Megadeth

KIMB got a third “final cut” as well, which I’m not familiar with.
Sounds much tighter if you're listening digitally (which I why I use it over the original), but if you're already used to the original then there's no real need to seek it out aside from curiosity.
 
Countdown To Extinction (1992)

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1. Skin O' My Teeth - We open with a quick-hitting drum intro before going into the riff, and from then it's just a short walk into that verse, which is awesome. Dave outlines several ways to die and yet he's not actually died from them. Go figure. The chorus here is great too. The vocals are some of the strongest in the Megadeth canon so far. Everyone's giving 110% on this track, from drums to guitars. Marty's solo fits in quite well with the rest of it. I honestly don't have much to say for this song. It's a kickass, heavy yet catchy piece of metal and I love it. What a way to open an album. 10/10

2. Symphony Of Destruction - We open with something straight out of a symphony before Dave and the boys come right in with a heavy as fuck riff that backs the verse, which is simple and yet so damn effective. That being said, this song wouldn't be half as good as it is without that fuckin' chorus. It's epic as fuck. Is this the best chorus the band has ever put together? It's up there for sure. Dave uses his voice to its full effect here to create something truly memorable, and for god's sake, it's no wonder that's it's one of the band's most popular songs, up there with "Holy Wars..." and "Peace Sells". But it's better than both, IMO, as much as I love those two. This one is just epic as hell and is my favorite song on the album. Yes, it literally gets better after "Skin O' My Teeth", go figure. Fantastic double-shot of an opening. 11/10

3. Architecture Of Aggression - A haunting beginning to this song as gunshots ring out before the riff comes in, and I swear, it sounds like something straight off of a Metallica record. But that doesn't mean it isn't good, because Megadeth infect it with their style and make it better than expected. Dave sounds pissed off here as he sings about the hells of combat. The chorus is absolutely badass. This song took me a while to "get", but damn, it's really so fucking good. The heaviness here is skull-crushing, but it's also pretty melodic at the same time. Fucking great song. 10/10

4. Foreclosure Of A Dream - Ah yes, the acoustic guitar makes for an intriguing opening to this song. I like the build-up here with the verse and pre-chorus, and the chorus itself is good but I don't really like the backing instrumental there so much. The drums and guitar there just don't do enough for me. The best part of this song for me is the way the third verse leads into that epic fucking solo. It's fantastic. But otherwise, while I like the song, I don't like it enough to give it top marks. It's really strong but it doesn't quite do for me what it used to. Like I said though, it's still a pretty great song. 9/10

5. Sweating Bullets - Another drum opening before that riff kicks in, and then the music comes in and out for the verse. I've always thought this song was Megadeth's take on "War Pigs". Lots of bands do this sort of verse but don't go the full way ("Hallowed" and "The Trooper" only have the first part do this), whereas these two go the full way with the concept. Dave sounds like a true lunatic with his anger-filled vocals. The chorus is pretty great too. The riff section in the middle is pretty great and Marty builds up his leads nicely over top them. The final part of it wouldn't sound amiss on Kill 'Em All actually. This song actually has some of the best lyrics on the album, and you're really thrown into that locked sanitarium banging your head against the wall. But the real clinger is that scream of "Sweating BULLEEEEEEEETS!!" All told, great fucking song. 10/10

6. This Was My Life - The opening riff to this song sounds like it could've been on The Black Album, but the verse riff sounds much more Megadeth-y. This song is another grower, and gets better with each listen. Dave outlines his maddening relationship with his ex in the most venomous way possible. I don't think this is one of his best vocal performances and I don't really like the bridge here, but the rest of this song is pretty solid. That ending is great. Overall, the weakest song on Side A for me, but it's still pretty strong. 8/10

7. Countdown To Extinction - The opening here leads right into a bass-driven verse that features the band at the absolute top of the game as lyricists. Seriously, these are some awesome fricking lyrics. The boys really rip into canned hunting and how it's so fucking worthless it's sickening. Everything about this song is great, and I think it's a stunning example of how Megadeth can really knock their shit out of the park when they try hard enough. No wonder they won an award for this song. It's probably done more for animals than PETA ever will. 10/10

8. High Speed Dirt - A ripping opening leads into a verse that sounds like "Skin O' My Teeth" but not quite as gripping. Still, this is probably the best song about skydiving you'll ever find. That tolling after the verse is great. The chorus isn't perfectly outstanding but it's still pretty strong. The instrumental section is solid but not the most interesting from the band. I feel like I'm sorta ripping on this song, but I do like it. It's a cool tune, it's just not as good as the best songs from this record. The music is pretty gripping though. That break before the final refrain is kinda weird but I do love the refrain. That splat after Dave's scream of "SHIIIIIIIT!" really makes it feel like landing has been attained. Yeah, solid song. 8/10

9. Psychotron - I love the robotic bits at the opening, and they lead right into a heavy fucking riff. Which actually in turn leads into another great riff, which sounds like a robot moving too. It's pretty great. The verse is good but that chorus is really great. It's pretty catchy and Dave makes it work so well. There's no real "solo" on this song but Marty does come in with leads during the mid section and between the verse parts, which is cool. Overall, I really do like this song a lot. It's moody, it's groovy, it's great. Not quite up there with the album's five best, but it's really good nonetheless. 9/10

10. Captive Honour - Opening with an acoustic-backed intro verse, this song wastes no time in getting right to the point. I love the "kill a man, you're a murderer, kill many..." etc. piece. Then we go into the actual song which begins with a audio bit featuring a court conviction leading to jail time. "Your soul better belong to Jesus, 'cuz your ass belongs to me." Hoo boy. This song really shouldn't be as good as it is, but I really like it. That "captive honour ain't no honour!" chorus is great too. Not quite top marks but damn this song. 9/10

11. Ashes In Your Mouth - An almost Death-esque opening leads to some more robotic riffing. The verse here doesn't do much for me and the chorus section isn't that outstanding either. I love that melodic descending lead at 3:40. It's awesome. Most of the instrumental section is pretty great, actually. The drum-filled ending is pretty good too. As a whole, this song does less for me than any other part of the album. It's good, but not great. 7/10

Either I'm just fucking tired this morning or talking about these songs is like ripping hairs out of my head. It's fucking hard. Still, I like it a lot. Most of these songs are pretty great, and while Side B isn't exactly as good as Side A, it's a strong album as a whole. I like it. So far it's the best album after Rust In Peace.

Rating: 92%
 
And he rates the best song on the album as the worst...
I don't see why you guys are so excited about 'Ashes in Your Mouth'. I don't consider it to be the worst song on 'Countdown to Extinction' - that's maybe 'Captive Honour' or 'This Was My Life' - but I am only interested in the first few songs of the album. 'Countdown to Extinction' marked the transition of Megadeth from being one of the Premier Thrash bands to a more commerical Hard Rock sound which Mustaine doesn't have the voice for.
 
I don't see why you guys are so excited about 'Ashes in Your Mouth'. I don't consider it to be the worst song on 'Countdown to Extinction' - that's maybe 'Captive Honour' or 'This Was My Life' - but I am only interested in the first few songs of the album. 'Countdown to Extinction' marked the transition of Megadeth from being one of the Premier Thrash bands to a more commerical Hard Rock sound which Mustaine doesn't have the voice for.
'Ashes in Your Mouth' is pure thrash. On the same level as 'Rust in Peace... Polaris'. The song just shreds.
 
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