FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…
On November 1, 1994 Megadeth released their sixth studio album Youthanasia in North America via Capital Records.
It was previously released in Japan on October 24, 1994 via Capitol Records.
The album is not a large stylistic departure from the band's earlier recordings; however it marked the continuing evolution of Megadeth, following the footsteps of the previous album Countdown to Extinction (1992). The album's title is a play on words, implying that society is euthanizing its youth. The cover art features an elderly woman hanging babies by their feet on a seemingly endless clothes line; the artwork concept was directly inspired from a line of the title track.
Youthanasia received positive reviews upon its release. It was commercially successful, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was certified platinum for shipping one million copies in the United States—a distinction achieved in 1995. A remixed and remastered edition featuring several bonus tracks and detailed liner notes was reissued on July 27, 2004.
Background:
Megadeth's previous studio release, Countdown to Extinction, became the band's biggest commercial accomplishment, entering the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and eventually becoming double platinum. As a result, they continually sold-out arenas across North America, in addition to developing a strong following overseas. With the next album, Youthanasia, the band moved towards a more mainstream sound.
It was a time of problems and conflicts for Megadeth, that in every two weeks or so, according to frontman Dave Mustaine, there were "outrageous emotional interventions" in order to make the group a democracy. Many band meetings during this period concerned Mustaine's creative control over a "successful formula", so that the rest of the band could better exercise their creativity. Another problem was the indecision on where the recording would take place. Mustaine did not want to record in Los Angeles, so it was eventually decided to record in Phoenix, since the majority of the band resided in Arizona.
The sessions for the album initially began in Phase Four Studios (Tempe) in January 1994, after a few weeks the sessions were moved to Vintage Recorders in Phoenix and continued there into May- this studio is often the location for scenes in the Evolver video. Producer Max Norman suggested that they build a new self-dedicated studio, in cooperation with the band, Capitol and Max's funding a modular studio was built in a warehouse in South Phoenix. Talking about the recording process, Mustaine said that Youthanasia was written solely in the studio. "We weren't playing any old, cataloged material. None of the past really influenced the new record." He mentioned that he gave "more freedom" to the other members and called the album "very much a total band effort".
Of interest is that this was hoped to be the "first" album recorded solely on hard drives (rather than magnetic tape), Both Max and Dave were believers in being on the cutting edge of technology, Max had long been using computers to sample, tune and comp tracks. Digidesign was working on expanding Pro Tools from a single track to multitracking and it was hoped that as many as 48 digital tracks could be synced and used to record. The computers used were mostly Apple Quadra 400/500 models and with a great effort by all, it was soon evident that magnetic tape would have to be used.
Again, the cover art by Hugh Syme features an elderly woman hanging babies by their feet on a seemingly endless clothesline. According to bassist David Ellefson, the artwork concept was directly inspired from a line of the title track, "We've been hung out to dry". He explained that the title track "was probably the strongest representation of how we feel about the young people who listen to our music and what their future holds for them. It's like you have a choice, you can become proactive or you can choose Youthanasia."
The title is a combination of the words "youth" and "euthanasia". Mustaine has stated that the idea for the title stems from hearing about Jack Kevorkian, as well as the declining state of well-being of young people, specifically referring to issues like drugs, crime and violence, and a lack of parenting.
As previously noted, the album was released in the US on November 1, 1994 through Capitol Records. Promotion included the first official website for a band, "Megadeth, Arizona", described by its conceiver, Robin Sloan Bechtel, as “a virtual cybertown in cyberspace" where fans gathered in an online community that among other things offered news regarding Megadeth's new album. Youthanasia was commercially successful, debuting and peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, with 143,000 units sold in its first week. This marked the band's second top five album, slightly below the number two peak of Countdown to Extinction in 1992, and the band would only reach such a landmark again in 2016 with Dystopia, and again in 2022 with The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (Megadeth's highest chart position to date). Several weeks after its release, the record was certified platinum by The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping one million copies in the United States. The album also managed to enter into the top 10 in the United Kingdom and some other European countries as well. It eventually received a platinum certification from Music Canada and a silver award from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 100,000 and 60,000 copies, respectively. A remixed and remastered edition featuring several bonus tracks and detailed liner notes was reissued on July 27, 2004.
Three singles were released from Youthanasia; Reckoning Day, Train of Consequences and A Tout le Monde. The latter would later be re-recorded with Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia under the title À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free). This version was also released as a single, and included on United Abominations (2007). Both Train of Consequences and A Tout le Monde charted on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
A special promotional copy of the album was issued with an essay by suspense novelist Dean Koontz entitled Godzilla vs. Megadeth.
Youthanasia was not a large stylistic departure from the band's earlier recordings. According to Billboard, from the drumbeat opening of Addicted to Chaos to the precise instrumentation of Train of Consequences, Megadeth delivered "trademark aggressive rage 'n' roll to powerful effect". Billboard noted that even the slower songs such as A Tout le Monde were tending toward "lusty explosion". Authors Pete Prown and HP Newquist opined that lyrically, Youthanasia contained more thematic variations from Megadeth. They wrote that the record was musically diverse, from the "slow-tempo acoustic lines" of "A Tout le Monde" to the "breakneck riffing" of Train of Consequences and Family Tree. Q found that Megadeth's "trademark crunchy riffs, thundering drums and bitter vocals" were still present on the album, with the lyrics being more introspective.
Note:
The Japanese edition has a different demo version of Crown of Worms that doesn't appear anywhere else.
Music videos were made for the songs Reckoning Day, Train of Consequences, and A Tout le Monde.
Critical Reception:
Mike Stagno said that Youthanasia features "a more traditional type of metal". He explained that even though the music on a number of tracks remains quite heavy, it was obvious that the thrash metal is "very scarce" on this record. Stephen Thomas Erlewine agreed that Megadeth have abandoned some of the more experimental, progressive elements in their music. Similarly, Chris Ayers of Exclaim! felt that with Youthanasia, the band "eroded their brilliant thrash to mid-paced chug". According to the band's official website, "Youthanasia marked the continuing evolution of Megadeth, following the footsteps of their previous album." Speaking about the stylistic direction of the album, then-guitarist Marty Friedman stated; "We pretty much stick to our guns. It's not like we're gonna change our next album to try and follow the trend. We don't really change with the times."
“It's been called a thrash album, it's been called a rock album, and it's even been called an alternative album. To me it can only be called a Megadeth album. That should be enough.” — Dave Mustaine, on the album's genre.
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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