There's a paradox in Dave Mustaine's lyrics on Megadeth's sonically smooth, professionally played, riff-heavy sixth album Youthanasia. Mustaine spills his guts in songs about demons he has faced down while bringing himself back from the fiery abyss of addiction and personal despair. Yet, his band's thundering, doom-laden music and Mustaine's sustained view that the world is still going to hell around us make you wonder why he saved himself if things are still so bad. The current edition of Megadeth has been together for three albums, and the band actually seems to be mellowing. While there's plenty of lock-step riffing from Mustaine, guitarist Marty Friedman and bassist David Ellefson, plus charging-battalion drumming from Nick Menza, there's no terror, no bad-ass attitude and no mistakes. Aside from three of the album's first four tracks, the band falls into a pattern of building big, beefy riffs only to grind away on them for four minutes before giving way to the next super-chunky fix. You wait for explosions of emotion and musical energy that rarely come. The album is full of Megadeth's distinctive brand of metal, but despite Mustaine's good intentions and noble return, a bit of the thrill seems to be gone. --Buzz Morison