Megadeth
Cryptic Writings

There are bands that manage to enter the collective imagination in relation to a specific musical genre, and one of these is certainly Megadeth, who, along with the well-known Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, make up the "Big Four" of the American metal scene.

Protagonists, during the '80s, of a movement that aimed to blend the brutality of the most extreme punk with the typical European-style Heavy Metal rhythms, creating a hybrid known to most as Speed or Thrash Metal, the ensemble led by Dave Mustaine managed to stand out with an undoubtedly impactful style but, especially compared to their "cousins" Slayer, more thoughtful and "studied," aiming (and still aiming) to captivate listeners not so much by overwhelming them with furious parts and chaotic solos, but by highlighting a certain instrumental technique and a songwriting ability capable of combining a metallic attitude and vigor with an excellent taste for melodies, clearly evident in paced tracks like the famous "Symphony Of Destruction." This attitude, coupled with Mustaine's desire to experiment and explore new sounds, has led Megadeth to make stylistic choices not always appreciated by fans, especially those from the early era (from the debut up to "Rust In Peace" to be clear), resulting in controversial works like "Risk" and "Cryptic Writings"; it is precisely on the latter that I would like to focus my analysis today, trying to set aside many of the prejudices that have accompanied this album over the years, in order to present it in a different light and encourage someone to listen to it with different ears.

First of all, let's clear up any doubt by saying that we are not dealing with a Thrash Metal album in its entirety, on the contrary here the quintessential eighties component is heavily overshadowed in favor of a sound more oriented towards classic Heavy Metal and more robust and dynamic Hard Rock, with nods to the more mainstream side of "hard" music, clearly visible in tracks like "Trust," the opening track characterized by a melodic and catchy progression, and "A Secret Place," another track of immediate assimilation and for this reason considered by many as very "commercial," a term I honestly find reductive and ambiguous: what exactly is meant by the term "commercial"? That an album sells a lot and therefore, since it is loved by the masses, is consequently banal and unrefined? Then every album that has a certain notoriety and visibility would fall into this kind of discourse, but I'd like to see who would dream of defining works like the self-titled album by the Doors (find someone who doesn’t know at least one song from that album) or "Sgt Peppers" by the Beatles as uninspired or simply dull and banal. Now, with the discussion just made, I wanted to highlight how too hasty generalizations can cast a bad light on albums which, in their being less intricate and more "radio-friendly," hide valid ideas and original yet appealing melodic cues, just like our "Cryptic Writings," an album whose main feature is the ability to be easily internalized without falling into the artificial and banal, articulating fast-paced parts, with references to the speed of the '80s ("The Disintegrators" is an example, along with the closing track "FFF"), to well thought-out and distinctly melodic mid-tempo, like the already mentioned "A Secret Place," which I consider the true programmatic manifesto of the album, or "She-Wolf," where we find a catchy and well-constructed chorus, with a Mustaine in great shape, maybe less "frenzied" than in the past but still incisive and characteristic.

Another strong point of the album in question is indeed the leader's voice, here more modulated compared to the early days and well in harmony with the overall mood of the album, in a few words an excellent performance and perfectly in line with the offering, but let's not forget the other companions on this journey, namely Nick Menza, the historic drummer, always precise and versatile as few, Marty Friedman, a guitarist who needs no introduction, capable here as well of delivering an elegant and clean performance, and finally the faithful David Ellefson, Dave's companion in a thousand adventures and a fundamental cog in the Megadeth machine.

In conclusion, I can only recommend trying to reassess this interesting album, often mistreated and dismissed as the American band's "misstep," sure, as I said at the beginning, it's not a pure Thrash Metal album, but in the end, is this really such an insurmountable obstacle?