When interviewed Dave Mustaine has always struck me as an articulate, interesting fellow. His career began with Metallica, but since his 1983 departure he has fronted Megadeth. With that band, his interesting vision and high-pitched screeching have become a thing of legends. Megadeth, like Metallica, is a band that the freshest of metal-lovers should be able to get some joy out of. Their sound is certainly heavy hitting, thrash, and hard but there’s still something distinctively artistic and (dare I say it) progressive about Megadeth.

Over the course of over twenty years, they have rocked it hard and it’s now as good a time as any to release a Greatest Hits album. Central members Mustaine (vocals, guitar) and Dave Ellefson (bass) have anchored Megadeth for all these years. Through thick and thin (including Mustaine’s debilitating radial neuropathy diagnosis in 2002) they have made music. It’s certainly true that the metal genre saw its most success in heyday of the 1980’s and early 1990’s, but there’s little negative I can say about this particular band even now. The sound is hard and unrelenting, but at the same time it is also a carefully organized and emotional.

Megadeth may not be the most current or culturally relevant music today, but the fact remains that it is still entertaining. The band consulted their fans when it came to selecting tracks for their new Capitol Records collection. This isn’t a new idea in the metal community as Anthrax did the same thing. Fans voted on the band’s official forum and were only allowed for vote once in each category. The seventeen songs that were selected from across the band’s illustrious career have been assembled for this collection. By its very nature, this Greatest Hits collection is not complete. Remember, the band’s “biggest fans” have chosen the selections—they are not necessarily based on the success of individual songs.

Since fans had a hand in choosing the songs on Greatest Hits: Back to the Start, it should go without saying that fans will be snatching up copies of this CD. At the same time as it will appeal to that group, people who are less acquainted with Megadeth should also be interested. Hits like Symphony of Destruction, Angry Again, Sweating Bullets, A Tout le Monde, Trust, and Kill the King are indeed included. The album is also somewhat short-sighted. I appreciate that fans have their somewhat obscure favorites, but where in the world is 99 Ways to Die? As one of the more recognizable Megadeth tracks its omission is a travesty. Maybe fans just don’t respect Beavis and Butthead—maybe fans are fickle. In any case, Greatest Hits does capture the majority of what one would expect from this assemblage of songs.

There are good and bad things about Greatest Hits. To my mind, the bad points are far outweighed by the good. I personally own just one other Megadeth album—Youthanasia—and as such I am pleased to now have this disc in my collection. It helps to fill in some holes and does a decently good job at entertaining this reformed pseudo-metal head. My taste isn’t in line necessarily with real Megadeth fans, but that doesn’t mean I don’t or can’t like this album. There is something here for every listener. It is a great place to start with the band especially (despite the downfalls of any Greatest Hits collection). The songs are out of context and like I mentioned a few are missing, but overall it’s still a compelling album.

Though it makes me feel like a sell out, I still have to say that Symphony of Destruction is my favorite Megadeth song. It is also the first I remember hearing and identifying with though I’m certain that the metal station (“The Blitz”) I listened to spun other tracks frequently. As far as my favorite songs go, it seems as if they are culled from the band’s early 1990’s albums Rust in Peace (1990), Countdown to Extinction (1992), and Youthanasia (1994). Maybe it’s because of my better familiarity with this era of music or maybe it’s because they shifted gears ever-so-slightly. It doesn’t really matter.

Outside of the politically charged hit Symphony for Destruction, I’m also drawn to the unrelenting and occasionally Eastern-tinged album opener Holy Wars…The Punishment Due. Sweating Bullets also is an incredible track. It got a lot of airplay on rock radio in Michigan (for good reason) however prior to this album I didn’t know its title (I can be thick like that sometimes). Now I know the name and it leaves me repeating the outstanding chorus:

Feeling paranoid
True enemy or false friend?
Anxiety’s attacking me, and
My air is getting thin.
I’m in trouble for the things
I haven’t got to yet.
I’m chomping at the bit, and my
Palms are getting wet, sweating bullets.

Angry Again (from the classic rock soundtrack to Last Action Hero) is another classic offering. I also enjoy the uncharacteristically tender A Tout le Monde. Mustaine’s voice and guitars are outstanding. This variety is part of what makes Greatest Hits a must-own for occasional fans of Megadeth. Props also go out to the dynamic Train of Consequences and Skin O’ My Teeth. Like I already specifically said, I most enjoy the band in the early 1990s but each of their distinct eras is represented. There are four songs from the 1980s, eight from the early 1990s, and five from more recent releases.

If you enjoy Megadeth but have been too cheap or too lazy to buy many (if any) of their albums maybe it’s time to make an investment. May I suggest the newly released Greatest Hits: Back to the Start?

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Track Listing:
01. Holy Wars…The Punishment Due [Rust in Peace, 1990]
02. In My Darkest Hour [So Far, So Good…So What!, 1988]
03. Peace Sells [Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying?, 1986]
04. Sweating Bullets [Countdown to Extinction, 1992]
05. Angry Again [Last Action Hero Soundtrack, 1993]
06. A Tout le Monde [Youthanasia, 1994]
07. Trust [Cryptic Writings, 1997]
08. Kill the King [Capitol Punishment, 2000]
09. Symphony of Destruction [Countdown to Extinction, 1992]
10. Mechanix [Killing is My Business…, 1985]
11. Train of Consequences [Youthanasia, 1994]
12. Wake Up Dead [Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying?, 1986]
13. Hanger 18 [Rust in Peace, 1990]
14. Dread and the Fugitive Mind [The World Needs a Hero, 2001]
15. Skin O’ My Teeth [Countdown to Extinction, 1992]
16. She-Wolf [Cryptic Writings, 1997]
17. Prince of Darkness [Risk, 1999]

Recommended: Yes