Run to the Rankings: Megadeth

 Run to the Rankings: Megadeth

Hello everybody! Welcome back to The Metal Cafe! My first ranking of a band's albums begins now with my second favorite thrash metal band, Megadeth! I am very excited for this one because among 15 albums, Megadeth have sold 20 million records and have had several, several lineups. For each album, I will list the lineup, the track listing, and other stuff like that! Now, Megadeth fans, let's start it off!!!

Number 15. 

Album: Super Collider

Year: 2013

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

David Ellefson

Chris Broderick

Shawn Drover

Track Listing:

Kingmaker

Super Collider

Burn!

Built for War

Off the Edge

Dance in the Rain

Beginning of Sorrow

The Blackest Crow

Forget to Remember

Don't Turn Your Back...

Cold Sweat

Now, the main reason this is rock bottom for me instead of RIsk, it is because Risk is bad, but it is also at least musically interesting because of how bad it is. This album however, has no artistic or musical merit. The only semi decent song on this album is the opening track, "Kingmaker" it is pretty heavy. But even though it's passable, it is still boring and brings nothing new to the table! No other songs are honestly worth mentioning because no other tracks are memorable or even likable. The album doesn't really thrive on creativity and I'm honestly sad. This was only one of three Megadeth albums to include the amazing second guitarist, Chris Broderick. He is an amazing shredder which is perfectly showcased on the live footage of the Rust In Peace 2010 concert when he played all the Marty Friedman solos amazingly. But this album doesn't bring any memorable moments to mind. I do not seek out any of the songs here. This truly has nothing to offer. And I consider it a miracle that they managed to bring out the comeback album Dystopia only 3 years later. This is simply a terrible album.

Number 14.

Album: Risk

Year: 1999

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

David Ellefson

Marty Friedman

Jimmy DeGrasso

Track Listing

Insomnia

Prince of Darkness

Enter the Arena

Crush 'Em

Breadline

The Doctor Is Calling

I'll Be There

Wanderlust

Ecstasy

Seven

Time: The Beginning

Time: The End

Now even though I put this album above Super Collider, I don't like this album much more at all. Sure it might be so bad that it's entertaining bad, but it's still really bad. For this album, they changed their musical direction massively and tried to turn themselves into famous rock starts that had songs in car commercials and on the most popular radio stations. But because of this bad intention, the album flopped. Deservedly so. This album's opener, "Insomnia" is the epitome of terrible car commercial music with tambourine and weird vocals. The absolutely terrible "ballad", "I'll Be There" has some absolutely terrible keyboard and some weird tempos that make it by far, the worst Megadeth song I've ever heard. I also hate the songs "Breadline", "The Doctor Is Calling" and "Ecstasy" because they try to be poppy but just are unbearably annoying. The only song I can at all tolerate is "Seven" because the intro riff is kind of catchy. But again, nothing I will want to seek out. Overall, the lineup is amazing, but the album is god awful.

Number 13.

Album: Cryptic Writings

Year: 1997

Track Listing:

Trust

Almost Honest

Use The Man

Mastermind

The Disintegrators

I'll Get Even

Sin

A Secret Place

Have Cool, Will Travel

She-Wolf

Vortex

FFF

Coming after Youthanasia, they really wanted to simplify their sound more. And it was before RIsk and it was the perfect combination of more mainstream and catchy songwriting, unlike Risk. This album is very bloated however, and it is a lengthy listen. So sometimes it's not even worth it. But there are plenty highlights. There is the track "Mastermind" which showcases the great bass tone David Ellefson got for the album with a really cool bass intro with a really cool riff. The opener, "Trust", is super good both as an opener, but also as a song in general. "Trust" is probably the best song ever written on Cryptic Writings. "Trust" has a cool buildup and a really cool riff. I think the production on this album is fantastic and the performances sound really cool. Unfortunately, this album is the last to feature the fabulous drummer Nick Menza and this album's simplicity doesn't really capture too much of his amazing drumming. But I think it is still a great, underrated album. "She-Wolf", "Have Cool, Will Travel" and "The Disintegrators" are all really cool songs. But I just think this album is mostly blending in with the rest and just a bit forgettable. I listen to it rarely.

Number 12.

Album: Th1rt3en

Year: 2011

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Chris Broderick

Shawn Drover

Track Listing:

Sudden Death

Public Enemy No. 1

Whose Life (Is It Anyways)

We The People

Guns, Drugs and Money

Never Dead

New World Order

Fast Lane

Black Swan

Wrecker

Millennium of the Blind

Deadly Nightshade

13

Now, we're getting to the really solid albums from the 2000s. Th1rt3en is the first album with the returning bassist David Ellefson and he has stated this album was probably the most fun album he ever made with the band. And that's a bold statement, but this album is full of badass thrash metal energy. This album has some very bold songs like "Public Enemy No 1" and the epic closer "13". These songs have a great production and have amazing performances from everybody. David Ellefson has a really cool bass tone and the production is awesome. The songs are really solid and have epic riffs especially on songs like "Deadly Nightshade" and "Sudden Death". The songs are really good and I really like putting it on from time to time. Though, it is slightly forgettable and I don't recall most of the songs on here most of the time but when I put it on, it always brings a smile because it has top quality, but also some forgettable songs.

Number 11.

Album: The System Has Failed

Year: 2004

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Jimmie Lee Sloas

Chris Poland

Vinnie Colaiuta

Track Listing:

Blackmail the Universe

Die Dead Enough

Kick the Chair

The Scorpion

Tears in a Vial

I Know Jack

Back In The Day

Something That I'm Not

Truth Be Told

Of Mice and Men

Shadow of Deth

My Kingdom

Originally going to be a Dave Mustaine solo album, as Megadeth had broken up at that point, Mustaine decided to just call it a Megadeth album. And I am so glad. This album is at least Dave Mustaine's comeback breakthrough because this album has some of the most badass songs he has written in this century. "Blackmail the Universe", "Kick the Chair", "Die Dead Enough" and "Truth Be Told" are all amazing songs. The production could be better, but the performances are all really good. This album also has some bad points. "The Scorpion" is a obscure song with an unnecessarily long intro. And "Tears In A Vial" is an okay song, but is repetitive and has a boring chorus. But the solos on this album is not only by Dave Mustaine but also played by a retunring guitarist, Chris Poland. who does play some excellent solos including on "Tears in a Vial" which does give the song some redemption. Overall, this album is pretty epic and a great comeback for the Megadeth mainstay.

Number 10.

Album: The World Needs A Hero

Year: 2001

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Al Petrelli

Jimmy DeGrasso

Track Listing:

Disconnect

The World Needs a Hero

Moto Psycho

1000 Times Goodbye

Burning Bridges

Promises

Recipe For Hate...Workhouse

Losing My Senses

Dread and the Fugitive Mind

Silent Scorn

Return to Hangar

When

People always say United Abominations was the Megadeth comeback album. But after the atrocity of Risk, this album, I believe is the comeback to thrash metal writing. This album has a production similar to Youthanasia except it's thrashier, and even a bit heavier. Aside from being a top 5 album cover from Megadeth, it also has some amazing songs. The opener "Disconnect" starts it off with a really cool intro riff with some really cool vocals from Mustaine. And some other memorable tracks include "The World Needs A Hero", "When" and "Burning Bridges" all have really great riffs and the drumming from Jimmy DeGrasso is really tight and great for the songs on this album. But the all time best song from this record, is by far "Dread and the Fugitive Mind". It has great opening vibes, almost reminiscent of "Sweating Bullets" from Countdown to Extinction but it is more upbeat, catchy and generally more enjoyable. The vocals are really good and the production sounds really good especially on this track. "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" is by far one of the best Megadeth songs from the 2000s and The World Needs a Hero is one of the best Megadeth albums from the 2000s by far. 

Number 9.

                                    Album: ENDGAME

Year: 2009

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

James LoMenzo

Chris Broderick

Shawn Drover

Track Listing:

Dialectic Chaos

This Day We Fight!

44 Minutes

1,320

Bite the Hand

Bodies

Endgame

The Hardest Part of Letting Go...Sealed With a Kiss

Head Crusher

How The Story Ends

The Right To Go Insane

This album is a monster of a thrash metal album. And that's cool for being released in the 2000's as thrash metal wasn't really that popular at the time. First, for this album's production, which is absolutely insane. The guitar tone is enormous, and the bass is cool and the drums are cool and just, everything sounds crazy. This is probably in their top three HEAVIEST albums. You've got the short buildup opener "Dialectic Chaos" which is a cool shred fest but then goes into the great song "This Day We Fight!" which is an amazing fast thrasher. They have shown that they have hit their stride perfectly. This is truly a great album. "Head Crusher", "Endgame", "Bite the Hand" and "The Right To Go Insane" are all absolutely amazing songs. The band is super heavy, tight and have one of the best lineups Megadeth ever had. I really love to put this one on and I thoroughly enjoy most of the stuff on here. The only song that stops this album in its path for 4 minutes and 42 seconds is the song "The Hardest Part of Letting Go...Sealed With a Kiss" is slightly cheesy and isn't too exciting for me. The song title is pretty bad and I don't enjoy the acoustic strumming used. But Dave's singing is really good throughout the album and is really prominent on most of the songs. The best song in general is "Bite the Hand", a groovy, catchy song with plenty to love from the really cool riffs and awesome lead lines accompanying them near the end of the track. Overall, this album is heavy, thrashy, well written and one of the best.

Number 8.

Album: So Far, So Good...So What?

Year: 1988

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Jeff Young

Chuck Behler

Track Listing:

Into The Lungs of Hell

Set The World Afire

Anarchy in the U.K

Mary Jane

502

In My Darkest Hour

Liar

Hook In Mouth

This is the first deemed "classic" album to appear on this ranking. Now even though it was released in the 80s, it doesn't mean it's good. But thankfully, it isn't good. It's great. Though, at first listen, this album might not be too memorable, this album is chock full of classic riffs. The epic opening song, "Into the Lungs of Hell", is a very epic buildup to the EPIC thrasher "Set The World Afire" that is super catchy laced with an earworm of a riff. Other highlights are "Liar", "In My Darkest Hour", and the amazing closer "Hook In Mouth". This album is full of amazing songs and the production is fantastic and super nostalgic sounding. It just oozes 80s classic heavy metal. The album cover is really bad, and Dave Mustaine's vocals are quite raspy at times. Which is weird because his singing was pretty good on Peace Sells...But Who's Buying but not too great on here. But the solos are really well played by Dave and Jeff and the bass tone, while not as good as Peace Sells...But Who's Buying, it's still a pretty cool tone. Overall it's a very nostalgic sounding album, and full of damn good songs as well.

Number 7

Album: United Abominations

Year: 2007

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

James LoMenzo

Glen Drover

Shawn Drover

Track Listing:

Sleepwalker

Washington Is Next!

Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms

United Abominations

Gears of War

Blessed Be The Dead

Play For Blood

A Tout le Monde [Set Me Free]

Amerikhstan

You're Dead

Burnt Ice

This is by far the best Megadeth record of the 2000s decade. This album is spectacular. The lineup is great, the songs are chock full of banger riffs and the production is almost just as good as ENDGAME. The first song is probably the best song on the album. But that doesn't mean the album gets worse. "Sleepwalker" is an amazing song. It's catchy, the riffs are great and Dave's singing are really good. The solos on the song especially are really awesome. "Washington Is Next!", "United Abominations", "Blessed Are The Sick", "Play For Blood" and "Burnt Ice" are all amazing songs. The album is so polished with insane performances on it. I think the cover art could be better but it is still really cool. The production is really awesome. This album is definitely in the top 10 best thrash albums of the 2000s decade. It is truly a very special and stellar record. The album is also very underrated it's not really spoken that much in terms of great Megadeth records, but it deserves to be. It is an amazing album. The only downside to the album is I find the tracks "A Tout Le Monde [Set Me Free]" because it feels like an unnecessary addition to the track listing and "Amerikhstan" because it is a bit boring and a bit too weird that it just seems like they just made it to fill a song slot. But it is still an amazing album and is one of the greats of this century.

Number 6.

                                                 Album: Dystopia

Year: 2016

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Kiko Loureiro

Chris Adler

Track Listing:

The Threat Is Real

Dystopia

Fatal Illusion

Death From Within

Bullet To The Brain

Post American World

Poisonous Shadows

Conquer Or Die

Lying in State

The Emperor

Foreign Policy

Melt The Ice Away

Now, we're at the by far best Megadeth album of this century. I see this as their second The World Needs A Hero because after the atrocity of Super Collider, this album just swooped in and saved the entire band, because Dystopia is fast, it's heavy, it feels much more original and naturally written. Almost all of the songs are amazing and memorable. It only has a couple songs that could be considered filler, but 80% of this album is some of the best Megadeth we've gotten since United Abominations or Youthanasia at the latest. The opening track, "The Threat Is Real" has a pretty nice intro and a really cool rhythm based riff that is pretty memorable. But the album really kicks off with the second song, the title track "Dystopia", while some people say it's a ripoff of "Hangar 18" off Rust In Peace, but it is still really great and one of the best songs on the album. But the next track, "Fatal Illusion" is definitely the greatest song on this album. The intro bit is very dense, and showcases how amazing and heavy the guitar tone is. But the song super picks up on the 0:56 mark, where one of my all time favorite Dave Ellefson bass lines are at. It is slick, and his bass tone on this album is superb. And the last bits of the song are badass and thrash. The next few songs like "Death From Within", "Bullet To The Brain" and "Post American World" are all some of the heaviest, catchiest and fun songs of the album. They are all heavy with great riffs in their own ways. And the song "Poisonous Shadows" is one of THE best songs on the album. It has a beautiful acoustic intro and has some of the best riffs on the album. The vocals are great on it especially. And "Conquer Or Die" is an amazing instrumental. And, for me, after this song, the album drops in quality. If it were just the first 8 songs, this album would have been the best album since Rust In Peace. But with these last 4 songs, this album gets old after "Conquer Or Die". The last 4 songs are boring, unmemorable and especially for the last track, which is a Budgie cover, "Melt The Ice Away", is a bland cover and isn't exciting at all. If they ended it with the 8th song I truly believe that it would be in my top 3. But the last third of the album makes it worse of an impact for me. But, the cover art is amazing. So overall, super heavy and full of delicious riffs.

Number 5. 

Album: Countdown To Extinction

Year: 1992

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Marty Friedman

Nick Menza

Track Listing:

Skin O' My Teeth

Symphony of Destruction

Architecture of Aggression

Foreclosure of a Dream

Sweating Bullets

This Was My Life

Countdown to Extinction

High Speed Dirt 

Psychotron

Captive Honour

Ashes In Your Mouth

Coming after Rust in Peace in 1990, this album would have probably been a surprise to many fans. They went with a simpler songwriting style, they went with a deeper production and they were even tighter from the big RiP tour so they sounded more full as a band. So with this album, along with my favorite Megadeth album cover, this album is full of amazing songs. I'm not saying they wanted to copy Metallica's Black Album as in wanting to simplify things and be more commercial, but the songs are noticeably more basic compared to Rust in Peace since that album was so technical. But this album does not let up either. The opener, "Skin O' My Teeth" is an amazing upbeat opener that is one of the catchiest songs on the album. Followed by it is the most famous Megadeth song, "Symphony of Destruction" which is a catchy simpler song that has a great bass riff and some cool singing from Mustaine. More amazing songs are "Architecture of Aggression", "This Was My Life" and the title track. All really heavy, angry songs. But the top 2 songs for me are "Sweating Bullets" and "Foreclosure of a Dream". "Sweating Bullets" is a very experimental and obscure song with many creepy vibes and a really good Dave Mustaine solo from it. "Foreclosure of a Dream" is a very ominous and pretty ballad type song. It also has some very nice singing from Mustaine and has a really pretty acoustic riff in the beginning. The album has a couple duds that I don't really notice. But the closer "Ashes In Your Mouth" is a really cool upbeat closer. Overall, this album has a great energy and a lot of great songs.

Number 4.

Album: Youthanasia

Year: 1994

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Marty Friedman

Nick Menza

Track Listing:

Reckoning Day

Train of Consequences

Addicted to Chaos

A Tout Le Monde

Elysian Fields

The Killing Road

Blood of Heroes

Family Tree

Youthanasia

I Thought I Knew It All

Black Curtains

Victory

Now, this is by far the catchiest Megadeth album ever made. The songwriting from Countdown to Extinction was perfected and the band made this album the king of the earworm choruses, laidback riffs, and while the solos, are less memorable compared to Rust in Peace or Countdown to Extinction, but the solo on the extraordinary song "The Killing Road" is emotional and powerful. There are so many songs on this album that I love, especially "Reckoning Day", "Train of Consequences", Addicted to Chaos", "A Tout Le Monde", "Elysian Fields", "The Killing Road", "Blood of Heroes", "Family Tree", "Youthanasia", "I Thought I Knew It All", "Black Curtains" and "Victory". Come to think of it, every single song are ones that I love. The riffs and choruses are super memorable and the production feels very homey in a way. The album cover is also pretty funny and visually intriguing. If there was one Megadeth song I'd show to someone that's listening to them for the first time, I would definitely show them "A Tout Le Monde" first. It is melodic, has a memorable riff, and some really cool singing from Mustaine. This album is full of great songs and certainly one of the best.

Number 3.

Album: Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good

Year: 1985

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Chris Poland

Gar Samuelson

Track Listing:

Last Rites/Loved To Deth

Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good

The Skull Beneath The Skin

Rattlehead

Chosen Ones

Looking Down The Cross

Mechanix

These Boots

Now, for the strong releasing debut. As a debut, this album was very well written and had a lot of strong riffs. The production may be really bad, the guitar solos might be very sloppy on recording, and yes the Willie Dixon cover is cringeworthy. But with all those bad things against it, why is it in the top 3? Because it is a damn good record. Dave Mustaine was a very good writer on here considering that he was kicked out of Metallica 2 years earlier. The first song starts with a glorious Bach inspired piano interlude, but after that sick part is over, the great thrash metal riff comes in and you know the song is going to be great. And it is. "Last Rites/Loved To Deth" is a glorious opener quickly followed by the amazing title track that has the amazingly catchy chromatic riff that immediately makes you want to head bang. I love the songs "The Skull Beneath The Skin" and "Rattlehead" which are amazing, heavy fast. The solos by Chris Poland on this album, while under looked, are really amazing and floaty. My favorite song on the entire album, is the all mighty "Chosen Ones". It's got that amazing first riff that carries the entire song throughout. And has an awesome chorus that has a cool chord progression. The last few songs are good especially "Mechanix" and "Looking Down The Cross" which are pretty heavy but having that cringe cover as the closer sort of makes it feel like a great gum bubble being blown but it pops before you get the chance to get the full satisfaction of it. But overall, this album's straight thrash with some awesome nostalgic moments.

Number 2.

 Album: Rust In Peace

Year: 1990

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Marty Friedman

Nick Menza

Track Listing:

Holy Wars...The Punishment Due

Hangar 18

Take No Prisoners

Five Magics

Poison Was The Cure

Lucretia

Tornado of Souls

Dawn Patrol

Rust In Peace...Polaris

The top 2 albums are both masterpieces and 10/10s for me. But for now, I will talk this album. Essentially, this is a thrash metal masterpiece. The first song in general is a masterpiece, "Holy Wars". This song has amazing riffs, amazing solos and amazing performances. "Hangar 18" is a soloing shred fest with some fantastic solos from Marty Friedman. It perfectly showcases how amazing he is at guitar. "Take No Prisoners" is probably in their top 5 thrashiest songs they ever wrote. "Five Magics", has some exotic phrased solos from Marty and has one of my favorite Dave Ellefson bass riffs in the first 2 minutes basically. The production on this album is amazing as well, the drums and bass are locked in like a safe, and the guitar tone is really crunchy and sludgy which sound really great. "Poison Was The Cure" is also a all mighty thrasher, and "Lucretia", "Tornado of Souls" and "Rust in Peace...Polaris" are all amazing songs with amazing melody. And the nice intro song to the closer, "Dawn Patrol" has amazing bass lines and are really fun to play. This song IS a masterpiece. The top 3 best songs on here are by far "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due", "Tornado of Souls" and "Lucretia". But every single song here is lovable and fabulous. This could easily be my number one. But there is just one I like a bit more.

Number 1.

Album: Peace Sells...But Who's Buying

Year: 1986

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine

Dave Ellefson

Chris Poland

Gar Samuelson

Track Listing:

Wake Up Dead

The Conjuring

Peace Sells

Devil's Island

Good Mourning/Black Friday

Bad Omen

I Ain't Superstitious

My Last Words

Now this is also a thrash metal masterpiece. This album is full to the brim with amazing songs. The opener, "Wake Up Dead", is the best song definitely because of it's amazing riffs, the best solo I've ever heard Dave Mustaine play. And the bass tone is amazing. The whole production is amazing for that matter. The guitar tone just has this full yet not too fuzzy. It's just perfect. The production holds up all these years later and it sounds just as good. It has not aged at all. I find it amazing how much the band Megadeth grew in just one year because this album shows a very aged band that has had a lot of experience in writing because the songs are progressive, intricate, technical and really fast. "The Conjuring" is an amazing song to have after "Wake Up Dead" and of course, the title track, "Peace Sells", has my favorite bass line ever written with my favorite bass guitar tone ever recorded. I love the spaciousness and openness it has. "Devil's Island", "Bad Omen" and "My Last Words" are fantastic thrashers with awesome riffs and it's just so wild to me how much Dave Mustaine's guitar soloing, song writing, singing, and riff playing had improved after just one year from the debut. The drumming from Gar is really smooth especially on "Bad Omen" and "Good Mourning/Black Friday". And Chris Poland's soloing on songs like "Good Mourning/Black Friday", "Devil's Island" and of course, "Peace Sells" are all really floaty, smooth and legato filled. This album is filled with jazz vibes but it keeps its thrash metal awesomeness and has so many wonderful moments. The cover "I Ain't Superstitious" is actually really well done, and creatively arranged. I do really like the intro especially. This album cover is also amazing. I love Vic Rattlehead on the cover with the sale saying FOR SALE and I love the orange/red aesthetic of the background and it has such a significance of history to it. Overall, this is a masterpiece of thrash metal, of heavy metal, of progressive metal, and of course, of Megadeth! My second favorite band on earth, I was super excited to rank the band. And there really is something to love about every single Megadeth album except maybe Super Collider and Risk of course. But all of them have that Dave Mustaine magic in them that makes them impossible not to appreciate. I love Megadeth and I always will. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this read with The Metal Cafe!

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Barrett LB