Megadeth – Youthanasia (1994)
Groove Metal.
Much has been said about this album. “It's soft, it's commercial, it's stripped down.” To understand an album like Youthanasia, we must consider three things: 1 - it was 1994, and the metal scene was at an all-time low, largely due to grunge. 2 - Thrash metal in particular had been releasing timeless masterpieces for about ten years and was starting to show signs of wear. 3 - Megadeth had changed their lineup three times, and finally, the group was showing total stability, a situation that influenced the group's compositional process in a "democratic" way. Dave Mustaine, as already in the previous "Countdown To Extinction," had loosened his grip on the songwriting, giving more space to his three comrades to utilize their compositional skills. What we end up listening to is an album that is absolutely heavy, angry, and mature. Reaching the end of the album gives the feeling of a clenched iron fist in front of our face. The band's sound had become compact, with slower songs, tight rhythms but never as extreme as in the legendary "Rust In Peace" (1990). The solos are present, but on two occasions, there's also room for a harmonica, showing us that the band isn't afraid to experiment, whether for recording demands or their own taste. The tracks, on more than one occasion, are almost danceable. This takes nothing away from the heaviness of the original sound but shows us how a band that started with the unsurpassable fusion metal of "Killing Is My Business" (1985) and "Peace Sells" (1986) can still surprise with an ever-evolving sound. Ellefson's bass, as always, does not disappoint, appearing solid, balanced, and with a regal taste. Menza plays groovy, pounding adeptly. Mustaine sings well, plays sharp solos but gives a little more space to Friedman in this regard. What can be said about Friedman? A seasoned professional, he carves out more than one spot in a work that nonetheless does not aim at individual virtuosity. Megadeth specifically built a studio in Phoenix, Arizona for the album's recording, and for enthusiasts, it is possible to follow almost the entire recording process in the documentary "EVOLVER – THE MAKING OF YOUTHANASIA." After this album, many things changed, and Megadeth never repeated this level, except starting from "The System Has Failed," dated 2004.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Train of Consequences (03:27)
I'm doing you a favor
As I'm taking all your money
I guess I should feel sorry
But I don't even trust me
There's bad news creeping up
And you feel a sudden chill
How do you do? My name is Trouble
I'm coming in for the kill...
And you know I will
Set the ball a-rollin
I'll be clicking off the miles
On the train of consequences
My boxcar life o' style
My thinking is derailed
I'm tied up to the tracks
The train of consequences
There ain't no turning back
No horse ever ran as fast
As the money that you bet
I'm blowing all my cards
And I play them to my chest
Life's fabric is corrupt
Shot through with corroded thread
As for me I hocked my brains
Packed my bag and headed West
02 Addicted to Chaos (05:26)
Only yesterday they told me you were gone
All these normal people, will I find another one?
Monkey on my back, Aching in my bones
I forgot you said "One day you'll walk alone"
I said I need you, does that make me wrong?
Am I a weak man, are you feeling strong?
My heart was blackened, It's bloody red
A hole in my heart, a hole in my head?
Who will help me up?
Where's the helping hand?
Will you turn on me?
Is this my final stand?
In a dream I cannot see
Tangled abstract fallacy
Random turmoil builds in me
I'm addicted
addicted to chaos
Lights shined on my path, Turn bad days into good
Turn breakdowns into blocks, I smashed 'em Cause I could
My brain was Labored, My head would spin
Don't let me down, don't give up, don't give in
The rain comes down, cold wind blows
The plans we made are back up on the road
Turn up my collar, welcome the unknown
Remember that you said "One day you'll walk alone"
Who will help me up?
Where's the helping hand?
Will you turn on me?
Is this my final stand?
In a dream I cannot see
Tangled abstract fallacy
Random turmoil builds in me
I'm addicted to chaos
[SOLO]
Who will help me up?
Where's the helping hand?
Will you turn on me?
Is this my final stand?
In a dream I cannot see
Tangled abstract fallacy
Random turmoil builds in me
builds
builds
builds
In a dream I cannot see
Tangled abstract fallacy
Random turmoil builds in me
I'm addicted
I'm addicted to chaos
Addicted
Addicted
To chaos
To chaos
Addicted to chaos
To chaos
03 I Thought I Knew It All (03:44)
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things go like they do
Somewhere there's a reason
Why somethings just fall through
We don't always see them
For what they really are
But I know there's a reason,
Just can't see it from this far
Maybe I don't like it, but I have no choice
I know that somewhere, someone hears my voice
I thought I knew it all
I thought I had it made
How could it end this way?
I thought I knew
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things don't go my way
Somewhere there's a reason
That I cannot explain
Just like the change of season,
Just may not be my turn
But I know there's a reason,
The lesson's mine to learn
04 À tout le monde (04:27)
Don't remember where I was
I realized life was a game
The more seriously I took things
The harder the rules became
I had no idea what it'd cost
My life passed before my eyes
When I found out how little I accomplished
All my plans denied
So as you read this know my friends
I'd love to stay with you all
Please smile when you think of me
My body's gone that's all
A tout le monde
A tous mes amis
Je vous aime
Je dois partir
These are the last words I'll ever speak
And they'll set me free
If my heart (If my heart) was still alive (was still alive)
I know it would surely break
(And my memories left with you)
There's nothing more to say
Moving on is a simple thing
What it leaves behind is hard
You know the sleeping feel no more pain
And the living are scarred
A tout le monde
A tous mes amis
Je vous aime
Je dois partir
These are the last words I'll ever speak
And they'll set me free
So as you read this know my friends
I'd love to stay with you all
Please smile, smile when you think about me
My body's gone that's all
A tout le monde (A tout le monde)
A tous mes amis (A tous mes amis)
Je vous aime (Je vous aime)
Je dois partir (Je dois partir)
These are the last words I'll ever speak
And they'll set me free
[x2]
These are the last words I'll ever speak
And they'll set me free
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Other reviews
By cliffburton86
The album is fluid and easy to listen to, yet musically complex at the same time.
The wit, sarcasm, irreverence, and critique all encapsulated in a metal album, as only Megadeth can do.
By metalselo
"Youthanasia is one of those albums that definitively marked the fall of Mustaine & co."
"From a technical point of view, although Megadeth are good musicians, 'Youthanasia' is truly scandalous."