Cryptic Writings

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"She-Wolf"
Chicago Tribune journalist Dean Golemis cited "She-Wolf" as an example of the band's "melodic thrash" approach. [20]
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Mustaine pointed out that four of the album's 12 tracks are "fast, hard and crunchy". Referring to the musical direction of the album, MTV's writer P.R. Flack noted that "The Disintegrators" and "FFF" were rooted in the thrash metal genre, and ranked them among the fastest tracks on the record. [21] Neil Arnold of Metal Forces highlighted the tune "Vortex", which according to him, features some of the album's best guitar work. [22] However, a number of songs, particularly "I'll Get Even" and "Use the Man", carried a more rock-oriented sound, which contributed to the album's diverse style. [20] Lyrically, the album does not have a distinct subject matter, but focuses on numerous themes instead. "She-Wolf" tells of a "wicked temptress with mystic lips and lusting eyes." [23] Mustaine has also stated that the song is about "An ex-wife and an ex-friend." [24] "Mastermind" has been stated by Mustaine as being about "the computerization of the world." [25]

"Trust" was released as the record's lead single. The song was developed from "Absolution", an instrumental track recorded on a demo during the studio sessions of their previous album. [26] "Trust" peaked at number five on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, thus becoming the band's highest charting song on that chart. It was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 1998 Grammy Awards. [9] "Almost Honest" was the second single of the album, and like its predecessor, entered the top ten on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, peaking at number eight. [27] [28] Mustaine stated that the song is about how people treat one another, which contains a message that "it's difficult for people to be honest". Billboard's Chuck Taylor commented that the song contains catchy hooks and the band's "signature guitar howl" and classified it "somewhere between Def Leppard and Bon Jovi". [5] "Use the Man" and "A Secret Place" were released as the third and fourth single, respectively. "Use the Man" (which started with a snippet of The Searchers' "Needles and Pins", which was removed in the 2004 remaster) is about drug addiction, while "A Secret Place" describes losing touch with reality. "Have Cool, Will Travel" is about school shootings; in the remastered version, a snippet of the schoolyard song "The Wheels on the Bus" was added to its introduction. [26]

Three extended plays were released in support of Cryptic Writings. Two of these featured live recordings from the ensuing tour while the other was a studio EP which featured instrumental versions of several album tracks. The live releases were entitled Live Trax and Live Trax II, the first being released on June 30, 1998. [29]

Critical reception

Cryptic Writings
Cryptic writings cover.jpg
Studio album by
Megadeth
ReleasedJune 17, 1997 (1997-06-17)
RecordedSeptember 1996
Studio
  • The Tracking Room, Nashville
  • The Castle, Franklin
Genre
Length46:44
Label Capitol
Producer
Megadeth chronology
Hidden Treasures
(1995)		Cryptic Writings
(1997)		 Risk
(1999)
Alternative cover
Megadeath-Cryptic Writings.jpg
2004 remixed and remastered re-release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [30]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [31]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [32]
Metal Forces 7/10 [22]
Rock Hard8/10 [33]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [34]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [35]
Uncut Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [36]

Music critics were divided on the record. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, reviewing the album for AllMusic, reacted unenthusiastically toward it. He criticized Mustaine's ability to write more "ambitious" material and opined that the band "sounds better playing thrash." However, Erlewine did admire the band's desire to experiment with their sound. [30] Rolling Stone was more generous toward Cryptic Writings. Reviewer Jon Wiederhorn commented that the album "should thrill Metallica fans who felt screwed by that band's thrashless 1996 album, Load ." [34] Dean Golemis of the Chicago Tribune panned the album for being "predictable and annoying" and assumed that Megadeth were "destined to follow Metallica's leap into mainstream sounds". [20] Author Thomas Harrison also noted the album for not making as much impact as their previous studio releases. [37]

Consumable Online's Simon Speichert wrote positively about the record, qualifying it as "pure, solid heavy metal". He noted that the album contains various kinds of tunes and named it "one of the best metal records of 1997". [38] Neil Arnold from Metal Forces observed that Cryptic Writings is not "a bad record", though it comes "pale" in comparison to their 1994 opus Youthanasia . Arnold went on to comment that the album confirms Megadeth are "no longer a thrash band". [22] Wolfgang Schäfer, from the German metal magazine Rock Hard, stated that Cryptic Writings followed the musical direction of its predecessors. He described the album as a "balanced mix of typical Megadeth rockers and some experimental songs". [33] Shane Mehling of Decibel reflected that the "nearly thrashless" Cryptic Writings, alongside Metallica's Load and Reload (1997), left the "metal community [...] trying to pick up the pieces". [39]

Touring

Megadeth supported the album with a world tour that started in the summer of 1997. The Misfits were the opening act of these live shows, one of which was the band's first all-acoustic performance that took place in Argentina. [40] The following summer, the group participated in Ozzfest '98 for the dates in the United States. These live shows were the last for drummer Nick Menza, who was fired subsequently. Menza began to suffer knee problems and escalating pain during the tour. He was diagnosed with a tumor and underwent surgery which waylaid him briefly. However, the tumor was benign and Menza was eager to rejoin his bandmates, who had continued the tour with Jimmy DeGrasso. Although DeGrasso was hired as a temporary replacement, he stayed with the band for the recording of their next two studio albums. Menza stated that Mustaine had dismissed him from the band two days after his knee surgery via phone call telling him that his services "were no longer needed". [41] On the other hand, Dave Mustaine believed that Menza had lied about his injury. [42]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dave Mustaine except where noted. [13]

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Trust" Mustaine, Marty Friedman 5:11
2."Almost Honest" Mustaine, Friedman4:02
3."Use the Man" (4:03 on the 2004 release) Mustaine, Friedman4:35
4."Mastermind"  3:48
5."The Disintegrators" (3:04 on the 2004 release)  2:50
6."I'll Get Even"Mustaine, Friedman, David Ellefson, Brian Howe Mustaine, Friedman, Ellefson, Howe4:23
7."Sin"Mustaine, Ellefson, Nick Menza Mustaine, Ellefson, Menza3:06
8."A Secret Place"  5:29
9."Have Cool, Will Travel" (3:40 on the 2004 release)  3:28
10."She-Wolf"  3:36
11."Vortex" (3:23 on the 2004 release)  3:38
12."FFF" (2:47 on the 2004 release) Mustaine, Friedman, Ellefson, Menza2:38
Total length:46:44
Japanese edition bonus track [43]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."One Thing"MustaineMustaine4:38
Total length:51:22
2004 remastered/remixed edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."Trust" (Spanish version) Mustaine, Friedman5:12
14."Evil That's Within" (alternative version of "Sin")Mustaine, Ellefson, MenzaMustaine, Ellefson, Menza3:22
15."Vortex" (alternative version)  3:30
16."Bullprick" (alternative version of "FFF") Mustaine, Friedman, Menza, Ellefson2:47
Total length:61:35
*Live Trax [44]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Reckoning Day"Mustaine, EllefsonMustaine, Friedman4:23
2."Peace Sells" (Uncredited)MustaineMustaine3:54
3."Angry Again"MustaineMustaine3:26
4."Use the Man"MustaineMustaine, Friedman4:24
5."Tornado of Souls"Mustaine, EllefsonMustaine5:52
6."A Tout le Monde"MustaineMustaine4:53
7."She-Wolf"MustaineMustaine3:42
Total length:30:56

NOTE: – "Reckoning Day" & "Peace Sells" were joined together as one track with the running length of 8:19.

*Live Trax II [45]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Almost Honest"MustaineMustaine, 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 Cook Rotten, Jones, Matlock, Cook3:54
6."Almost Honest (Environmental Mix)"MustaineMustaine, Friedman5:33
7."Almost Honest (Supercharger Mix)"MustaineMustaine, Friedman5:40
Total length:33:01
*Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head [46]
No.TitleLength
1."Almost Honest"4:14
2."Vortex"3:21
3."Trust"5:30
4."A Secret Place"5:29
5."She-Wolf"3:07
Total length:21:27

Personnel

Megadeth

Production

  • Dann Huff – production
  • Dave Mustaine – co-production
  • 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)

2004 remaster/remix

  • Produced by Dave Mustaine
  • Mixed by Ralph Patlan and Dave Mustaine
  • Engineered by Ralph Patlan with Lance Dean
  • Edited by Lance Dean, Scott "Sarge" Harrison, and Keith Schreiber with Bo Caldwell
  • Mastered by Tom Baker

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF) [66] Gold20,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [67] Gold50,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [68] Gold100,000^
South Korea (KMCA) [69] Gold15,000 [70]
United States (RIAA) [71] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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  44. ↑ Live Trax back cover (Japan ed.). Capitol Records/Toshiba EMI. 1997.
  45. ↑ Cryptic Writings/Live Trax II 2-disc set back cover (TOCP-50520~21) (Japan ed.). Capitol Records/Toshiba EMI. 1998.
  46. ↑ Cryptic Sounds back cover (Japan ed.). Capitol Records/Toshiba EMI. 1998.
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  56. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  57. ↑ "Charts.nz – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  58. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  59. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  60. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  61. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  62. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  63. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  64. ↑ "Megadeth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  65. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  66. ↑ "Discos de Oro y Platino – Megadeth". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  67. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings". Music Canada.
  68. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved December 27, 2020.Select 1997年6月 on the drop-down menu
  69. ↑ "Megadeth Cryptic Writings (Official Korean EMI Music Korea Ltd. in-house Award issued in recognition of the album reaching Gold Status".
  70. ↑ "Certification Award Levels" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  71. ↑ "American album certifications – Megadeth – Cryptic Writings". Recording Industry Association of America.
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