Cryptic Writings

Cryptic Writings
Studio album by Megadeth
Released	June 17, 1997
Recorded	The Tracking Room, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Heavy metal, thrash metal
Length	49:22 61:13 (Remaster)
Label	Capitol
Producer	Giles Martin, Dave Mustaine
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Allmusic (2004 Remix) Rolling Stone link
Megadeth chronology
Youthanasia (1994) Cryptic Writings (1997) Risk (1999) Singles from Cryptic Writings "Trust" Released: May 8, 1997 "Almost Honest" Released: September, 1997 [1] "Use the Man" Released: 1998 [2] "A Secret Place" Released: 1998 [3]
Alternate cover
remastered re-release

Cryptic Writings is the seventh studio album by heavy metal band Megadeth, released in June 1997, with a remixed and remastered version released in 2004. The album debuted at #10 on Billboard Top 200.

Videos were made for the songs "Trust", "Almost Honest", and "A Secret Place".

"Use the Man" includes samples from the song "Needles and Pins" (which was the original name for the album) by The Searchers, although this was removed on the remaster.

Details

Continuing the trend from Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings features fewer songs critical of government and politics in favor of more personal songs. Megadeth's 1990s heavy metal style also continues on this album. Some songs, however, recall the band's '80s thrash metal days, such as "The Disintegrators", "She-Wolf", "Vortex", and "FFF", while other songs, especially "I'll Get Even", demonstrate more creative styles. This album is similar in style to Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia; it is currently still the last Megadeth album to go platinum.

The first 500,000 copies of Cryptic Writings in the U.S. were released with silver background album cover. These releases also included a Vic Rattlehead collectable card which promoted "The Cryptic Writings Of Megadeth" 4- issue run by CHAOS! comics. The latter U.S. pressings features the same artwork with black background album cover. The black background album cover is also featured in the remasters.

Personal relationships and how deceit can make them crumble are explored in "Trust" and "Almost Honest." Social ills like drug use ("Use the Man") and school violence ("Have Cool, Will Travel") are also covered. While songs about specific government criticisms are not included, songs like "The Disintegrators" and "FFF (Fight for Freedom)" are abstract calls for revolution and rebellion. "She-Wolf" and "Vortex" are reminiscent of the dark fantasy and occult themes featured in older songs like "Five Magics", "Elysian Fields", and "Bad Omen".

Instrumentally, the band introduced a more melodic mix than the previous albums. For example, "A Secret Place" featured a sitar, which was an idea Giles Martin had and felt added a more dynamic aspect to the song.

Megadeth changed management after releasing Youthanasia, hiring ESP Management. According to the liner notes of the remastered version of Cryptic Writings, Dave Mustaine had to alter many lyrics after A&R director Bud Prager, of ESP, objected. The liner notes suggest Mustaine was not a fan of the changes, but other interviews say the band actively sought and accepted Prager's advice for the album. "I figured maybe this guy (Prager) could help me get that intangible Number One record I so badly wanted," Mustaine wrote in Cryptic Writings' liner notes.

Two bonus tracks from the remastered version, "Bullprick" and "Evil That's Within," were cut because Prager objected to their lyrics, according to the liner notes. The instrumentals of "Bullprick" formed the basis of "FFF," and "Evil That's Within" became "Sin".

This is the first and so far only album where Vic Rattlehead does not appear at all in any tangible form, save for a limited edition collectable card advertising the Megadeth comic distributed by Chaos! Comics, which shows Vic in Hell reading a scroll.

Track listing

Japanese bonus track

Remaster bonus tracks

Extended plays

The cover of Live Trax.		The cover of Live Trax II.

There were several extended plays released alongside Cryptic Writings two of which featured live recordings from the ensuing tour and one featuring instrumental versions of five of the albums tracks. The live releases were Live Trax, released on June 30 1998,^[4] and Live Trax II, released in 1998 as a bonus disc to Cryptic Writings,^[5] with all songs from a recording taken at the Mesa Amphitheatre, Mesa, Arizona on July 13, 1997 except the last two tracks of each with Live Trax featuring recordings from the Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, February 25, 1995 and Live Trax II featuring studio remixes of "Almost Honest". The instrumental release was released under the title Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head in Japan, Argentina and as a bonus disc to the album in Korea with the vocals on most tracks being replaced with extra guitar melodies and with "She-Wolf" being performed in a Spanish acoustic style for the first half.

Track listings

The cover of Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head.

Personnel

Band members

• Dave Mustaine – guitar, vocals, co-producer
• Marty Friedman – guitar
• David Ellefson – bass guitar
• Nick Menza – drums

Technical staff

• Giles Martin – producer
• 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
• Dann Huff - producer (remaster)

Chart performance

Album

Country	Provider(s)	Peak position
Australia[6]	ARIA	43
Austria[6]	Media Control Europe	30
Belgium (Wallonia)[6]	Ultratop	44
Canada[7]	Billboard	17
Finland[6]	GLF	2
France[6]	SNEP/IFOP	14
Germany[8]	IFPI	22
Netherlands[6]	GFK/Dutch Charts	48
New Zealand[6]	RIANZ	34
Norway[6]	VG Nett	32
Sweden[6]	Sverigetopplistan	15
Switzerland[6]	Media Control Europe	45
United Kingdom[9]	OCC	38
U.S. Billboard 200[10]	Billboard	10
U.S. Billboard 200 Year-End[11]	Billboard	177

Singles

Footnotes