Customer Reviews

Cryptic Writings

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Disc 1 is nothing more than the Japanese release of 'Cryptic Writings'. The 2nd disc on the other hand, is called 'Live Trax II', and was recorded in Phoenix, AZ (a.k.a. Megadeth, AZ), right before the release of 'Cryptic Writings'.

The show was recorded in a smaller venue, so you feel as though they are performing a special show just for you. It is a great performance, and the love songs consist of:

1) Almost Honest 2) A Toute Le Monde 3) Sweating Bullets 4) Symphony Of Destruction 5) Anarchy In The U.K.

And then there are 2 remixes which I could care less about of 'Almost Honest'. If you have to have only one of the 2 Live Trax CDs, get the 1st.

But, if your like me and cannot get enough live Megadeth, get this CD! Its worth the $$$!

In 1996, Dave Mustaine's former band (Metallica) alienated their cult following by releasing "Load," an album which was very commercial, simplified, and alternative. And even though Dave Mustaine and Megadeth would eventually follow suit and release "Risk" in 1999, they first made an album (1997's "Cryptic Writings") which pleased all metal fans, and helped make the Metallica fans less angry. Megadeth's seventh studio album was, at the time, definitely their best effort since "Rust In Peace" came out in 1990. "Cryptic Writings," which is kind of like a combinations of Megadeth's last two albums (1992's "Countdown to Extinction" and 1994's "Youthanasia"), is full of crunchy riffs, memorable hooks, and famous, acrobatic guitar solos from axemen Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman. "Trust," "She-Wolf," and "Vortex" are all instant `Deth classics, and "Almost Honest" includes an incredible, long, wailing guitar solo. Elsewhere, "Use The Man" begins with acoustic strums and has a rhythm which subtly gains momentum and speed, "The Disintegrators" features fast, stutter-stepping riffs, "I'll Get Even" has a very infectious and memorable sing-along chorus, and "A Secret Place" has a catchy, "Rust In Peace"-esque vibe and rhythm. So, "Cryptic Writings" is definitely another great Megadeth album, it is a mostly successful attempt at returning to the thrash sound of the 1980's, and it is, in my opinion, better than both "Youthanasia" and "Countdown to Extinction." And if Dave Mustaine hadn't made "The System Has Failed" in 2004, this disc would still be Megadeth's best album this side of 1990. Plus, if you buy the remastered edition, you get an unreleased bonus track ("Bullprick") which is also essential for every diehard Megadeth collection.

I agree with Mr. Costa. This is an exceptionally good album. So it's catchy? Why is that a bad thing? If you want to listen to music with no recognizable melody, go buy some jazz. Just for the record, I have nothing against jazz. I'm just so sick of people complaining about how their favorite bands become too "commercial". I just want to hear great music played by talented musicians. If it's radio friendly, so be it. Just listen to all the Nu Metal crap out there. Those bands don't even compare to Megadeth. Someone said this album is light on solos compared to other Megadeth albums. Well, most guitarists in these newer bands can't even play a decent solo. People in this country have become lazier and lazier and this is reflected in modern metal as well. Dave Mustaine is twice the age of these modern "musicians" and he still rocks twice as hard to this day!!! He's the hardest working metal musician of all time! How many other people could recover from a devastating injury and play guitar with the same intensity that they did 20 years ago? Cryptic Writings is a great album. It is one of the best albums from the nineties.

Cryptic Writing is one of the best albums this standout speed metal gurus have ever released. Also a bit tragic since after this album, Menza left and after Risk, Friedman left. So this is the last album of Megadeth with their classic lineup. Also this album marks the first time they changed their producer in a while, instead of tried and trusted Max Norman who did most of their previuos work, Megadeth got in Dan Huff, who is not that well known and got some country music behind him.

The result, a little slow down in the initial phase of the album, but as ususal goes on to hit some really heavy songs. The album starts with my all time favourite Megadeth twin songs ever, Trust and Almost Honest, beautiful, moving songs by Mustaine et al on relationships. Just brilliant lyrics, awesome guitars and they leave you spellbound. The song structures are very simple compared to their earlier works (RIP being the most complex I guess), just a few notes and the regular power chords. But the beauty is, the leads are not missing, some songs ever featuring 2 or more leads. In this age of fake guitarist who cant play lead to save their lives, Megadeth is an exception. This is a guitarist band and you know why when you listen to them.

The album also marks the maturity of Mustaine as a singer. His voice is remarkable in this album esp on the first two songs. Use the Man might [anger you] initially, if you are a hardcore metalhead but it will grow into you. Mastermind, Sin, She-wolf and Vortex are sinister songs in true Mustaine style. The other standout songs are, I'll get even with you, FFF and Disintegrators, AWESOME!!! This is what is known as full blown, [tail] rippin metal and Megadeth helped create the genre....just hoping that they will come back from the dead some day.....

This album is an easy 4 stars, but the new remix/remaster is vastly inferior to the original mix. Hunt down the original and avoid this new version at all costs. The reason for the remix/remaster is perplexing because Cryptic Writings was recorded on "state-of-the-art" digital equipment (back in 1997). At only 11 years old, it really amazes me that they would even take the time to remaster, let alone remix it. That being said, the new remix is HORRIBLE. The guitar tone has much more mid and lacks the crunch of the original. Back when this first came out I was trying for months to achieve this type of guitar tone on my amp....it was that good. Well, now it just sounds weak. To top it off, the overall sound is muddy now....if you remember the original mix you'll know that it was very punchy and alive. For a good (stark) example of the difference in quality, just compare the drum intro to Trust for both versions, side by side. It's immediately apparent that the quality and clarity isn't in tact. It's a shame...

This new remix actually deserves only 2 stars at the most, but I couldn't bring myself to give it that low of a rating. 3 stars is generous, and like I said, the original is at least 4 stars.

This, quite simply, eclipses any of Megadeth's previous work (including their pretty good new album, RISK). The band got a mixture of flack from old fans, and praise from critics on this album, and for once I'm going to side with the critics. As a collection of songs, as heavy metal that's supposed to give you energy, to make you want to rock out, Megadeth has really served up a classic here. Some fans detest this, but this album is truly like Metallica's BLACK album, but better. Now, I love Metallica, and in general like them more than Megadeth (I have ALL the albums by both bands), but this one changed my perspective (and I was let down a little by RISK). Anyways, this is more of a departure from the bands more progressive elements (where YOUTHANASIA really began the move towards a more accessible sound). However, while Megadeth has gone more commercial here, the result is an album that had great success on radio for a reason. "Trust" is Megadeth's best song, period. It's a bit like a catchier "Enter Sandmand". "Almost Honest", "A Secret Place", "Use The Man", this entire album is consistently strong, with the addition of one element that seriously elevates Megadeth's music-hooks! For fans of heavy metal (particularly fans of Metallica's BLACK album), this is a must-have. This is the place to start a Megadeth collection, as their most accessible album. The old stuff, from the PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING period is great, but CRYPTIC WRITINGS, like any truly great album, managed to change my perspective (for the better) of this band forever. My only fear is that they'll never live up to this album again.

After the perfection of 1992's Extinction & 1994's Youthanasia, Megadeth come out with Cryptic Writings in 1997, a year after Metallica released Load and shocked half of their fans into fits with changes in both appearance and musical direction. Well...not Megadeth. Sure, they were becoming more and more popular and more and more mainstream metal, but they were still Megadeth and as long as Dave Mustaine was in charge, very little was going to change. Not as brilliant as the two previous discs, Cryptic Writings still boasts some great tunes. Trust & Almost Honest start things rolling very solidly. Use The Man is one of my personal favorite songs. I'll Get Even is cool. She-Wolf absolutely f*cking rox! A Secret Place is middle of the road. All the rest is weak in some way or another and mostly filler. Still a very potent effort, things will start to come down around Megadeth's ears on the next outing. Beware...

Dig it!

This album contains 4 Rust In Peace style songs, 4 Countdown to Extinction style songs, and 4 Youthanasia style songs (as said in the CD booklet). This album contains a good mix of light and hard stuff. If you like stuff from Countdown to Extinction on then you will probably like the album. If you are a PRE-Countdown to Extinction person then this album might not leave you fealing satisfied. The guitar solos on this album, although still good, do not shine as much as they do on Megadeth's previous albums. The album starts up with lighter tunes where as it ends with some harder material. Certainly not their most technical album, but still contains a lot of great songs. I consider this album to be kind of a light-metal (although some songs do break through the barrier). I enjoy this album.

This is Megadeth's best record musically, but one of its least heavy.

Beginning with the 1992 release Countdown to Extinction, Megadeth began a trend toward melody over metal, and Writings is its culmination. Chock full of accessible, mainstream rock/metal songs, the record disappointed some longtime fans despite its quality.

That isn't to say there are no head-banging rockers to be found on the album. "Mastermind," "The Disintegrators" and "Vortex" immediately come to mind. The latter features the best metal guitar riff Mustaine has written to date.

The tracks that stand out the most, though, are catchy songs like "Trust," the anti-heroin "Use the Man," "A Secret Place" and the rather evil "I'll Get Even."

while it doesn't match up to their three previous cds, it is still solid megadeth, there is no fear of metallica-ish turning alternative here. 'FFF' sounds like something from 'rust in peace' and 'disintegrators' could almost have come from 'peace sells...' This may be a new high in sales for Megadeth, but it isn't a radio cd, it is still pure metal with no excuses, no attempts at going mainstream. It is similar to Youthanasia in one big way, it isn't what you expect. When i heard about Youthanasia, i was expecting a full cd of 'holy wars...the punishment due' and was of course very disappointed, but after i gave it another try about a month later, i loved it and to this day consider it right up there with RIP and Countdown as their best efforts. Cryptic Writings is the same way, listen to it a couple times and get the feel of it, and you'll realize it is still pure, unashamed metal that has never been toned down or made to play nice for radio time.