This year has been rough for the music community with the loss of many magnificent artists who created some of the most iconic pieces of music in history. Over the weekend we lost former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza and, while we may not have him with us anymore, his input with Dave Mustaine and company will remain until the end of time. To remember his contributions to metal, we compiled the top 10 best tracks during his time in Megadeth and explain why they deserve to be noted.
10) Architecture of Aggression
Countdown to Extinction was the second Megadeth album featuring Menza on the kit and, during the time, their songwriting transformed from the fast-galloping thrash everyone knew them for to a much more diverse and commercial style. Many tracks from this album are worth any drummer’s attention but “Architecture of Agression” pushed Menza’s creativity with it’s brilliant syncopation combined with a catchy ground-stomping riff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCJCJuKXl8A
9) FFF
Megadeth has always pushed its musical boundaries and Cryptic Writings took the band’s direction towards a more commercial direction, marking it as “Megadeth’s Black Album” by many fans. This was also Menza’s last album with Mustaine and company and it features several tracks co-written by Menza like “FFF” which is one of the fastest ones on the album. With less than 3 minutes, this song has a pacing that goes back to the early days of Megadeth or even to Metallica’s “Motorbreath,” but it still throws in some of that crunch Cryptic Writings was known for at that point.
8) The Disintegrators
Another track off Cryptic Writings that kept the traditional thrash metal roots instead of the new direction Mustaine was intending to reach is “The Disintegrators.” Aside from the amazing guitar work by Mustaine and Friedman, Menza’s drumming is fast and concise. It’s definitely an energetic track for any drummer wanting to play a Megadeth song. From beginning to end, this nonstop pumping song is guaranteed to drain any drummer who’s not ready to play at Menza’s capacity.
