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Cryptic Writings

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Untitled

Cryptic Writings is the seventh studio album by heavy metal band Megadeth, released in June 1997, with a remixed and remastered version released in 2004. The album debuted at #10 on Billboard Top 200.

According to "National Album Positioning Charts," Cryptic Writings sold 1,569,800 albums worldwide.

Videos were made for the songs "Trust", "Almost Honest", and "A Secret Place".

"Use the Man" includes samples from the song "Needles and Pins" (which was the original name for the album) by The Searchers, although this was removed on the remaster.

Details

Continuing the trend from Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings features fewer songs critical of government and politics in favor of more personal songs. Megadeth's 1990s heavy metal style also continues on this album. Some songs, however, recall the band's '80s thrash metal days, such as "The Disintegrators", "She-Wolf", "Vortex", and "FFF", while other songs, especially "I'll Get Even", demonstrate more creative styles. This album is similar in style to Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia; it is currently still the last Megadeth album to go platinum.

The first 500,000 copies of Cryptic Writings in the U.S. were released with silver background album cover. These releases also included a Vic Rattlehead collectable card which promoted "The Cryptic Writings Of Megadeth" 4- issue run by CHAOS! comics. The latter U.S. pressings features the same artwork with black background album cover. The black background album cover is also featured in the remasters.

Personal relationships and how deceit can make them crumble are explored in "Trust" and "Almost Honest." Social ills like drug use ("Use the Man") and school violence ("Have Cool, Will Travel") are also covered. While songs about specific government criticisms are not included, songs like "The Disintegrators" and "FFF (Fight for Freedom)" are abstract calls for revolution and rebellion. "She-Wolf" and "Vortex" are reminiscent of the dark fantasy and occult themes featured in older songs like "Five Magics", "Elysian Fields", and "Bad Omen".

Instrumentally, the band introduced a more melodic mix than the previous albums. For example, "A Secret Place" featured a sitar, which was an idea Dann Huff felt added a more dynamic aspect to the song.

Megadeth changed management after releasing Youthanasia, hiring ESP Management. According to the liner notes of the remastered version of Cryptic Writings, Dave Mustaine had to alter many lyrics after A&R director Bud Prager, of ESP, objected. The liner notes suggest Mustaine was not a fan of the changes, but other interviews say the band actively sought and accepted Prager's advice for the album. "I figured maybe this guy (Prager) could help me get that intangible Number One record I so badly wanted," Mustaine wrote in Cryptic Writings' liner notes.

Two bonus tracks from the remastered version, "Bullprick" and "Evil That's Within," were cut because Prager objected to their lyrics, according to the liner notes. The instrumentals of "Bullprick" formed the basis of "FFF," and "Evil That's Within" became "Sin".

This is the first and so far only album where Vic Rattlehead does not appear at all in any tangible form, save for a limited edition collectable card advertising the Megadeth comic distributed by Chaos! Comics, which shows Vic in Hell reading a scroll.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [4]
Allmusic [5]
Rolling Stone [6]

Template:Album ratings prose

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Trust"Dave MustaineMustaine, Marty Friedman5:12
2."Almost Honest"MustaineMustaine, Friedman4:09
3."Use the Man"MustaineMustaine, Friedman4:04
4."Mastermind"MustaineMustaine3:48
5."The Disintegrators"MustaineMustaine3:05
6."I'll Get Even"Mustaine, Friedman, David Ellefson, Brian HoweMustaine, Friedman, Ellefson, Howe4:19
7."Sin"Mustaine, Ellefson, Nick MenzaMustaine, Ellefson, Menza3:06
8."A Secret Place"MustaineMustaine5:25
9."Have Cool, Will Travel"MustaineMustaine3:40
10."She-Wolf"MustaineMustaine3:38
11."Vortex"MustaineMustaine3:23
12."FFF"MustaineMustaine, Friedman, Ellefson, Menza2:47

Japanese bonus track

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."One Thing"MustaineMustaine4:38

Remaster bonus tracks

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."Trust" (Spanish version)MustaineMustaine, Friedman5:12
14."Evil That's Within" (alternate version of "Sin")Mustaine, Ellefson, MenzaMustaine, Ellefson, Menza3:22
15."Vortex" (alternate version)MustaineMustaine3:30
16."Bullprick" (alternate version of "FFF")MustaineMustaine, Friedman, Menza, Ellefson2:47

Extended plays

There were several extended plays released alongside Cryptic Writings two of which featured live recordings from the ensuing tour and one featuring instrumental versions of five of the albums tracks. The live releases were Live Trax, released on June 30 1998,[7] and Live Trax II, released in 1998 as a bonus disc to Cryptic Writings,[8] with all songs from a recording taken at the Mesa Amphitheatre, Mesa, Arizona on July 13, 1997 except the last two tracks of each with Live Trax featuring recordings from the Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, February 25, 1995 and Live Trax II featuring studio remixes of "Almost Honest". The instrumental release was released under the title Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head in Japan, Argentina and as a bonus disc to the album in Korea with the vocals on most tracks being replaced with extra guitar melodies and with "She-Wolf" being performed in a Spanish acoustic style for the first half.

Track listings

File:Cryptic sounds.jpg
The cover of Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head.
*Live Trax
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Reckoning Day"
"Peace Sells" (hidden track)		Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson
Mustaine		Mustaine, Marty Friedman
Mustaine		8:19
2."Angry Again"MustaineMustaine3:26
3."Use the Man"MustaineMustaine, Friedman4:24
4."Tornado of Souls"Mustaine, EllefsonMustaine5:52
5."A Tout le Monde"MustaineMustaine4:53
6."She-Wolf"MustaineMustaine3:42
Total length:30:56
*Live Trax II
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Almost Honest"Dave MustaineMustaine, Marty Friedman4:15
2."A Tout le Monde"MustaineMustaine4:50
3."Sweating Bullets"MustaineMustaine5:04
4."Symphony of Destruction"MustaineMustaine3:45
5."Anarchy in the U.K."Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Paul CookRotten, Jones, Matlock, Cook3:54
6."Almost Honest" (environmental mix)MustaineMustaine, Friedman5:33
7."Almost Honest" (supercharger mix)MustaineMustaine, Friedman5:40
*Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Almost Honest"Dave MustaineMustaine, Marty Friedman4:14
2."Vortex"MustaineMustaine3:21
3."Trust"MustaineMustaine, Friedman5:30
4."A Secret Place"MustaineMustaine5:29
5."She-Wolf"MustaineMustaine3:07
Total length:21:27

Personnel

Band members

Technical staff

  • Dann Huff – producer
  • Jeff Balding – recording, mixing
  • Mark Hagen – recording assistant, mixing assistant
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Hugh Syme – artwork
  • Dimo Safari – photography
  • Bud Prager – A & R direction, E.S.P. management
  • Mike Renault – E.S.P. management
  • Giles Martin - producer (remaster)

Chart performance

Album

Country Provider(s) Peak
position
Australia Australia[9] ARIA 43
Austria Austria[9] Media Control Europe 30
Wallonia Belgium (Wallonia)[9] Ultratop 44
Canada Canada[10] Billboard 17
Finland Finland[9] GLF 2
France France[9] SNEP/IFOP 14
Germany Germany[11] IFPI 22
Netherlands Netherlands[9] GFK/Dutch Charts 48
New Zealand New Zealand[9] RIANZ 34
Norway Norway[9] VG Nett 32
Sweden Sweden[9] Sverigetopplistan 15
Switzerland Switzerland[9] Media Control Europe 45
United Kingdom United Kingdom[12] OCC 38
United States U.S. Billboard 200[13] Billboard 10
United States U.S. Billboard 200 Year-End[14] Billboard 177

Singles

Single Chart Peak
position
"Almost Honest" U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] 8
"Trust" U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] 5
"Use the Man" U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] 15
"A Secret Place" U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] 19

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/releases_singles.html#Almost
  2. ^ http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/releases_singles.html#Use
  3. ^ http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/releases_singles.html#secret
  4. ^ Allmusic Review
  5. ^ Allmusic Review
  6. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  7. ^ "Live Trax - Overview". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  8. ^ "Cryptic Writings [Bonus Disc] - Overview". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Megadeth - Cryptic Writings". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  10. ^ "Top Canadian Albums - Cryptic Writings". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Chartverfolgung - Megadeth". Musicline.de. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  12. ^ "Megadeth - Cryptic Writings". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  13. ^ "Artist Chart History - Megadeth". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "The Billboard 200 - Cryptic Writings". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b c d "Artist Chart History - Megadeth". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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