YOUTHANASIA (EX/PICT

The unnavoidable spiritually-damaged roar is audible immediately. Before even a single lyric of YOUTHANASIA's lead track "Reckoning Day" is uttered, the fierce twin guitar attack and the pounding double-bass drums betray the band's poetic motives. By the time singer/lyricist Dave Mustaine admits that "Life's fabric is corrupt/Shot through with corroded thread" on YOUTHANASIA's second track--and first single--"Train Of Consequences," Megadeth's plan of action is more than obvious. Disillusionment is at the core of life, Mustaine warns today's youth, recognize it early on before it grinds you down. While such themes are an every day part of the speed-metal genre, YOUTHANASIA tackles the subject of maturing in the face of adversity with the skill of knowing professionals. Fitted into the album's sleek and streamlined production are arguments that straddle the border between complexity and naivete, but whose overall thesis is just as important to its alienated audience as gangsta rap is to its own. And while the grandeur of tracks like "A Tout Le Monde" or "Elysian Fields" can be off-putting, they ultimately become life-affirming gestures for those who actually listen.