Megadeth Countdown to Extinction on Numbered Limited-Edition 180g 33RPM 2LP Set from Mobile Fidelity: Audiophile Pressing Is Out of Print

Double-Platinum Metal Touchstone Features Bonus Track and Remixing by Band Leader Dave Mustaine

Digital clone of original digital remix master to analog console to lathe

Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction is one of the most brilliant and precise metal records ever released. The 1992 set features obsessive band leader and virtuosic guitarist Dave Mustaine exploring personal demons, social problems, and world issues with a rapier wit and savage frankness that earned the legendary band critical accolades, mainstream exposure, and commercial success. 

Countdown to Extinction merges the best of all worlds—prescient intelligence, outspoken lyrics, crushing energy, memorable riffs, and giant hooks. It is in every way at least the equivalent of Metallica’s 1991 Black Album, the record that inspired Megadeth to attempt a less-complex crossover statement of its own. Demonstrated on the swinging “Symphony of Destruction,” sympathetic “Foreclosure of a Dream,” and twisted “Sweating Bullets”—all radio staples—songs dance like puppets on strings to finessed melodies and classically inspired leads. This is music that’s at once rugged, contagious, and gorgeous. And, to a man, note-perfect.

“That was probably the hardest record to record because it was done by perfectionists—three perfectionists, Mustaine, Max Norman, and myself," said Megadeth guitarist Marty Freidman. "And we had just gotten into recording stuff on computer, so you could see how accurate you were. And it got into a competition to see who could make stuff more perfect. There’s not a single thing that’s out of sync on that record.”

Couple the recording process with Mobile Fidelity’s remaster, and what you have a record that sounds as good as any hard-rock album on the planet.

“Mobile Fidelity’s audiophile pressing meets the label’s exacting standards. Half-speed mastered from the original master tapes and pressed onto 180-gram vinyl that’s as heavy as the songs, the LPs feature clean surfaces and non-fatiguing sonics. Depth, width, and height are considerably opened up and expanded. The intricacies of leader Dave Mustaine's virtuosic guitar playing are more easily detected, while vivid vocal clarity and presence illustrate the extent to which balances have been improved.”
–Bob Gendron, The Absolute Sound