their latest albums comes close to the latest Megadeth album. Anthrax has not been good in a long time. And finally, although Metallica put together their own colossal comeback album, it does not hold a candle to the newest Megadeth album.

2010 Grammy Nominations for Best Metal Performance

I hate the Grammys and I am sure that most metalheads would agree with me. Ever since the first year the award was given out for Best Metal Performance, no self-respecting metalhead has taken it seriously. That first time was one of the most infamous fuckups in award show history. They gave the Grammy to Jethro Fucking Tull. Over Metallica. Over Metallica's "One", a masterful song. That same year the other nominees were Iggy Pop, AC/DC, and Jane's Addiction. What a way to start the award off with a complete fucking disaster.

Since then, Grammy awards under this category have been awarded to non-metal and false metal bands like Nine Inch Nails (twice), Rage Against the Machine, Tool (twice), Deftones, Korn, and Slipknot. The worst year was 2003 when not a single nominee was actually a metal band. That year featured Korn winning with nominations for P.O.D., Slipknot, Stone Sour, and Rob Zombie.

This year's nominees were announced on Thursday and they're not as egregiously, mind-blowingly, awful as usual. Huh. Maybe they're learning. Probably not. As my fiancee said to me many metal bands have become better known in the last few years. She has heard of all of these bands. So, here's the list:

Judas Priest: "Dissident Aggressor": I have no idea why they picked this particular track off the band's recent live album. The song itself is 30 years old.
Lamb of God: "Set to Fail"
Megadeth: "Head Crusher"
Ministry: "Senor Peligro"
Slayer: "Hate Worldwide"

Slayer has won a couple of Grammys for this category recently, so they could easily get it again. Ministry seems to be nominated every year (five times total), so it would be nice for them to finally win it, though I doubt they will as they are extremely inaccessible. Megadeth has been nominated eight times, without a single win. Judas Priest has been nominated four times without a win. Both Megadeth and Judas Priest deserve it for their larger body of work, not necessarily the stuff for which they were nominated.

In short, I think Slayer will win it, but I would like to see it go to Judas Priest or Megadeth. I will not watch the show as they give out this award during the pre-show. Stupid bunch of shit.

Metallica and Alice in Chains were nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance. Metal bands nominated for Hard Rock? Sigh.

Megadeth: Endgame Initial Impressions

I am very happy about this album. I just bought it on Tuesday and have only had an opportunity to listen to it once through so far, but it appears as if Megadeth is officially back. This album reminded me a lot of Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia. There are some thrash metal elements present, but it is largely more of a traditional heavy metal album. Still though, the fact that the band has retraced its steps into a more listenable time in its evolution is definitely a step forward. Most of the Big 4 thrash metal bands have changed their sound and released some clunkers (Slayer being the exception, though changing their sound, they never released a truly awful album). Megadeth's Risk was the worst of them all though. Which is a major shame, because Megadeth was one of the first metal bands I got into, in fact they were the second after Metallica. It's good to have them back.

Dusting Off a Cassette Pt. 20: Megadeth: Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?

Ah, Megadeth. Megadeth was probably my second favorite metal band after I discovered Metallica. Obviously what drove me toward the band was the fact that Dave Mustaine, the only constant member of the band, was also in Metallica early on. He got kicked out of Metallica due to his raging alcohol abuse which is kind of like a law firm kicking someone out because they are too argumentative. Mustaine has apparently never gotten over that.

This was my second Megadeth tape, and my first one from their clear thrash metal phase. I bought it, along with a Pantera tape, at the mall when I was beginning to really broaden my metal horizons.

Megadeth has always had a more political slant to their lyrics and this is very clear from the title track "Peace Sells". The song is an angry rant about the state of the country. Much of the rest of the album consists of fast-paced thrash metal. Mustaine has always been able to write good riffs and this ability is front and center here on the band's sophomore album. The riffs are memorable and the guitar solos are incendiary. Mustaine uses his trademarked snarl to great effect and his anger is very apparent.

The only problem with the album is the cover song. Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious" isn't the best song for a metal band to cover. But, this band also covered Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots", on their debut no less, so I guess I can't complain too much.

This album, along with the rest of the band's first four albums, are all essential listening for thrash metal aficionados.

Megadeth Live Review

This was one of the first metal recordings I was really exposed to. My older brother was kind of a mainstream metalhead and picked up the Countdown to Extinction album and this promo live EP was attached to it. I started listening to Megadeth soon thereafter and he basically just let me have this EP. I was much more interested in the EP than the album because I liked the songs better.

This EP features six songs, including songs from their earlier albums. I was never as much of a fan of the Countdown era of Megadeth, which is why this EP appealed to me.

The songs on the album are played even faster than on the recordings, which is the most interesting aspect of the EP. It is especially noticeable on "Symphony of Destruction". This is my favorite version of this song because the increased speed makes it an incredible roller-coaster of a song. "Peace Sells" is also sped up to a degree and Mustaine's voice sounds desperate and manic.

The band is a cohesive unit on this limited edition EP. The songs are crisp, the sound quality is clear, and every instrument can be heard. Mustaine's vocals are just as exasperated as on the albums. He is truly a one-of-a-kind vocalist. The riffs and solos are all played at blazing fast speeds, with the exception of "In My Darkest Hour" which should be played slower.

My only complaint about this EP is the presence of "Anarchy in the UK". I have always felt that Megadeth's songs are good enough without the band having to resort to covers. Especially since most of their covers are of the ironic pop song variety. This one is not, but still sounds out of place with the thrashing of the other tracks.

As one of my first exposures to Megadeth, and metal in general, this EP is a personal favorite of mine.

Great Band, Terrible Album Pt. 4: Megadeth: Risk

Ah yes, Risk. This is the album that made me start doing this series in the first place. I fucking HATE this album, and I say this as a huge fan of Megadeth. There are a couple of halfway listenable songs on this album, but by and large it is complete and utter shit. Dave Mustaine has had an ongoing grudge against Metallica since they kicked him out of the band in New York in the early 1980's and made him take the bus back to California. Since then, Mustaine and his band Megadeth has battled constantly against their more famous rivals, although Mustaine was actually the more talented guitarist and lyricist. You can actually hear the seething rage in his vocals and you know he is still angry. Metallica would have been an absolutely unstoppable force in metal if Mustaine stayed in the band, but his alcoholism was threatening to consume him.

Megadeth produced several classic thrash metal albums Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, So Far, So Good, So What?, and one of the all time greatest METAL albums, much less thrash metal, Rust in Peace. But, Megadeth always had an inferiority complex about Metallica, so when they simplified their sound and garnered major mainstream attention and huge record sales, Megadeth did the same, with the stated purpose of outdoing Metallica. Unfortunately, while Megadeth could do thrash better than Metallica, they couldn't do mainstream metal. Countdown to Extinction, while being a decent album, paled in comparison to The Black Album. When Metallica came out with Load, Megadeth tried to further soften their sound to keep up with the record sales of their big brother.

Which leads us to Risk. Mustaine's vocals gained a horrible whiny sound when the music was softened. They had always been a little nasally, but it got much worse here. Marty Friedman was still in the band, but his shredding guitar solos were gone. The lyrics were pathetic, best exemplified by the ridiculous wrestling anthem "Crush 'Em". It's not a bad song to get blood pumping, but serves little to no purpose other than that. The rest of the songs were incredibly weak with very few standouts. Funnily enough, even the band realized how bad this album is and almost never plays any of the songs in concert.

After Risk, Megadeth almost returned to form. They haven't fully recovered yet though. Like Metallica, I don't think they ever will.