Through two-plus decades, Megadeth has created some of the most intricate, catchy, politically charged heavy metal the world has seen. Of course, it's hard to forget that, because the band's labels have been putting out collections nonstop for years.There was Capitol Punishment in 2000, commemorating the band's leaving Capitol Records. Two years later came the bizarre Still Alive
And Well?, with some live cuts and some studio tracks ripped directly from The World Needs a Hero. The same year the band also released its classics on the two-CD live album Rude Awakening. 2005 saw Greatest Hits. And don't forget That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires, 2007's two-CD set.
So it would take an awful lot to make the new boxed set, Warchest, worth $63.98. It's got four CDs and a DVD's worth of live performances, remastered album tracks and unreleased studio recordings, but no one but the most hardcore fan will find it a good buy.
Of course, "In My Darkest Hour," "Hangar 18," "Trust" and "Symphony of Destruction" sound as good as they ever did. The radio-friendly, Load-inspired period from 1997 to 1999 still stands out, with the Cryptic Writings songs remaining gems and the Risk ones sounding positively wimpy and weird.
The concert recordings are presented in high-quality audio as usual, the guitars cutting through the mix and the vocal melodies right on target. And it's fun to hear demos of longtime fan favorites like "Tornado of Souls."
But seriously, $64? A true fan already has virtually all these songs in some form or another the promotional blurbs claim 33 unreleased tracks, but those are mostly demos and live performances and a newcomer would do far better heading online and ordering used copies of Peace Sells
But Who's Buying; So Far, So Good, So What; Rust in Peace; Countdown to Extinction; Youthanasia; Cryptic Writings; and The System has Failed. He'd get far more material, organized as it was originally intended, for about the same price. If he shopped carefully, he could probably snag the band's whole catalog.
Warchest would have worked far better as a two-CD set featuring only the "33 previously unreleased tracks." Many hardcore fans would pay for live performances, demos and the occasional never-heard studio cut. Fill in the gaps with bits and pieces from albums they already own, and it just starts to feel like a rip-off.
Robert VerBruggen is assistant book editor at The Washington Times.
