Countdown to Extinction: Live

Though perhaps not remembered as fondly as the thrash classics that came before it, there has always been a level of respectability to Megadeth's somewhat checkered 1992 venture into quasi-commercial territory. Originally noted as being Mustaine's response to Metallica's ubiquitous 1991 eponymous album, hindsight tends to reveal an album that was less willing to go head-first into commercial pandering, though it was definitely a success in the sales department. About 20 years following it's initial run the waning days of the American thrash metal craze, Countdown To Extinction would be given a similar treatment that Dio gave his legendary solo debut album in 2006, namely a live performance in its entirety, surrounded by a number of obligatory classics from other albums and a token current song for good measure.

Time may well have been taking its toll on Dave's aging voice when the concert occurred in late 2012, but adrenaline can do wonders for an untrained vocalist who's upper range was beginning to fail him. By contrast, the youthful vigor on display by then lead guitarist Chris Broderick (arguably the most technically brilliant player to ever cycle through Megadeth's ever-changing lineup) and drummer Shawn Drover allow one to almost mistake this for an event from the mid-90s, with the former and longtime bassist Dave Ellefson providing some additional power to the vocal performance during the chorus segments. To be fully forthcoming, Mustaine hits the occasional sour note when trying to belt out some of the higher notes, but for the most part, the solid instrumental performance surrounding his aging pipes sufficiently distracts from this.

The surrounding attractions that round out this 2 hour marathon event include a rather curious blend, or arguably a fitting one for those who originally discovered Megadeth during their more commercialized 90s era. Obligatory epic thrashers such as "Hanger 18" and "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" provide much of the zenith point of the early and later segments, with Broderick and Mustaine all but lighting the stage on fire during the dueling solo segments. Surprisingly enough, the entries from 1997's Cryptic Writings in the chugging thrasher "She Wolf" and the more tame rocking grooves of "Trust" are well realized and don't detract from the old classics, nor does the more by-the-numbers current song "Public Enemy No. 1" off the then newest offering Th1rt3en. But ultimately the real golden moment of the entire show is the faithfully rendered performance of original smash hit and thrash classic "Peace Sells".

Peripheral highlights aside, the grueling 11 song slough through the Countdown set is a delightfully apt one, taking care to include all of the various studio bells and whistles that made the album a polished and highly marketable change of pace. For those that were firmly locked into the older thrash camp of Megadeth's fan base, deep tracks such as "High Speed Dirt", "Architecture Of Aggression" and particularly the epic beast and album closer "Ashes In Your Mouth" prove masterfully accomplished, though Mustaine struggles a bit with the higher notes on the former. But even more rock-based MTV fodder such as "Foreclosure Of A Dream" and "Countdown To Extinction" slam the metallic gavel down hard, and the somewhat quirky chugger "Psychotron" also goes over solidly. It's not quite a full on reproduction of the same magic that occurred in the studio back in 1992, but it gets close most of the time.

Barring the aforementioned weakness in Dave's vocal performance and also the mix of the instruments relative to the crowd being a bit distant and uneven sounding, the end result here is a decent overall live album with a few stellar highlights. All of the oddball narrated segments that filter in and out of the Countdown To Extinction set tend to work a bit better in the video format, but they managed to avoid being awkward even when heard on CD, which is more than can be said about some of the studio work that coincided with the early 2010s era of the band that produced this album. What could be dubbed the Broderick era of Megadeth tends to catch a bad wrap due to some poor studio showings, but this is not one of them, and along with Endgame showcases this lineup in a better light. It will play more to mainline fans rather than hardcore thrashers, but it's a solid offering regardless.