Customer Reviews

Rude Awakening

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I know the top rating is 5 stars, but this record is simply... Awesome! It is the best live record to hit my ears since Ozzy's "Tribute", it is one of the finest metal live records ever and most certainly one of Megadeth top 5!

Where to begin, what to say? The record is perfect: the sound is clear, the performances are unbelievable, everything is just so... the only bad thing? That this is Megadeth's last album, after Dave's suffering some serious injury...But i think i've come up with a good way to describe it: according to the studio albums represented here:

- "Killing...": "Mechanix" is the only one here, but most certainly the best choice. Dave's intro to the song says it all...

-"Peace...": excellent! the title song, "wake up dead" and "Devil's island" are great. A song missing? Maybe "My last words" or "The Conjuring"

-"So far...": Hook in mouth, In my darkest hour... great! And boy, Al Pitrelli can play!

-"Rust...": Perfect! A song missing? Perhaps Lucretia, but the inclusion of "Tornado"(my fav 'Deth song ever) makes up for that...

-"Countdown...": Maybe "foreclosure" and "Countdown" are missing, but once again, the inclusion of "Ashes in your mouth" is a nice surprise...

-"Youth...": great selection! no possible complaints here...

-"Hidden...": Angry Again is here! 'nuf said!

"Cryptic...": She - Wolf (extended version...cool!) is here, and that's all that matters... maybe "FFF" or "Desintegrators" could've been included...

"The world...": only "Motopsycho" is missing here, and maybe "Promises", but overall, great choices, specially "1000 times goodbye"
Which record is missing? You guessed it, "Risk"... for most Megafans, that's a good thing, for me... good either way...

Bottom Line: The record rules! And even thought I said a couple more songs could 've been included, the fact remains that I wouldn't trade any of the songs that are in here.I don't remember the last time i felt so enthousiastic about an album. You don't miss Chris Poland, Jeff Young, Marty Friedman or any other former member, for that matter... (no disrespect to them), and I think that fact alone speakes volumes!(RIP Gar Samuelson)
The only bad thing is having to see them go... but if you have to go, go with a bang, as Megadeth did!
LONG LIVE MEGADETH!!!

Before I get into this review, let me say you are getting a great deal for what you pay. 2 discs full of (well, partially full of) classic Megadeth. This cd has great sound quality and a few cool places in between songs where Dave talks, however brief they may be. It is also cool how the two new guys step up and deliver all the classics with the same power as the Marty and Menza.

Now some of the bad things. The songs selection is just ok in my opinion. They play a lot off of The World Needs a Hero, which is understandable considering thats what they're touring. It's actually a very good album, but I thought they chose a lot of the wrong ones. Burning Bridges and 1000 Times Goodbye really aren't special. Off of Cryptic Writings they take Trust, She-Wolf, and Almost Honest. ALmost Honest should not be on here, and on the other two Mustaine has a little vocal trouble, he just sounds off. She Wolf does have sweet guitar and drum solos at the end though, making it well worth listening to. Other than A Tout Le Monde, it seems like Mustaine also has trouble singing the tracks from Youthanasia too. During Train of Consequences he forgets the words and mumbles.

Some of the best tracks include Hangar 18, Return to Hangar, Mechanix, Dread and the Fugitive Mind, and everything off Peace Sells. The best track though, which surprised me, is Hook In Mouth hands down. It is performed just like it is on the album.
Once again, this is a great deal for what you're paying, and though there are a few lyrical mess-ups, it's the only live Megadeth CD out there, and therefore a must have for any Deth fan.

One other thing. There's a half-cd/half-dvd version. Don't buy it. You lose half the songs when you can really just go pick this and the full length DVD up seperately for a better price.

I'm gonna start off by saying that this album is great, and is definitely worth buying for the Megadeth/speed-metal fans out there. Although Al Pitrelli (lead guitarist) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drummer) are not as good and punchy as the old-school, classic Megadeth duo of Friedman (lead) and Menza (drums), the instrumental solo's are still awe-inspiring, like the drum solo in "She-Wolf" and the frequent excellent Pitrelli solos. Also, I think that Dave Mustaine's voice is still great even after his 20 years of singing, despite what others say. The only fault that I found with this album (considering it's live) is the ruining of "Train of Consequences" which was sung by David Ellefson (NOT Dave Mustaine as some people say) who should stick to his bass - and I have to say that his bass playing is still superb as usual. The reason I love this album, is because it is live, and for me that makes the tracks seem more alive and natural (rather than in a studio)... it's just a shame that a live recording wasn't made back with the original line-up and I'm also gutted that this is the end of Megadeth AFTER 20 YEARS OF THE BEST METAL I'VE EVER HEARD

Although this could be Megadeth's swan song ("World Needs A Hero" could be as well), this just falls short of being one of the best live albums ever released, but for Megadeth a live album is long overdue. With chants of USA in the background, Megadeth plays furiously; Dave Mustaine's disdain ridden voice and precision rhythm guitar work is excelled by Dave Ellefson fantastic bass lines (you can really hear how talented a bassist he is), while newer additions Al Pitrelli and Jimmy DeGrasso showcase that they have filled their predecesor's shoes (well, sometimes anyway). "Dread & The Fugitive Mind", "She Wolf", "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets", "Peace Sells", "Trust", "A Tout Le Monde", and "In My Darkest Hour" are brought to life live beautifully, and I am very very happy to see "Mechanix", "Wake Up Dead", "Devil's Island", "Angry Again", and "Hook in Mouth" all here, as is the crowd who sing along as well they can. However, there are a bit of downsides. Dave Ellefson's voice is horrible, and ruins "Train of Consequences" completely, while the guitar work on "Hangar 18" is rather weak, proving Al Pitrelli isn't quite as good as Marty Friedman. While it would have been great to have a live album from the Mustaine-Friedman-Ellefson-Menza era, this really isn't that bad, and you'll find yourself headbanging along to some of Megadeth's best.

Gee, how long has Megadeth been around, and they're just now putting out a live album? Oh well. At least they did it before they broke up (I'm not quite ready to talk about that yet!). I normally don't buy live albums, but whenever my favorite bands put them out, I'll go ahead and give them a listen. This was surely worth the long wait. Oh man. So much goodness here. 24 killer tracks, from all their time periods, heavier and better than before. It's awesome that they put "Return to Hangar" and "Hangar 18" back to back. So much hangar-y goodness, heh heh. Dave sounds better than ever, both vocally and musically. I always thought he was a much better and more evil sounding singer than that James Hetfield person, and certainly a far superior guitarist than him or that other weird-looking guitarist from that band whose name escapes me (Metalli-something?). Just great, great stuff here, better than I could have ever imagined. Until now, the only bands who made live albums I cared anything about were Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, and Iced Earth. I was kinda let down by Pantera and Slayer's live stuff (well, I didn't buy them, so maybe I shouldn't say "let down"), but this one delivers, like UPS on a hot day (I don't know, don't ask). Go buy this, and the new live Maiden, "Rock in Rio". It's awesome as well.

While I still hope one day I'll wake up from a dream, and won't have heard that Dave can't play guitar anymore, I'm still very glad I have this. The band may be gone, but the music lives forever. Good luck to you, Dave. We'll miss your gift for many years to come.

...

The great thing about Megadeth, is that even with a hasty change of line-up the newcomers were still to capture the magic of three previous drummers and lead guitarists and still hold true to their music. With Dave Mustaine at the helm with his sneers and snarls, Megadeth burn their way at another blow for glory that it seems is always attributed to another great metal band, Metellica. Even in this album, Dave says when singing Mechanix, which is similar to Metallica's The Four Hoursemen, you heard it their way and now you'll hear it our way.

The album is live and you could feel the intensity, not in just the fans singing their heads off or a swear here and there, you could feel it in the band too. Just listen to She-Wolf and be captivated by the extremely long solo at the end. The newbies, drummer, Jimmy DeGrasso (excellent drum solo on She Wolf) and guitarist Al Pitrelli, liven up the mood and deliver an all-smack performace. David Ellefson shines more than anyone here, since you can hardly listen to his input during their studio albums. You just can't get his bass strings off your mind in some of the songs here. Dave Mustaine? Well he's still Dave Mustaine and that's just how we people like it.

The song collection is unbelievable. You get to have a piece of all their back catalog history. This is even better than their Capitol-released Capitol Punishment greatest hits. There are no songs from Risk, though. Megadeth did not include any in this album, because most of the songs on that album are tame when compared to all the songs featured here. A number of songs from that album were featured on their setlist during their tour. It was just not included in this album, because it did not seem to fit, not because the album is reviled by the band.

With two CDs of great music, you get a wallop for your money's worth. The problem is that which CD you'd want more in your CD player, the first or the second?

Why not BOTH? Back to back!!!

I first got the DVD and my impression was that Dave have no more passion about his work. But when you just listen to it you understand that is more an obligation than a pleasure being on stage for the band. In the Dvd Ellefson says "we made what the fans want for the recording of The world...", since when Dave Mustaine start worrying about someone else for his work? I only hear passion on "Sweating Bullets", and De Grasso and Pitrelli are extremely good but they don't care about it, they can be playing Tony Bennett and they probably would act the same, unlike Ellefson (the only one that seems to care).
Then I discovered that seeing the thrilling images I didn't notice how weak is Dave's voice. Also in the mix (that is pretty good) the guitars doesn't sound as crushing as in the DVD.
So, why 4 stars?, because still is Megadeth, they still sound very good and among a lot of deletable material, there's still a lot of Landmark classics.

A note for idiot reviewers: Don't put one star if you're not reviewing the product, you damage the rating for nothing, make non sense commentaries most of the time, and can easily lead for confusions.

This is simply a superb Megadeth performance. Twenty four songs, amazing accuracy, and a great crowd amount to one amazing album that I can't stop listening to. You wouldn't be reading this if you didn't like Megadeth, so don't hesitate to pick this one up.

Anyone concerned whether or not Mustaine can play his old chops as fast as he used to needs not worry. Accompanied by Pitrelli, Mechanix, Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls, and Holy Wars all sound amazing. Megadeth still has the speed in them.

The only thing I could say is less than stellar is the sound quality. It doesn't sound as polished as some other popular live albums (such as Dream Theater's Live Scenes From New York and Metallica's S&M), but this could be a good thing, too. The album has a raw sound that actually comes across really well.

You basically get a couple hours of excellent music for [item price]. This is absolutely a must-have for Megadeth fans.

This CD is an incredible display of a metal band in top form. I have not heard a band this tight on a live CD since Iron Maiden's "Live After Death."

I saw Megadeth during this tour in San Diego. The set list on the album is only slightly different from the show I saw. High points would have to be "She Wolf," "Ashes in Your Mouth," and "Train of Consequences," which is a song I don't really care for, but it comes across live much better. Deep cuts like "Hook in Mouth," "Devil's Island" and "Tornado of Souls" are pleasant surprises, but where is "Motopsycho"? Also, when I saw them, they played "The Conjuring" which is a strong candidate for my personal favorite song ever. I would have liked to see that song on this collection.

Overall, the playing on this album is pure perfection. I haven't heard one mistake. The twin leads of Mustain and Pitrelli are flawless, and the rythym section of Ellefson and DiGrasso are solid as granite. Dave Mustaine sounds a bit funny on some of the vocals but I think it was probably a matter of vocal chord health. You can only scream and growl so much until you injure yourself. This is a better "Greatest Hits" album than their "Capitol Punishment."

Buy it, today.

Heh heh heh anyone that says Megadeth has lost thier edge has lost thier minds. Its almost impossible to explain how good this CD. It really captures Megadeth's live show. Not many live discs do that well, but you can feel the energy just listening to it. Please dear god even if you hate Megadeth go out and buy this CD, you will not be dissapointed.