Youthanasia

Youthanasia is the sixth album on which Megadeth, while keeping thrash-derived tension, slightly restrains the speed and shifts its weight toward thick mid-tempo groove and dense melody. Inheriting the success of the previous Countdown to Extinction, it pursues greater strength as songs. Dave Mustaine’s riffs are shorter and more focused than before, yet the placement of beats and the dissonant angles are intact. From the powerful drive of the opener “Reckoning Day” and the catchiness of the single “Train of Consequences” to the lyricism of the fine ballad “À Tout le Monde,” the songs advance toward big choruses and gain a memorable strength as songs without losing aggression, while the title track “Youthanasia” and “Addicted to Chaos” are also striking. Rather than making technical speed the only value, winning on the density of composition and the weight of the rhythm greatly widens the band’s expression. Rather than seeking fast phrases, following where the riffs return again and again and how bass and drums fill the space reveals a distinctive addictiveness. It is an engaging record where mature songwriting shines.