Countdown To Extinction | How Megadeth Survived the Death of Thrash Metal and Embraced the 90s

Introduction

And now to move into the next phase of Megadeth. These next three albums are commonly grouped as a trilogy. The second half of Megadeth's Classic Era. The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal Trilogy.

In 1990, Thrash Metal reached its peak with Rust In Peace as well as other albums like Act III by Death Angel. Simply put, the genre had reached the most it could at the time. Same with NWOBHM from Judas Priest's neo-Speed Metal album Painkiller. Now was the time for metal to expand once more, to new horizons. Pantera gave birth to a new genre, Groove Metal (Or Neo-Thrash). Taking Thrash riffs as a base, but slowing them down and making them crunchier. It was hugely successful. Death Metal (Birthed by Death's Scream Bloody Gore in 1987) exploded in the early 90s, to the point where it bordered on mainstream as far as metal was concerned. And in retaliation, Norway gave birth to Black Metal, the rawest, dirtiest, grimiest metal genre ever that wasn't Grindcore. Then Emperor added keyboards and it became Symphonic Black Metal. Sweden's Stockholm Death Metal scene gave birth to a new monster in Gothenburg, Melodic Death Metal. In Germany, their late 80s Speed Metal scene embraced more melodic over-the-top guitars, symphonic elements, and Queen-esque chorus', creating modern Power Metal. And in America... we did some shit where we added rapping and funk riffs into Metal and called it "Nu Metal". It was weird. I mean Korn was good I guess?

Sadly all this innovation in metal came at a cost. The old guard kinda... died. Metallica made a half-metal album with The Black Album, an album I frankly have no real passion for one way or the other. And after that they kept trying to be Southern Rock, but with a weird emo aesthetic? Idk. Anthrax jumped on the Nu Metal craze. Testament tried to be mainstream and failed, then tried to be Death Metal and failed, then tried to be Groove Metal and actually kinda found a niche. Death Angel... didn't exist any more. Exodus... what even happened to them? And Slayer? Slayer just kinda kept doing their thing, but to the point where it became really damn stale. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest fell into a string of mediocre albums that lost their band's charms. Helloween went to shit. Nobody really thrived on an artistic level (Metallica thrived financially, but this isn't a financial blog).

Except for Megadeth. There's a reason that when so many other bands are called out for selling out in the 90s, Megadeth's 90s output is oddly revered. Specifically Countdown and Youth. Simply put, Megadeth managed to do it right. They managed to make albums that were somehow both more mainstream and accessible, yet heavy and complex, acting not as an abandonment of their style, but a new direction that used everything fans knew and loved in new ways. And on the subject of Countdown To Extinction specifically, they created one of the most influential metal albums of all time. It wasn't The Black Album that was claimed as the reason Avenged Sevenfold started. It was Countdown To Extinction.

So the question is, how did Megadeth manage to avoid all the pitfalls of all the other Thrash bands, and why this album is still relevant. When all the other bands were gone, all but one. This was it. This is Countdown To Extinction.

Analysis

Countdown To Extinction in terms of drum follows a similar pattern to Rust in Peace. Nick Menza continues to provide a very technical, complex style of drumming. A far cry from the shallow drumming you might hear from 90s Metallica. How it differentiates from RIP is entirely in pacing. Countdown is a more mid-paced album. Tempos can be as little as half of what tempos on RIP were like. But you see, that's the brilliance. The drums are slowed down, but unlike other bands, they're not dumbed down. It helps that Ellefson provides some of his best work on bass here. Once again digging into some Peace Sells-style grooves here.

What ends up making all that work then, is Dave's rhythm guitar. Countdown very, VERY clearly takes some inspiration from Cowboys From Hell. It is undeniable. But it works to the album's advantage, since it means that the lower tempos are offset by an increase in grooves and depth and pure crunch. Something that 90s Metallica really should've done more of (Though they did occasionally do it. "Of Wolf And Man" is groovy as shit). What ends up differentiating this from Pantera and Metallica is, once again, the way Dave and Marty play off of each other. It's one thing that always bothered me with other Thrash bands, and even Pantera to an extent. They kept lead and rhythm guitar so separate. There were riff sections, and lead sections, and you rarely saw a whole lot of guitar interplay. Pantera did it better than Metallica, but it was still a very riff-oriented band where the leads only came out as the climax of the song. Megadeth though? The amount of dual-guitarwork on this album is astounding. Like I said in the RIP review, it strikes me as Proto-Gothenburg in some ways. It leads to incredibly amazing melodic songs and riffs.

The biggest improvement though, is Dave Mustaine's vocals. By God, he actually sounds friggin great here. He never sounds cringy (Except when he's clearly meant to), he always fits the tone of the song, and he even gets some genuinely great melodic moments (Specifically in the title track). Best his vocals had sounded up to that point, by far.

Track by Track

The album opens with "Skin O' My Teeth". A banger that calls back to tracks like "Chosen Ones" with its bouncy riff and catchy chorus. It also has a killer bassline in addition to Menza going crazy on the drums. That song is followed by "Symphony of Destruction". The go-to radio single of the album, and still a really good track evoking a story of totalitarian government and the corruption power causes. That said, maybe just because I've heard it a thousand times, but I'm kind of numb to it. Next up is "Architecture of Aggression". Aside from it's riff reminding me a bit too much of "Through The Never" at times, it's a really good song with another great bassline. Also Marty is awesome here. But, well, it does lack a little punch that the previous two songs had in spades.

After that is "Foreclosure of a Dream". An honest-to-god ballad. And it's fine. I'm not exactly a ballad guy so it doesn't really jive with me that much, but it's a good song. Then there's "Sweating Bullets". One of the most iconic songs from the album. With it's psycho-drama spoken word verses mixing with an insanely catchy dark chorus melody, it's memorable riffs, it's great solo, I love this song. It's just so damn atmospheric and badass. And the bridge riff is just pure greatness. The next track is one of my favorites, "This Was My Life". It has one of the heavier verse riffs and catchiest chorus' and best solos of the album. It's the song that represents everything I adore about this album.

Next up, "Countdown To Extinction". A fantastic song that perfectly mirrors the previous one by showcasing the more melodic side of this album. With easily the best solo on the album and one of the best Megadeth chorus' ever created along with some genuinely good lyrics, you could make a good argument for this being the best song on the album. Then there's the first of these songs that I don't really care for. "High Speed Dirt". It's fine, I just don't think it's that memorable. In fact, I've already forgotten about it writing about this. The most memorable thing about it is just the faster pace honestly. Things pick back up with "Psychotron", though said song doesn't match the intensity of many of the earlier songs on the album. Great drums though.

Then there's "Captive Honor". A really fun atmospheric track not dissimilar to Bullets. I especially love Dave's "What do you mean life? I ain't got a life!". Still, it's mostly an appetizer before "Ashes In Your Mouth". Not only is this the heaviest song on the album, it is also the best. The riff is instantly recognizable, the song's climax iconic, the drums perfectly precise with RIP's technicality returning for an encore, the bassline orgasmic, and Dave providing the perfect style of vocals for it. The song is one of the best showings of the chemistry of the 90s Megadeth lineup there is. It's a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Ranking:

1. Ashes In Your Mouth
2. This Was My Life
3. Countdown To Extinction
4. Skin O' My Teeth
5. Sweating Bullets
6. Symphony of Destruction
7. Architecture Of Aggression
8. Foreclosure Of A Dream
9. Captive Honor
10. Psychotron
11. High Speed Dirt

Production

OG Countdown was produced nigh identically to RIP (Slightly clearer). And the 2004 remasters share the same problems in general. Though the mechanized drum sound and raised bass guitar does suit CTE considerably more than RIP, and unlike RIP there were no re-recordings. I still say stick with the OG mix and mastering, but you may find some go-tos from the 2004 version. Especially if you have one of the more dynamic gold releases.

But then there's the 2012 remaster. Like Peace Sells 2011, it uses the OG mix and includes a ton of bonus material. So like PS, it must be the definitive version, right? NO. Oh Good God no. In fact, the 2012 remaster is the worst version of CTE. Why? Because it's basically Countdown to Extinction: Rick Rubin Edition. The lack of Dynamic Range is that bad. It's terrible. So much clipping, such bad drums, it makes Endgame look like a Full Dynamic Range release by comparison.

So yeah, stick with the OG CD. They're easy to come by since, well...

Conclusion

CTE sold like hot-cakes. You could easily say it was Symphony's music video that carried that, but I think it's because CTE was the ultimate compromise between Cowboys From Hell and The Black Album. It's that odd album that grabs the mainstream and the heavier crowds just as much, a category shared with albums like The Blackening and Forever. Because of that, it's easy to see the impact that this album had. It defined Megadeth's image and style for the next 10 years, and is often held as one of the most inspirational American Metal Albums of the 1990s. More than that, it's just really damn good. Do I like it as much as any of the first four albums? No (Well maybe SFSGSW. Idk, I go back and forth). But it is a great album that is just as deserving of the Megadeth name as those albums. I give Countdown To Extinction a 9/10.

Next Time, Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings. Yes, I'm trying something new by reviewing them together.