Cryptic Writings

Cryptic Writings
Studio album by Megadeth
Publication (s)	June 17, 1997
Label (s)	Capitol Records
Genre (s)	Heavy metal
running time	49:22 (album) 61:13 (re-release)
occupation	Vocals , guitar : Dave Mustaine Guitar : Marty Friedman Bass , backing vocals: David Ellefson Drums : Nick Menza
production	Then Huff , Dave Mustaine
Studio (s)	The Tracking Room, Nashville , Tennessee (USA) The Castle, Franklin , Tennessee (USA)
chronology Youthanasia (1994) Cryptic Writings Risk (1999)

Cryptic Writings (English for literally: " Cryptic Works ") is the seventh studio album by the US metal band Megadeth . It was released on Capitol Records in June 1997. In terms of style, the course from Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia is continued, thrash and speed songs are dispensed with. Mid-tempo metal and rock songs mix with some more experimental pieces. The album was the last of the band to reachplatinum statusin the United States .

As singles were Trust (advance on May 8, 1997), Almost Honest (September 1997), use the Man and A Secret Place decoupled (both 1998). With the exception of Use the Man there were music videos for all singles.

Emergence

The album Cryptic Writings was preceded by an encounter between Dave Mustaine and ex- giant guitarist Dann Huff in Los Angeles . After a jam session , Huff was hired to produce the album. Since Huff lived in Nashville , Tennessee , the record was recorded there.

“We were extremely well prepared and recorded a lot of material in around three months. First of all, we brought everything we thought we might need and were completely speechless when Dann then packed all of his equipment on top. We thought we were in a music store ... The man has unbelievable treasures and rarities. "

- Dave Mustaine

Song content and music style

The text contains less political than personal considerations. Mustaine said that he no longer wrote about the “teenage revolution” and that he had replaced it with “brutal honesty”. The song Use the Man , for example, which is introduced by the Searchers with a sample of Needles and Pins , is about drug problems, according to Mustaines, a friend of his. Almost Honest is about empty phrases and everyday lies. The album title means "secret writing" and refers to the phrase "paint the devil on the wall". To some extent, synthesizer used. Unlike other thrash bands at the time ( e.g. Metallica with Load ), Mustaine made a clear commitment to metal:

"Perhaps today it is more dangerous to stand up for your convictions than to stand by your image as a heavy metal musician and not say: We were actually never really heavy metal, we have always been alternative ..."

- Dave Mustaine

Cover design

The first edition of the album appeared with silver cover artwork, all subsequent ones with black. According to Dave Mustaines, this was done consciously in order to create a "collector's item".

Track list

1. Trust - 5:11
2. Almost Honest - 4:03
3. Use the Man - 4:36
4. Mastermind - 3:49
5. The Disintegrators - 2:50
6. I'll Get Even - 4:24
7. Sin - 3:06
8. A Secret Place - 5:29
9. Have Cool, Will Travel - 3:28
10. She-Wolf - 3:36
11. Vortex - 3:38
12. FFF - 2:38
13. Trust (Spanish Version) *
14. Evil That's Within *
15. Vortex (Alternate Version) *
16. Bull prick *

The tracks marked with * are bonus tracks from the 2004 re-release. FFF means Fight for Freedom .

reception

Cryptic Writings received average to good reviews. Jon Wiederhorn called the Rolling Stone record a "gripping, high-energy album that should delight Metallica fans who got excited about Load ." He rated it 3.5 out of five. Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote on allmusic .com that Megadeth sound better when they play Thrash, the band seems tired on Cryptic Writings . The smooth production also contributes to this. He awarded two and a half stars out of five. Wolfgang Schäfer, employee of Rock Hard , awarded eight out of ten points. He saw a “penchant for perfectionism” documented in the “dry and sterile” production. In any case, the band does "definitely not take prisoners" and play "classic 'Deth-Metal as the fans want to hear it."

Chart placements

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	22nd (6 weeks)	6th
Austria (Ö3)	30th (5 weeks)	5
Switzerland (IFPI)	45 (5 weeks)	5
United Kingdom (OCC)	38 (2 weeks)	2
United States (Billboard)	10 (29 weeks)	29

Web links

• Cryptic Writings at Allmusic (English)
• Cryptic Writings at MusicBrainz

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} www.rockhard.de: Review of Cryptic Writings by Wolfgang Schäfer
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Wolf Hoffmann: Always Heavy Metal , in Rock Hard, No. 117
3. ↑ ^{a b} Marcus Schleutermann: Megadeth ... paint the devil on the wall , in Rock Hard, No. 123
4. ↑ www.rollingstone.com: Review of Cryptic Writings by Jon Wiederhorn ( Memento from May 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ Review of Cryptic Writings by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e} chart sources: DE chart discography AT CH UK US