Countdown to Extinction


Countdown to Extinction, quite possibly Megadeth’s most analyzed work, isn’t as relentless as Rust in Peace, but is still much more aggressive and far less accessible as its successor, Youthanasia. Countdown represents Megadeth at the peak of its popularity and success, but the album is still regarded as legitimate hard-hitting, thrash material. The noticeable move toward accessibility is clearly a reaction to Metallica’s infamous black album, which opened the floodgates for the popularity of thrash metal in 1991 and drove Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine even further into raging envy. But whereas Metallica sounds tired and scripted, Countdown to Extinction stands as the blueprint for mainstream metal. Most of Countdown lacks the intricate complex riffing and blistering speed of previous Megadeth albums and relies more on heavy mid-tempo grooves, catchy melodies and pinpoint production. But the heaviness is still there; it’s just more streamlined and direct.

Some of Megadeth’s most popular and well-known songs can be found here, like "Skin O’ My Teeth," "Symphony of Destruction," and "Sweating Bullets," and the album closes with one of Megadeth’s most revered classics, the blistering virtuoso "Ashes in Your Mouth." Countdown also represents some of Megadeth’s most socially-conscious work, as the lyrics focus on ruthless heads of state, schizophrenia , endangered species, and, once again, the horrors of war.

Generally considered Megadeth’s last "classic" album, the transitional Countdown represents the 1-2 year period when Mustaine finally eclipsed is former band and Megadeth reached the pinnacle of its popularity and critical acclaim. Perhaps the only thing that keeps Countdown from reaching masterpiece status is a subtle foreshadowing of the continuing trend toward commercial accessibility that is manifested on 1994’s Youthanasia. My rating: 8.5


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


SKIN O' MY TEETH

(Mustaine) I had wrists donning slits Flowing constantly My broken body in a wreck Wrapped around a tree A crosswalk hit and run The finish line for me People clutter in the gutter Take a look and see Chorus No escaping pain You belong to me Clinging on to life By the skin o' my teeth My blood flows through the streets Deluge from the wounds Empty jars of sleeping pills On the dresser of my room My wet brain neighbor cranes His neck to see in time, The white lights a train Bearing down on me Chorus Solo - Marty I won't feel the hurt I'm not trash any longer That that doesn't kill me Only makes me stronger I need a ride to the morgue That's what 911 is for So, tag my toe and don't forget Ooh to close the drawer Chorus

SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION

(Mustaine) You take a mortal man, And put him in control Watch him become a god, Watch peoples heads a'roll A'roll... Chorus Just like the Pied Piper Led rats through the streets We dance like marionettes, Swaying to the Symphony... Of Destruction Acting like a robot, Its metal brain corrodes. You try to take its pulse, Before the head explodes. Explodes... Chorus Solo - Marty The earth starts to rumble World powers fall A'warring for the heavens, A peaceful man stands tall Tall... Chorus

ARCHITECTURE OF AGGRESSION

(Mustaine/Ellefson) Born from the dark, In the black cloak of night. To envelop its prey below, Deliver to the light. To eliminate your enemy, Hit them in their sleep, And when all is won and lost, The spoils of wars are yours to keep. Chorus Great nations built from the bones of the dead, With mud and straw, blood and sweat, You know your worth when your enemes Praise your architecture of aggression. Solo - Marty Ensuing power vacuum, A toppled leader dies His body fuels the power fire, And the flames rise to the sky. One side of his face a kiss, The other genocide. Time to pay with your ass, A worldwide suicide. Chorus Solo - Marty Born from the dark, In the black cloak of night. To envelop its prey below, Deliver to the light. To eliminate your enemy, Hit then in their sleep, And when all is won and lost, The spoils of war are yours to keep. Chorus

FORECLOSURE OF A DREAM

(Mustaine/Ellefson) Rise so high, yet so far to fall. A plan of dignity and balance for all. Political breakthrough, euphoria's high. More borrowed money, more borrowed time. Backed in a corner, caught up in the race. Means to an end ended in disgrace. Perspective is lost in the spirit of the chase. Chorus Foreclosure of a dream, Those visions never seen, Until all is lost, Personal Holocaust. Foreclosure of a dream. Barren land that once filled a need, Are worthless now, dead without a deed. Slipping away from an iron grip, Nature's scales are forced to tip, The heartland cries, loss of all pride. To leave ain't believing, so try and be tried. Insufficient funds, insanity and suicide. Chorus Solo - Dave Now with new hope some will be proud. This is no hoax, no one pushed out. Receive a reprieve and be a pioneer. Break new ground of a new frontier. New ideas will surely get by. No deed, or dividend. Some may ask "Why?" You'll find the solution, the answers in the sky. Solo - Marty Rise so high, yet so far to fall. A plan of dignity and balance for all. Political breakthrough, euphoria's high. More borrowed money, more borrowed time. Chorus Holocaust

SWEATING BULLETS

(Mustaine) Hello me...Meet the real me. And my misfits way of life. A dark black past is my Most valued possession. Hindsight is always 20-20, But looking back it's still a bit fuzzy. Speak of mutually assured destruction? Nice story...Tell it to Reader's Digest!!! Chorus Feeling paranoid True enemy or false friend? Anxiety's attacking me, and My air is getting thin. I'm in trouble for the things I haven't got to yet. I'm chomping at the bit, and my Palms are getting wet, sweating bullets. Solo - Dave Hello me...It's me again. You can subdue, but never tame me. It gives me a migraine headache Thinking down to your level. Yea, just keep on thinking it's my fault And stay an inch or two outta kicking distance. Mankind has got to know His limitations. Chorus Feeling claustrophobic, Like the walls are closing in. Blood stains on my hands and I don't know where I've been. I'm in trouble for the things I haven't got to yet. I'm sharpening the axe and my Palms are getting wet, sweating bullets. Well, me...it's nice talking to myself, A credit to dementia. Some day you too will know my pain, And smile its blacktooth grin. If the war inside my head Won't take a day off I'll be dead. My icy fingers claw your back, Here I come again. Chorus Feeling paranoid True enemy or false friend? Anxiety's attacking me And my air is getting thin Feeling claustrophobic, Like the walls are closing in. Blood stains on my hands and I don't know where I've been Once you committed me Now you've acquitted me Claiming validity For your stupidity I'm chomping at the bit I'm sharpening the axe Here I come again, whoa! Sweating bullets

THIS WAS MY LIFE

(Mustaine) It was just another day It was just another fight It was words strung into sentences It was doomed to not be right There is something wrong with me There is something wrong with you There is nothing left of us There is one thing I can do Chorus Lying on your bed, Examining my head This is the part of me that hates Paybacks are a bitch I throw the switch Somewhere an electric chair awaits Hey! This was my life Hey! This was my fate This was the wrong thing to do This was the wrong one to be doing This was the road to destiny This was the road to my ruin Now there's motives for the suspect Now there's nothing left to say Now there's method to the madness Now there's society to pay Chorus In our life there's if In our beliefs there's lie In our business there's sin In our bodies there's die Solo - Dave This was my life This was my fate

COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION

(Mustaine/Menza/Ellefson/Friedman) Endangered species, caged in fright, Shot in cold blood, no chance to fight. The stage is set, now pay the price. An ego boost, don't think twice. Technology, the battle's unfair, You pull the hammer without a care. Squeeze the trigger that makes you Man, Pseudo-safari, the hunt is canned... The hunt is canned. Chorus All are gone, all but one. No contest, nowhere to run. No more left, only one. This is it, this is the Countdown to Extinction. Tell the truth, you wouldn't dare. The skin and trophy, oh so rare. Silence speaks louder than words. Ignore the guilt, and take your turn. Liars anagram is "lairs," Man you were never even there. Killed a few feet from the cages, Point blank, you're so courageous... So courageous. Chorus One hour from now, another species of life form will disappear off the face of the planet forever...and the rate is accelerating. Chorus

HIGH SPEED DIRT

(Mustaine/Ellefson) Do it if you dare Leaping from the sky Hurling thru the air Exhilarating high See the earth below Soon to make a crater Blue sky, black death I'm off to meet my maker Chorus Energy of the gods, adrenalin surge Won't stop til I hit the ground, I'm on my way for sure Up here in the air, this will never hurt I'm on my way to impact, taste the high speed dirt Paralyzed with fear Feel velocity gain Entering a near Catatonic state Pressure of the sound Roaring thru my head Crash into the ground Damned if I'll be dead Chorus Jump or die! Solo - Dave Solo - Marty Dropping all my weight Going down full throttle The pale horse awaits Like a genie in a bottle Fire in my veins Faster as I go I forgot my name I'm a dirt torpedo Solo - Marty High speed dirt... Solo - Dave

PSYCHOTRON

(Mustaine) Assassin in stealth Assailant from Hell Impervious to damage Computer on-board Engaged in a war Non-stop combatant Maybe not a mutant, maybe a man Chorus Part bionic And organic Not a cyborg Call him Psychotron Burning inside Godspeed in glide Battle plan running A killing machine Just downright mean And forever gunning Maybe not a mutant, maybe a man Chorus Target to destroy Arms in employ Full assault fire threat Sensors indicate You will terminate Life systems disconnect Chorus All solos - Marty Psychotron

CAPTIVE HONOUR

(Mustaine/Ellefson/Menza/Friedman) Madness comes and madness goes An insane place, with insane moves Battles without, for battles within Where evil lives and evil rules Breaking them up, just breaking them in Quickest way out, quickest relief wins Never disclose, never betray Cease to speak or cease to breathe And when you kill a man, you're a murderer Kill many, and you're a conqueror Kill them all...Ooh...Oh you're a god! Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Have you reached a verdict? Yes, we have Your Honour, we find the defendant guilty! On all counts for crimes against all humanity. By virtue of the jury's decision and the power Vested in me by the state I hereby sentence you to be Incarcerated with no possibility of parole for life. Life?...Whadda ya mean life?...I ain't got a life. Boy!...Your soul better belong to Jesus!... Hmmm-mmm cause your ass belongs to me! Chorus Captive honour, ain't no honour No time for questions No time for the games Start kicking ass And taking down the names A long shit list A shorter fuse He is untouchable And guarantees you'll lose Chorus Solo - Dave Inside the bighouse His nightmare unfolds Before he got there His manpussy was sold Black blanket welcome This tough guy's now a bitch Praying for death It can't be worse than this Chorus Solo - Dave Solo - Marty Chorus

ASHES IN YOUR MOUTH

(Mustaine/Menza/Ellefson/Friedman) People have round shoulders from fairing heavy loads. And the soldiers liberate them, laying mines along their roads. Sorrow paid for valor is too much to recall Of the countless corpses piled up along the wailing wall. Melting down all metals, turning plows and shears to swords, Shun words of the Bible, we need implements of war. Chalklines and red puddles of those who have been slain Destiny, that crooked schemer, says the dead shall rise again Chorus Where do we go from here? And should we really care? The end is finally here, God have mercy! Now we've rewritten history The one thing we've found out, Sweet taste of vindication, It turns to ashes in your mouth. Chorus If you're fighting to live It's O.K. to die! The answer to your question is... Welcome to tomorrow! Solo - Marty - Marty - Dave Where do we go from here? God have mercy Chorus
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