Countdown to Extinction
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| Countdown to Extinction | ||
|---|---|---|
| Missing image Countdown.jpg Album cover | ||
| Album by Megadeth | ||
| Released | July 14, 1992 | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 47 min 26 sec | |
| Record label | Capitol Records | |
| Producer | Max Norman and Dave Mustaine | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 4 stars out of 5 | link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:9kq5g4gttv6z) |
| Megadeth Chronology | ||
| Rust in Peace (1990) | Countdown to Extinction (1992) | Youthanasia (1994) |
Countdown to Extinction is a music album by Megadeth, released in 1992 (see 1992 in music).
Historical significance
Countdown to Extinction was the second album featuring the Mustaine / Ellefson / Menza / Friedman line-up. Following up the band's 1990 technical masterpiece Rust in Peace, and perhaps in response to the 1991 Metallica self-titled album, Megadeth decided to follow a hard rock format with Countdown.
This change of format means that many songs on the album follow a more traditional structure, with verses and choruses (unlike many of the bands previous albums). This format change was unpopular with some fans at the albums release, however the album turned out to be one of the band's most commercially successful.
Like its predecessor, many of the songs on the album have political and military undertones. For example, "Symphony of Destruction" is a song about military dictators, "Architecture of Aggression" focuses on the complexity of military operations, and "Ashes in Your Mouth" on the aftermath of war. Other political songs include "Captive Honour", a song about the prison system and consequences of crime, "Countdown to Extinction", a song about the environment, and "Foreclosure of a Dream", a song that looks at rise and fall of political ideologies, specifically that of George Bush Sr.
Track listing
- "Skin O' My Teeth" - 3:13
- "Symphony of Destruction" - 4:02
- "Architecture of Aggression" - 3:34
- "Foreclosure of a Dream" - 4:17
- "Sweating Bullets" - 5:03
- "This Was My Life" - 3:42
- "Countdown to Extinction" - 4:16
- "High Speed Dirt" - 4:12
- "Psychotron" - 4:42
- "Captive Honour" - 4:14
- "Ashes in Your Mouth" - 6:10
Personnel
- Dave Mustaine - lead & rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Marty Friedman - lead, rhythm & acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Nick Menza - drums, backing vocals
- David Ellefson - bass guitars, backing vocals