The best of Megadeth, apparently, but there are some bizarre choices. Three tracks from Cryptic Writings (Trust, Almost Honest, and Use The Man) seems like an odd idea, although I can't really fault any of them. A track from Risk is an even odder idea, but if there really had to be one, it should have been the delightfully epileptic disco-metal of Insomnia or the almost gothic Prince of Darkness, rather than the ludicrously moronic Crush 'Em.

Still, no argument with the rest of the tracks. Hangar 18 and Peace Sells prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Megadeth were always superior to Metallica. The early stuff has a surprising amount of tune, despite the devastating heaviness. Megadeth at their best, as in Symphony of Destruction or Holy Wars… The Punishment Due, mix crushing verses with the most melodic choruses, and some wicked soloing. The new stuff is a return to form - Dread And The Fugitive Mind is another heavy 'n' tuneful number, alternating between guitar and vocals like Sweating Bullets before hitting you with a massive chorus. Kill The King chugs along nicely on a basic but effective riff, then betas you repeatedly round the head with the chorus until you find yourself having withdrawal symptoms every time you turn it off. And they both deserve to be on here, unlike the glorified B-sides which usually end up on these compilations.

Hmm… Maybe Anarchy… or Mechanix should have been on here. It's definitely missing something really heavy to counter A Tout Le Monde and the Cryptic Writings stuff. Too much focus on the recent albums, I reckon; there's nothing pre-'86, but there are six tracks from the last four years. Still, Mustaine reckons Capitol were always trying to force them into a nice, radio-friendly sound, so that explains the lack of thrash.

Not a comprehensive best of, then. Remove Crush 'Em and one of the Cryptic Writings tracks (it's a toss-up between Use The Man and Almost Honest), and stick on a couple of heavier ones, then you've got something very special. Close to perfect though.