Released 05/11/2012
Dave Mustaine oversees commemorative edition of Megadeth's best-selling 1992 album Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has personally overseen a new 20th Anniversary Edition of the band's most popular album, 1992's double Platinum-certified Countdown to Extinction. Presented in a 2CD lift-top box and digitally, Countdown to Extinction's new commemorative edition pairs the remastered original album with a 1992 concert, recorded live at San Francisco's Cow Palace, which has never before been released in its entirety. The concert audio has been newly remixed for this release. The physical and digital versions both include a booklet with a new liner notes essay by music journalist Kory Grow, and the 2CD box also contains a 24" x 36" poster and four collectable postcards. Countdown to Extinction, Megadeth's fifth studio album, was recorded in Los Angeles in 1992 as rioting raged across the city in response to the Rodney King trial verdicts. American tensions weren't limited to LA, by any means, as the Gulf War was still fresh in people's minds, the state of the environment was becoming headline news, and President George H.W. Bush was seeking reelection in a heated campaign season. Out of this turmoil, Megadeth was inspired to create Countdown to Extinction, considered by many to be the band's best and most accessible album. The group's previous songs tackled topics like censorship and religious bloodletting in the Middle East. But none were as polemical as the sonic missiles launched by Countdown.' Megadeth laced the songs with acid-tongued commentary about subjects ranging from the futility of war ("Architecture of Aggression") to the senseless brutality of caged hunting ("Countdown to Extinction"). "Foreclosure of a Dream" sampled George Bush's infamous "Read my lips" speech, making a statement about taxation endangering the American Dream. Thanks to a perfect balance of hard-rock song structures, epic choruses, and fleet-fingered guitar work, Countdown to Extinction became an instant classic, benefiting from copious MTV and radio play. Spin magazine raved that Countdown' "may just be the finest thrash-metal album ever made," and before long, songs like "Symphony of Destruction," "Sweating Bullets," and "Skin O' My Teeth" had entered metal's canon of essential recordings.
Disc 1: 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
Disc 2: Intro Holy Wars . . . The Punishment Due Skin O’ My Teeth Wake Up Dead Hangar 18 Countdown To Extinction Foreclosure Of A Dream This Was My Life Lucretia Sweating Bullets In My Darkest Hour The Conjuring Tornado Ashes In Your Mouth Symphony Of Destruction Peace Sells Anarchy In The UK