#dann huff

It was a different story in 1993...

For the all the outrage Metallica and Megadeth generated in the second half of the ‘90s, hindsight has been much more forgiving.  For one thing, both would really embarrass themselves a bit later when they self-consciously aimed to return to heavier sounds.  But more than that, the four albums they recorded during this stretch had their share of hidden gems, with Megadeth’s Risk in particular ripe for rediscovery.  “Time: The End” closed that record with a sense of exploration and jamminess that was somewhat new to the band, and it wasn’t exactly a fleshed out song, but when Jimmy DeGrasso’s drums kicked in everyone went into full flight.  Neither it nor Risk were masterpieces, but Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman were a great guitar tandem (despite apparently being at odds during the making of the record) and they knew how to lock in even without going into full shred.  “Time: The End” was a moment where the increased rock focus made sense and didn’t feel like a compromise, which of course made it a fitting closer to a confused era.

Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror

More Giant: Time to Burn.

Released: March 27th, 1989

GIANT

Both Mega-Daves continue to stand by Cryptic Writings, primarily because the record delivered the guys the biggest radio hits of their career.  But Megadeth’s attempts at mainstream hard rock frequently came off as pandering, while the intermittent thrash workouts (primarily “The Disintegrators”) felt forced and a little half-hearted.  It was in the back half of the record where Megadeth found their stride- “She-Wolf” and “Vortex” were solid trad-metal numbers that also happened to be radio-friendly, “FFF” was a ripping thrasher, and “Have Cool, Will Travel” was an enjoyable dark horse that would’ve fit comfortably on Countdown to Extinction or Youthanasia.  That latter track was the sort of eccentric tune that Dave Mustaine occasionally popped out to show his versatility, or maybe just because he was bored and needed to change things up a bit: the harmonicas came out of nowhere, Mustaine’s whining alternately exhibited annoyance, confusion and bemusement, and Nick Menza’s drumming both eased up on the gas and nearly beat everyone into submission.  The pro-gun control message was in line with “99 Ways to Die”, though apparently firmly at odds with where Mustaine’s politics would soon take him, but in any event, “Have Cool, Will Travel” was more entertaining than one might’ve expected from Megadeth, even during their commercial phase.

Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl