{"id":11290,"date":"1997-05-30T00:00:53","date_gmt":"1997-05-30T00:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=11290"},"modified":"2014-07-16T12:13:13","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T12:13:13","slug":"album-review-megadeth-cryptic-writings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-megadeth-cryptic-writings\/","title":{"rendered":"MEGADETH – Cryptic Writings (1997) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEGADETH
Cryptic Writings<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nCapitol (1997)<\/span>
Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Oddly, Megadeth<\/a>\u2019s seventh studio album begins with a bubbly bass reminiscent of an old Cure song, but I\u2019m still thankful I\u2019m with Dave Mustaine and company rather than drowning in the watery depths of Metallica post-…And Justice For All<\/em><\/a> (1988). Even so, Megadeth in the late-90s is a timid affair, a cold harsh jab of progressive metal that leaves me yearning for the mesmerising days of Rust In Peace<\/em> (1990).<\/p>\n

Cryptic Writings<\/em> confirms that Megadeth are no longer a thrash band, now that Dave Mustaine (vocals \/ guitar), Mary Friedman (guitar), David Ellefson (bass) and Nick Menza (drums) are bereft of venom, and their weaponry refuses to harm. Instead, we\u2019re treated to 12 rather tepid tracks which rarely promote the typical Mustaine sneer.<\/p>\n

Tracks such as \u2018Almost Honest\u2019 see the band wallowing in the depths of standard rock, rarely driving beyond a whisper, and while we can never question the talent of the band members present, Cryptic Writings<\/em> even pales in comparison to the previous Youthanasia<\/em><\/a> (1994) opus.<\/p>\n

Megadeth fans may disagree and claim that Cryptic Writings<\/em> is an ambitious opus, but for me it is an album that confirms the death of the so-called Big Four, with Slayer<\/a> in some type of conflicting limbo, Metallica selling out years ago, and Anthrax opting for a more layered approach. <\/p>\n

At times, Megadeth resort to an almost middle of the road style of progressive rock. For example, \u2018Mastermind\u2019 with its groove-based guitar is watery despite its thrash-styled lyrics, while \u2018Sin\u2019 trundles along as a sleaze-tinged rocker.<\/p>\n

Cryptic Writings<\/em> is not a bad record, but it is the symbol of a band squatting in no man\u2019s land, playing a style of power metal that has been done far better by acts such as Metal Church on their spectacular 1989 opus Blessing In Disguise<\/em>. Megadeth in 1997 have no real edge, no complexity and no power, with only the atrociously titled \u2018Have Cool, Will Travel\u2019, complete with fleeting harmonica, and the jarring chuggernaut that is \u2018She-Wolf\u2019 hinting at former glories. My favourite track here has to be uptempo rocker \u2018Vortex\u2019, though, which features some of the album\u2019s best guitar work.<\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019m wrong to compare Megadeth albums, but when you\u2019ve grown up being battered and bombarded by tracks such as \u2018Wake Up Dead\u2019 (from Peace Sells… But Who\u2019s Buying?<\/em>, 1986), \u2018Hangar 18\u2019 (Rust In Peace<\/em>) and \u2018Foreclosure Of A Dream\u2019 (Countdown To Extinction<\/em>, 1992) it\u2019s hard to not be cynical. I dunno, maybe I expect too much from Megadeth? However, if Cryptic Writings<\/em> was a football team, it would be Liverpool, the team I have supported all my life, the team who at times show a flicker of their former glory but are unable to bring those times back.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MEGADETHCryptic Writings Capitol (1997)Rating: 7\/10 Oddly, Megadeth\u2019s seventh studio album begins with a bubbly bass reminiscent of an old Cure song, but I\u2019m still thankful I\u2019m with Dave Mustaine and company rather than drowning in the watery depths of Metallica post-…And Justice For All (1988). Even so, Megadeth in the late-90s is a timid affair, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-megadeth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11290"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20318,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11290\/revisions\/20318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}