My view on “Youthanasia” is mixed. It’s evident how Dave Mustaine wanted to chase the top of the charts and how many metal bands had a hard time staying relevant in the 90s. With 1992’s “Countdown to Extinction” Dave already attempted to streamline Megadeth’s sound in a similar manner to what Metallica did with their “Black Album” and it yielded success, so “Youthanasia” was the next logical step forward. The album succeeds in that streamlining, but it happens with costs one can expect.

The overall mix is softer and more polished but it feels duller, especially compared to 1990’s “Rust in Peace”. Many songs have their tempo approximately at 120 BPM as the producer Max Norman wanted so, and their structure is conventional verse-chorus-type of thing. The strength of early Megadeth was in quirky song structures: technical guitar riffs, fast tempos and abrupt changes mixed in, and Mustaine snarled on top of it. “Youthanasia” has all that replaced with catchier songs and Mustaine attempting to sing melodically (“A Tout le Monde” as a good example). Yes, I get that Megadeth wanted to expand their sound and do something different, but is that evolution or many steps back? One’s mileage may vary.