1Something had changed in the band between So Far, So Good... So What and Rust in Peace. With Rust, Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson had hired guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza to fill in for members recently departed. With these new members, and his new found sobriety, Dave Mustaine recorded the seminal and critically acclaimed Rust in Peace. By the time that this album was recorded, the manic thrash and speed that Megadeth were known for was almost gone. With that departure went a lot of the attitude and controversy that Dave Mustaine created. In the place of pure speed was the use of more complex timing signatures and progressive elements to maintain the attitude of the individual song, highlighted by the precision playing of the artists. While the snotty attitude of the past was disappearing, it was being replaced by a more mature and angry take on life.
A year of touring and playing together had cemented the chemistry between the members of the band, as had the experiences of recording sober. In January 1992, the guys entered the studio to begin the recording of Countdown to Extinction.They chose Max Norman to co-produce the album, and he began to help Megadeth reinvent themselves as artists. Why did the band listen to Max Norman, who co-produced the album, and pushed them to write shorter, simpler more radio friendly songs, is anyone's guess, but there is no denying the fact that 20 years later, Symphony of Destruction is still on the setlist.
Musically, there was more variety in the songs recorded. Songs like Foreclosure of a Dream and Countdown to Extinction had more of a traditional metal sound, while others like High Speed Dirt and Skin O' My Teeth were closer to speed metal. Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman did not skimp on the riffs and solo's either, rather the songs are decked out in tasty leads and neck snapping riffs. Nick Menza and David Ellefson were also present to lay down the rhythmic foundation that holds this album together. Countdown to Extinction is not a watered down version of Rust in Peace, rather it stands on the strength of the musicianship and song writing of the band as a whole, unlike the previous outings when Dave Mustaine wrote everything himself.Listen to any podcast dedicated to heavy music, or read an article about heavy metal and this album will come up in the conversation. This album has divided the Megadeth fans in to two separate camps. Fans of Rust in Peace and previous albums, claim that this album was a "sellout" and that Dave & Co. were only trying to make a few dollars. It did indeed sell out, 2x platinum in the US alone, and still selling. Fans of the later records, tend to prefer the cleaner production, the heavier riffs and the more traditional metal sound. With both camps of fans, you cannot have one era of Megadeth without the other. There is no "new" Megadeth without the history, and the older fans seem to forget that they are still able to attend the concerts on the strength of the new albums, not some pathetic reunion tour. Megadeth will never recapture the attitude of youth, or the hunger and drive for success that adolescence afforded them. Megadeth continue to buck the trends, write and play what they like, and keep the banner flying for heavy metal in a way that no other metal band has been able to accomplish.
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