Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth (Cassette, Jul-1992, Capitol/EMI Records)

I am proud to say I've owned this album since it was released. Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica for his drug use and alcoholism. He wishes he had made better choices and was still in Metallica, but I hate to wonder what life would be like without this gem. Symphony of Destruction, Sweating Bullets, Foreclosure of a Dream, and the title track are pure metal mayhem that are as good if not better than Metallica's tunes. It's like apples to oranges. I prefer Megadeth's best tunes personally to Metallica's best tunes, but Metallica's longevity with good music has eclipsed Megadeth, which may be the reason Dave Mustaine is apathetic. I mean which would you rather be? A pawn in a much bigger scheme, or the King of a smaller one? I don't know the answer to that, I guess Dave would've rather been the pawn, but I prefer him being the King. Maybe without him getting kicked out of Metallica, he would have never been able to have as much creative control as he has had with Megadeth. Thank you Metallica for kicking him out, because otherwise these exceptional albums (especially this one) may have never seen the light.