Megadeth is an amazing band. It was started when Metallica kicked out Dave Mustaine in 1983. Megadeth is a metal band from Los Angeles. I would list the members, but the band has had so many lineup changes, the only original member is Dave Mustaine himself. Throughout the years, they have undergone many changes in sound. The album I am talking about today is one from their poppier years.

Youthanasia was released on November 1st, 1994. The album is 28 years old at this point in time, which is ancient, but it holds up today. The album talks about many different things. Of course, one theme is how modern society is dooming our youth. Youthanasia is a play on words, meaning we are killing our youth. The title implies that we, as a society, are killing our youth. The song “Addicted to Chaos” captures this feeling nicely. The song starts with amazing drums and riffs, then goes into Dave’s vocals. The song captures a hopeless feeling. The lyrics go along perfectly. The lyrics talk about losing a close friend and not knowing how to continue without him. He wonders if he can go on in a constant world of chaos. Without him, he is just lost in a crazy world. The message is that life is addicted to chaos. The song is filled with amazing riffs and a very catchy tune. It is an amazing song. I would argue that it is the best song on this album. Of course, the title track, Youthanasia, captures that same topic perfectly. Youthanasia talks about how much more focused we are on shipping guns and making cure-all pills than actually educating our youth. The younger generation has been ignored or “hung out to dry.” The song captures the despair of the younger generation perfectly. It asks the younger generation to change it, or else they will end up dying of apathy. 

Another theme this album discusses is moving on after loss. The song right after “Addicted to Chaos” is “A Tout Le Monde.” That song talks about moving on after death. It is the perfect sequel to “Addicted to Chaos,” as it talks about not knowing what to do after a friend dies, and this track talks about your family moving on after you die. This track makes an amazing use of another language. The French in the song translates to “To everyone, to all my friends, I love you, I have to leave.” This was a controversial song at the time because people misread the lyrics to mean suicide, but that could not be farther from the truth.

Other than the meaning behind the music, the tracks are just really catchy. The song “Victory” features an extremely catchy beat. This album is not as pop as Taylor Swift’s albums. If you exclusively like that type of music, you will not appreciate the masterpiece this album really is. This album features very minor language on only a couple of songs. It features some mature references, but they are minor. Overall, this album can be played by all ages and is a great starter metal album to get generation Alpha back on the track of great music after generation Z derailed the train.