Album War: Megadeth vs Metallica!

OK. It is time to take breath a reader. I need a few before this begins…  The moment has come for me to pen my contribution to this most ancient and violent of arguments. It’s Megadeth arrayed against Metallica - two of the most well known metal bands of all time.

I have seen sensible people go red in the face raging about this subject i.e. WHO IS BETTER? This question, unfair or not, makes rational humans go apoplectic. Against my better judgment I am going to plough my own furrow in this brutal sectarian divide. Here goes…

(Before I go on certain caveats need to be explained: A brief perusal of the table below will reveal that not every release by either band has been included in the Metallic Table of Deth. What I have included are the proper albums; not cover albums, live albums, or otherwise albums – actual albums of original material. Furthermore, I will be comparing albums ad hoc, as seems appropriate.

                But how blatantly subjective you cry? Damn right. This is music. Don’t like it? Don’t care;)

 

Provocation 1:                   Killing Is My Business is better than Kill ‘Em All…

Already I can hear teeth gnashing amongst the ‘Lica fans. Seriously, listen to KIMB and tell me it isn’t the most astonishing thrash metal album EVER.  KEA is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but there’s no denying the astonishing nature of KIMB. Check out ‘The Four Horsemen’: it’s basically a ditchwater version of ‘Mechanix’. Both songs rock though…

Searching… Seek and Destroy!

Provocation 2:            Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying is better than Ride The Lightning

Having a fit yet? PSBWB is another tour de force from Megadeth. All the tracks are amazing except the grotesque cover ‘I Ain’t Superstitious’ – that one doesn’t count. RTL is brim full of iconic songs like ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Ride The Lightning’ and ‘Creeping Death’, but please, whose idea was it to start the album with ‘Fight Fire With Fire’? That song is awful, as is ‘Trapped Under Ice’. Ouch. It’s a fantastic sophomore effort from Metallica (and Mustaine), but unfortunately the standard from PSBWB is too strong.

If there’s a new way… I’d be the first in line.

Fact 1:                           Master Of Puppets is better than So Far, So Good… So What?

Did you really suspect it might go the other way? After two excellent albums, Megadeth let everybody down with this glammy-nonsense. Very little mitigates this third effort, which took ten years to go platinum. Metallica, however, finally stepped away from Mustaine’s lengthy shadow and produced another brilliant album all on their own.

RIP Cliff Burton 27 Sep 1986

Fact 2:                                   Rust In Peace is better than …And Justice For All

AJFA is a much maligned album amongst ‘Lica fans and I can see why. It isn’t as bad as they say; but it’s not as good as some say either. It does have ‘One’ on it. On the other hand you have RIP, which kicks ass! ‘Holy Wars… The Punishment Due’ is probably the best Megadeth song EVER. Songs like ‘Hangar 18’ and ‘Tornado Of Souls’ provide the supreme backing cast. RIP simply blows AJFA out of the water. Just try and disagree.

Paid by the Alliance… To slay all the Giants!

Bodge 1:                       The Black Album is better than Countdown To Extinction

The 90’s marked a softening of the thrash which marked the 80’s, and is probably why these two giants of metal became more broadly popular. The standard on CTE is good and features a few excellent tracks like: ‘This Was My Life’, ‘Sweating Bullets’ and ‘Psychotron’. Alternatively we have the BA; it does contain some poor tracks, but it has too many great songs to be beaten by CTE. Behold tracks like: ‘Sad But True’, ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ and ‘The Unforgiven’ solo.

Noticed my comparison system so far? Now it collapses.

Provocation 3:                   Youthanasia is better than the Black Album

For five years after the BA, Metallica failed to do produce a genuine album; probably because they were too busy playing ‘Enter Sandman’ to vast crowds. In the meantime, the irrepressible Mustaine went and produced Youthanasia; arguably one of their best, if not best albums. Teeth gnashing? The natural sequel to CTE, Megadeth’s 1994 effort is stacked with brilliant tracks: ‘Reckoning Day’, ‘Addicted To Chaos’, ‘The Killing Road’, ‘Blood Of Heroes’ and the list goes on…

Lost my mind… I lost all my money… I lost my mind to the Killing Road.

Bodge 2:                              Cryptic Writings is better than Load and Reload

Things start getting really dicey now… Metallica finally fired out some stuff in 96’ and 97’ whilst Megadeth released CW in 97’. Basically, CW is better than the two ‘Lica albums because it has more good songs and less bad songs. Honourable mention goes to ‘Fuel’ and ‘The Unforgiven II’ – it’s not salvation for the latter of two poor albums, but at least it’s something salvaged.

Ooooh, on I burn… Fuel is pumping engines, burning hard, loose and clean.

And here’s the ends because I can’t continue being subjective without being objectively unfair...

Part Two coming up!