Disco de Megadeth: “Rude Awakening”

Before I get into this review, let me say you are getting a great deal for what you pay. 2 discs full of (well, partially full of) classic Megadeth. This cd has great sound quality and a few cool places in between songs where Dave talks, however brief they may be. It is also cool how the two new guys step up and deliver all the classics with the same power as the Marty and Menza.

Now some of the bad things. The songs selection is just ok in my opinion. They play a lot off of The World Needs a Hero, which is understandable considering thats what they're touring. It's actually a very good album, but I thought they chose a lot of the wrong ones. Burning Bridges and 1000 Times Goodbye really aren't special. Off of Cryptic Writings they take Trust, She-Wolf, and Almost Honest. ALmost Honest should not be on here, and on the other two Mustaine has a little vocal trouble, he just sounds off. She Wolf does have sweet guitar and drum solos at the end though, making it well worth listening to. Other than A Tout Le Monde, it seems like Mustaine also has trouble singing the tracks from Youthanasia too. During Train of Consequences he forgets the words and mumbles.

Some of the best tracks include Hangar 18, Return to Hangar, Mechanix, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, and everything off Peace Sells. The best track though, which surprised me, is Hook In Mouth hands down. It is performed just like it is on the album.

Once again, this is a great deal for what you're paying, and though there are a few lyrical mess-ups, it's the only live Megadeth CD out there, and therefore a must have for any Deth fan.

One other thing. There's a half-cd/half-dvd version. Don't buy it. You lose half the songs when you can really just go pick this and the full length DVD up seperately for a better price.

Although this could be Megadeth's swan song ("World Needs A Hero" could be as well), this just falls short of being one of the best live albums ever released, but for Megadeth a live album is long overdue. With chants of USA in the background, Megadeth plays furiously; Dave Mustaine's disdain ridden voice and precision rhythm guitar work is excelled by Dave Ellefson fantastic bass lines (you can really hear how talented a bassist he is), while newer additions Al Pitrelli and Jimmy DeGrasso showcase that they have filled their predecesor's shoes (well, sometimes anyway). "Dread & The Fugitive Mind", "She Wolf", "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets", "Peace Sells", "Trust", "A Tout Le Monde", and "In My Darkest Hour" are brought to life live beautifully, and I am very very happy to see "Mechanix", "Wake Up Dead", "Devil's Island", "Angry Again", and "Hook in Mouth" all here, as is the crowd who sing along as well they can. However, there are a bit of downsides. Dave Ellefson's voice is horrible, and ruins "Train of Consequences" completely, while the guitar work on "Hangar 18" is rather weak, proving Al Pitrelli isn't quite as good as Marty Friedman. While it would have been great to have a live album from the Mustaine-Friedman-Ellefson-Menza era, this really isn't that bad, and you'll find yourself headbanging along to some of Megadeth's best.

...

The great thing about Megadeth, is that even with a hasty change of line-up the newcomers were still to capture the magic of three previous drummers and lead guitarists and still hold true to their music. With Dave Mustaine at the helm with his sneers and snarls, Megadeth burn their way at another blow for glory that it seems is always attributed to another great metal band, Metellica. Even in this album, Dave says when singing Mechanix, which is similar to Metallica's The Four Hoursemen, you heard it their way and now you'll hear it our way.

The album is live and you could feel the intensity, not in just the fans singing their heads off or a swear here and there, you could feel it in the band too. Just listen to She-Wolf and be captivated by the extremely long solo at the end. The newbies, drummer, Jimmy DeGrasso (excellent drum solo on She Wolf) and guitarist Al Pitrelli, liven up the mood and deliver an all-smack performace. David Ellefson shines more than anyone here, since you can hardly listen to his input during their studio albums. You just can't get his bass strings off your mind in some of the songs here. Dave Mustaine? Well he's still Dave Mustaine and that's just how we people like it.

The song collection is unbelievable. You get to have a piece of all their back catalog history. This is even better than their Capitol-released Capitol Punishment greatest hits. There are no songs from Risk, though. Megadeth did not include any in this album, because most of the songs on that album are tame when compared to all the songs featured here. A number of songs from that album were featured on their setlist during their tour. It was just not included in this album, because it did not seem to fit, not because the album is reviled by the band.

With two CDs of great music, you get a wallop for your money's worth. The problem is that which CD you'd want more in your CD player, the first or the second?

Why not BOTH? Back to back!!!

This is simply a superb Megadeth performance. Twenty four songs, amazing accuracy, and a great crowd amount to one amazing album that I can't stop listening to. You wouldn't be reading this if you didn't like Megadeth, so don't hesitate to pick this one up.

Anyone concerned whether or not Mustaine can play his old chops as fast as he used to needs not worry. Accompanied by Pitrelli, Mechanix, Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls, and Holy Wars all sound amazing. Megadeth still has the speed in them.

The only thing I could say is less than stellar is the sound quality. It doesn't sound as polished as some other popular live albums (such as Dream Theater's Live Scenes From New York and Metallica's S&M), but this could be a good thing, too. The album has a raw sound that actually comes across really well.

You basically get a couple hours of excellent music for [item price]. This is absolutely a must-have for Megadeth fans.

Heh heh heh anyone that says Megadeth has lost thier edge has lost thier minds. Its almost impossible to explain how good this CD. It really captures Megadeth's live show. Not many live discs do that well, but you can feel the energy just listening to it. Please dear god even if you hate Megadeth go out and buy this CD, you will not be dissapointed.