Countdown to Extinction - 1992

Guitar & Vocals: Dave Mustaine
Bass: David Ellefson
Lead Guitar: Marty Friedman
Drums: Nick Menza

Honourable Mention: Either Foreclosure of a Dream or the title track. They're both ok tracks.

Youthanasia - 1994

Guitar & Vocals: Dave Mustaine
Bass: David Ellefson
Lead Guitar: Marty Friedman
Drums: Nick Menza

Honourable Mention: None really, at this stage the quality of the albums is in decline

Hidden Treasures - 1995 (B-Sides Collection)

Various lineups because it's B-Side collection but for the two linked below

Guitar & Vocals: Dave Mustaine
Bass: David Ellefson
Lead Guitar: Marty Friedman
Drums: Nick Menza

Cryptic Writings - 1997

Guitar & Vocals: Dave Mustaine
Bass: David Ellefson
Lead Guitar: Marty Friedman
Drums: Nick Menza

Honourable Mentions: NONE. At all. If it weren't for the two songs above this album would be a fucking turd.

Risk - 1999

Guitar & Vocals: Dave Mustaine
Bass: David Ellefson
Lead Guitar: Marty Friedman
Drums: Jimmy DeGrasso

This album is terrible but for giggles, here's the music video for Crush Em' featuring Goldberg and Van Damme

Honourable Mentions: Prince of Darkness, it's a cool album opener and to this day the first minute and a half of it are played over the PA at the start of Megadeth gigs.

The story of him being kicked out was always glossed over as they traveled from San Fran to New York for the recording of Kill Em' All and when they got here they woke him up, told him he was out and gave him a bus ticket home. Apparently James and Lars listened to other bands demo tapes whilst dave was sleeping during the drive, trying to find a new guitarist.

Recently, in Mustaine's book this was fleshed out more. Kirk and Lars did listen to tapes on the drive... and once they'd arrived in New York. As Dave tells it (fucking huge caveat, he does talk a lot of BS), they got setup and were rehearsing in New York and getting ready to record and Lars & Kirk were secretly auditioning new guys whilst he was still in the band. Then one day he got kicked out and James drove him to the bus stop. Apparently as he was kicked out he asked them, to not use any of his stuff on the record.

Queue, Mustaine songs + riffs being used on Kill Em All  & Ride The Lightning, and allegedly some even appearing on Master of Puppets. Mustaine got screwed so hard. That said... not sure that band could have accommodated both Mustaine and Hetfields issues with addiction for long so probably for the best.

Fuck Ulrich though. Guy, is one of the worst drummers ever, and yet is one of the most successful. Was listening to this the other day. Dude can't keep time on a really simple beat.

I currently  subscribe to Spotify + very occasionally buy an album for an artist I like. Either one I like a huge amount (GN'R) or a small budding independent artist I'd like to support - often in those scenarios if there's a vinyl option I'll buy it. When buying older music it's usually buying vinyl because I feel like owning that album on vinyl, which is more of a collecting for fun thing. Music sales are dead and the industry needs to either find a creative way to monetise music or stop clinging on to the past.

Also most new music isn't worth buying; It either sucks and isn't worth paying for or is good but is given away for free on youtube , soundcloud etc. (lots of artists do full album uploads etc.) Older music at least appears to be of higher quality (at least the stuff that got popular was - there's still good music made today it's just often only 100 people on a forum will ever hear it), and fans of it was more willing to pay for it.

"Enemies of freedom, face the music
Come on boys! Take them down

President Donald Trump knows how
To make America great

Deal from strength
Or get crushed every time"

This is some fucking totalitarian regime rally sounding shit: