Album
Countdown to Extinction
Countdown to Extinction is Megadeth's fifth studio album, released through Capitol Records in July 1992. It was the second record from the band's classic line-up of Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, David Ellefson and Nick Menza, and all four had a hand in the writing. Critics noted its politically minded lyrics and a more stripped-back sound than its predecessor, Rust in Peace.
It is home to "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin o' My Teeth", and it became the band's biggest commercial success, going double platinum after entering the Billboard 200 at number 2. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, while the title track won a Genesis Award from the Humane Society for highlighting animal rights. The band marked its 20th anniversary with a full-album tour and a special edition.
Countdown to Extinction on Riffology
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Countdown to Extinction: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 47:34Tracklist
- 1Skin o’ My TeethDave Mustaine3:17
- 2Symphony of DestructionDave Mustaine4:03
- 3Architecture of AggressionDavid Ellefson and Dave Mustaine3:35
- 4Foreclosure of a DreamDave Mustaine and David Ellefson4:17
- 5Sweating BulletsDave Mustaine5:03
- 6This Was My LifeDave Mustaine3:42
- 7Countdown to ExtinctionFriedman, Mustaine, Ellefson, Menza4:17
- 8High Speed DirtDave Mustaine and David Ellefson4:13
- 9PsychotronMarty Friedman and Dave Mustaine4:42
- 10Captive HonourFriedman, Menza, Mustaine, Ellefson4:15
- 11Ashes in Your MouthEllefson, Friedman, Menza, Mustaine6:10
- Produced by
- Dave Mustaine, Max Norman
- Recorded at
- The Enterprise, The Enterprise, Burbank
- Recorded
- 6 January – 28 April 1992
- Mixed by
- Max Norman
- Engineered by
- Max Norman, Micajah Ryan
- Label
- Capitol Records
- Length
- 47:34
Line-up
- David Ellefson · bass guitar, electric bass guitar, background vocals
- Marty Friedman · guitar, electric guitar, background vocals
- Nick Menza · drums (drum set), background vocals
- Dave Mustaine · guitar, electric guitar, lead vocals
Singles
- “Symphony of Destruction” · 21 July 1992
- “Foreclosure of a Dream” · 13 October 1992
- “Sweating Bullets” · 16 February 1993
- “Skin o' My Teeth” · 12 April 1993
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1992 | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1992 | 5 |
| US Cashbox Album Charts · 1992 | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1992 | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1992 | 5 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1992 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-Lista) · 1992 | 8 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · 1992 | 9 |
| Austrian Albums · 1992 | 12 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1992 | 14 |
All 19 charts
| German Albums · 1992 | 15 |
| Swiss Albums · 1992 | 16 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2026 | 18 |
| European Albums (European Top 100 Albums) · 1992 | 19 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1992 | 25 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2012 | 35 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1992 | 37 |
| Dutch Albums · 1992 | 45 |
| US Billboard Year-End Chart · 1992 | 64 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Gold |
| Argentina | Gold |
| Australia · 2005 | Gold |
| Canada · 2001 | 3× Platinum |
| Japan · 2024 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2020 | Gold |
| United States · 1994 | 2× Platinum |
Awards
- Genesis Award
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
79.0
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
7.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
156k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
74k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 14 July
Every year →
More from Megadeth
Full discography →
Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!
1985
Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?
1986
So Far, So Good… So What!
1988
Rust in Peace
1990
Youthanasia
1994
Hidden Treasures
1995
Cryptic Writings
1997
Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head
1998
Risk
1999
Breadline
2000
Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years
2000
The World Needs a Hero
2001
Rude Awakening
2002
Still, Alive… and Well?
2002
The System Has Failed
2004
Greatest Hits: Back to the Start
2005
United Abominations
2007
That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires
2007
Warchest
2007
Anthology: Set the World Afire
2008
Endgame
2009
Rust in Peace: Live
2010
Th1rt3en
2011
Super Collider
2013
Countdown to Extinction: Live
2013
Icon
2014
Dystopia
2016
Warheads on Foreheads
2019
Unplugged in Boston
2021
The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!
2022
Megadeth
2026
The best of 1992
All of 1992 →
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Rage Against the Machine · 1992
Dirt
Alice in Chains · 1992
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden · 1992
Vulgar Display of Power
Pantera · 1992
Angel Dust
Faith No More · 1992
Incesticide
Nirvana · 1992
Hormoaning
Nirvana · 1992
Dehumanizer
Black Sabbath · 1992
Broken
Nine Inch Nails · 1992
Live
AC/DC · 1992
Creep
Radiohead · 1992
Live at Wembley ’86
Queen · 1992
More on Capitol Records
The label →
Kid A
Radiohead · 2000
The Colour and the Shape
Foo Fighters · 1997
Hail to the Thief
Radiohead · 2003
Rust in Peace
Megadeth · 1990
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden · 1980
Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?
Megadeth · 1986
![[Rammstein] by Rammstein, album cover](/img/e4d39d2e-9420-4007-881a-9b5bc23944e0/300)
[Rammstein]
Rammstein · 2019
Youthanasia
Megadeth · 1994
No Prayer for the Dying
Iron Maiden · 1990
So Far, So Good… So What!
Megadeth · 1988
Cryptic Writings
Megadeth · 1997
Iron Maiden Audio Pieces 1986
Audio Pieces
Iron Maiden · 1986
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1992-07-14; musicbrainz + wikidata 1992-07-06 (8 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 6 July 1992 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 July 1992 | |
| Wikidata | 6 July 1992 | |
| US release | 6 July 1992 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1992 | earliest UK or European date |
32 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Capitol Records | 724359862026 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Capitol Records | 077779853113 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Capitol Records | 077779853120 | other |
| 1992 | US | Capitol Records | 0208314444289 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Capitol Records | 077779853120 | other |
| 1992 | MX | Capitol Records | 077779853120 | other |
| 1992 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1992 | CA | Capitol Records | 077779853120 | other |
| 6 July 1992 | US | Capitol Records | 077779853120 | original |
| 8 July 1992 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006670839 | other |
| 29 October 1997 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006733923 | other |
| 2004 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006883642 | other |
| 2004 | US | Capitol Records | remaster | |
| 2004 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006867604 | other |
| 2004 | XW | Capitol Records | 724359862057 | other |
| 27 July 2004 | US | Capitol Records | 724359862026 | remaster |
| 9 August 2004 | XE | Capitol Records | 724357987523 | remaster |
| 25 August 2004 | JP | 東芝EMI 株式会社 | 4988006822788 | other |
| 27 June 2006 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 821797076517 | other |
| 2007 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 821797228510 | other |
| 29 October 2008 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006867604 | other |
| 2012 | XE | Capitol Records | 5099997848424 | deluxe |
| 2012 | US | Capitol Records | 5099997849353 | other |
| 2 November 2012 | — | Capitol Records | 5099997848455 | deluxe |
| 6 November 2012 | US | Capitol Records | 5099997848424 | deluxe |
| 7 November 2012 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006898967 | deluxe |
| 12 June 2013 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006554962 | other |
| 10 March 2023 | XW | Capitol Records | 602455419439 | remaster |
| 10 March 2023 | XW | Capitol Records | 602455419422 | remaster |
| 10 March 2023 | — | Capitol Records | 602455419422 | remaster |
| 10 March 2023 | XW | Capitol Records | 602455419064 | remaster |
| 29 May 2026 | XE | Capitol Records | 199957311267 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 1400×1400 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |