Artist: Megadeth
Label:Capitol Records
Release Date: 1994
Rating: 5 Skulls
Death's Review:
Youthanasia? Fuck yeah, motherfucker. This album rocks. Sure, next to shredders like Rust in Peace and thrash classics like Killing is My Business . . . And Business is Good and Peace Sells . . . But Who’s Buying?, this is a totally different animal and there is a fairly persuasive argument to be made that this album doesn’t come close to the genius displayed on other records. In fact, pre-Risk, most metalheads would probably rate this as one of the worst Megadeth albums. There is just not the same all-out thrash attack going on here as is on display when Megadeth is at their thrashy best. Instead, it is mostly radio-oriented rock, only slightly less commercial than Risk in some respects (Cryptic Writings and The World Needs a Hero were heavier). So I feel compelled to add this warning to the young kids out there who may not know the Megadeth classics yet: do not start here. This is not the first Megadeth album you should be hearing. It probably isn’t even the third. Get the thrash classics, and only venture here if you are a huge fan like me and have well-worn the speed metal and are looking for something more.But, no, that is not a typo. You are, indeed, reading a five skull review of Youthanasia. I love the album, for several reasons. First and foremost, the songs. Whatever head space Mustaine was in at the time, it manifested itself with an album that has a tangible mood and feel that connected with me back when this record was released in 1994. Commercially, the album was not a hit (relative to the multi-platinum success of Countdown to Extinction, although Youthanasia did get to number 4 on the Billboard 200 upon its release). Many metalheads surely bailed on this – at the time, mainstream 80's metal was incredibly “unhip,” and much of Megadeth’s core audience had moved on to other things. Youthanasia probably didn’t do much for many of the true metalheads either, as many of them had gotten into heavier death metal or black metal in the early 90's and therefore were unimpressed at this generally more commercial sounding release.
But me, I loved it. The production is fantastic. The progressiveness and complexity is toned way down, but Mustaine’s quirky vocals sound great and the songs are infectious. In fact, I have “Reckoning Day” as my ringtone on my Verizon mobile phone right now. That’s how catchy the stuff is – it’s reducible to a ringtone. But the dry, staccato riffing of the first two tracks found on the fantastic opener “Reckoning Day” and the sing-songy first single, “Train of Consequences,” that follows at track two just sounds so precise and so confident with this production that it really works. The intensity of Mustaine’s singing and the emboldened resignation of his tone takes center stage on “Addicted to Chaos,” followed by the French language-infused suicide-themed power ballad that was a moderate hit single for the band. “To all the world, to all my friends, I love you all, but now I must leave” – I think it translates to something like that.
Things go downhill a touch from there, but the introspection of tracks like “I Thought I Knew it All” and the trademark Mustaine bile of “Youthanasia,” are definitely worthwhile. So is “Elysian Fields,” and the album closes with the cool lyrics of “Victory,” which chronicles the band’s history by incorporating song titles from albums past.
Although it is understandably not everyone’s favorite, to me this is great stuff, with a different sound and vibe that permeated a number of records I was listening to at the time, including, for example, Flotsam and Jetsam’s Drift. Metal was changing, the mainstream thrash bands that had somewhat “made it” in the late 80's and early 90's were for the most part dying out. Those that were still out there were confused about their place in the new musical landscape after having achieved so much. Bands like Megadeth, Flotsam and Jetsam and even Queensrÿche produced some excellent albums in the process. For those of us who were into this stuff, 1994 and 1995 were spent listening to new studio albums from our old favorites like Promised Land, Youthanasia, and Drift that were admittedly commercial but were nonetheless much heavier than Metallica’s Load and were cool because they were darker and more contemplative as they were served upon an uncertain musical landscape. So these moody albums followed mainstream success so they were well-produced, but they were written at a time when the band leaders were in an interesting head space. A perfect formula for success when viewed through the bigger picture lens. Youthanasia is a different record, but it is nonetheless meaningful to me and is a fun release for someone who is already a fan of the band.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.