MEGADETH's Landmark Album 'Countdown To Extinction' Now Available In Dolby Atmos

MEGADETH's Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum "Countdown To Extinction" album has been made available in full Dolby Atmos, submerging listeners in full 3D immersive sound with a new level a clarity and depth. In addition, "Countdown To Extinction" is also available newly remastered from the original 1992 stereo analog mix in hi res 96kHz/24-bit stereo. Both the Dolby Atmos mix and the long-awaited, remastered 1992 stereo mix are now available through digital platforms.

"Countdown To Extinction", MEGADETH's fifth studio album, was recorded in Los Angeles in 1992 as rioting raged across the city in response to the Rodney King trial verdicts. American tensions weren't limited to L.A., by any means, as the Gulf War was still fresh in people's minds, the state of the environment was becoming headline news, and President George H.W. Bush was seeking reelection in a heated campaign season.

Out of this turmoil, MEGADETH was inspired to create "Countdown To Extinction", considered by many to be the band's best and most accessible album. The group's previous albums, including "So Far, So Good…So What!" and "Rust In Peace", included songs that tackled topics like censorship and religious bloodletting in the Middle East. But none were as polemical as the sonic missiles launched by "Countdown". MEGADETH laced the songs with acid-tongued commentary about subjects ranging from the futility of war ("Architecture Of Aggression") to the senseless brutality of caged hunting ("Countdown To Extinction"). "Foreclosure Of A Dream" sampled George Bush's infamous "Read my lips" speech, making a statement about taxation endangering the American Dream.

Thanks to a perfect balance of hard-rock song structures, epic choruses, and fleet-fingered guitar work, "Countdown To Extinction" became an instant classic, benefiting from copious MTV and radio play. Spin magazine raved that "Countdown" "may just be the finest thrash-metal album ever made," and before long, songs like "Symphony Of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin O' My Teeth" had entered metal's canon of essential recordings. The album shot to No. 2 on the Billboard chart (it may have hit No. 1, if not for Billy Ray Cyrus' long chart-topping reign with "Some Gave All"),and it was certified double platinum in the U.S. within two years, with sales of more than two million copies.

MEGADETH was in top form, with Dave Mustaine, the band's then 31-year-old singer and guitarist leading the album's assault with lyrics like "You know your worth when your enemies praise your architecture of aggression," not to mention his venomous rhythm guitar attack. His band mates completed the picture, as lead guitarist Marty Friedman blazed with memorable solos, bassist David Ellefson jammed dizzying arrays of low-end thunder, and drummer Nick Menza attacked his kit. MEGADETH sounded hungry, and the band was rewarded when the album earned a Grammy Award nomination ("Best Metal Performance") and when its title cut garnered a Genesis Award from the Humane Society for raising awareness for animal rights issues.