25 Years Ago: Megadeth Release ‘Countdown to Extinction’

Megadeth released the album ‘Countdown to Extinction’ on this day 25 years ago (July 14, 1992).

Megadeth's fifth studio album would feature the classic lineup of Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Dave Ellefson, and Nick Menza, all of whom contributed songwriting to the album. Critics gave the album mostly positive reviews for it's politically oriented lyrics and simplified sound. Countdown to Extinction would be the band's highest charting album, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and going double platinum for sales of over 2 million copies. It would be the band's most commercially successful release, earning Megadeth a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1993. Singles off the album included "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets", "Foreclosure of a Dream", and "Skin o' My Teeth".

Megadeth toured in 2012 to honor the 20th anniversary of Countdown to Extinction and they released a live album called Countdown to Extinction: Live in September of 2013. The album was recorded at Fox Theater in Pomona, California in December of 2012.