Megadeth - Live: Rude Awakening

In what will be the last Megadeth album, barring the release of any previously hidden gems or an improbable (but rooted-for by many) recovery from an arm injury that caused leader Dave Mustaine to fold the venerable band only a couple of months after this album hit the shelves, Rude Awakening is a far better career encapsulation than the spotty Capitol Punishment compilation. Live discs are fraught with their own limitations, and this double set is no exception. Mustaine's singing abilities were never a strong point; however, even bearing that in mind, the likes of "Train of Consequences" and "A Tout le Monde" find him to be straining and barely keeping up. There are occasional glitches, and the long solos that bridge "She Wolf" and "Reckoning Day" -- highlighted by a Jimmy DeGrasso drum segment that is so repetitive it almost gives you carpal tunnel syndrome just listening to it -- don't add much. Still, Megadeth will be remembered for a unique-sounding and very technical thrash style that they helped pioneer and a staunchness to stick to their guns through a myriad of member changes and fashion fads, and at the end of the day, Rude Awakening does nothing to taint that legacy. Brian O'Neill.