Trust: Mid-fast tempo hard rocker with an extremely heavy yet extremely melodic sound. I couldn't be more glad this one became a hit. A+

Almost Honest: Mid-tempo hard rocker with deep vocals in verses and a lighter chorus with killer instrument usage. Three remixes of this track exist: Danny Saber, Environmental Science, and Supercharger. A+

Use the Man: Slow-hard rocking track with a semi-gothic track to it. A

Mastermind: Mid-tempo hard rocker that resembles Iron Maiden's Wrathchild a good deal. Vocals here RULE! A

The Disintegrators: Fast-paced NWOBHM-punk fusion track, this one features excellent melodies. A+

I'll Get Even: Slow track, but very hard and heavy. Guitar playing is great here. A

Sin: Good mid-tempo rocker but way too generic when compared to the other stuff here. B

A Secret Place: Mid-tempo hard rocker which is heavy, melodic, and progressive all at once. A live version of this track appeared on the Woodstock '99 album. A

Have Cool, Will Travel: Excellent fusion of classic rock and progressive metal. There's even some harmonica playing here. A

She-Wolf: Extremely heavy and fast, Megadeth's progressive rockers get no better than this. A+

Vortex: Hard rocker with good riffs but too generic. A-

FFF: Extremely heavy punk-inspired track with a sound resembling that of Pennywise. A

Though a good album overall, the lack of the classic Megadeth feel certainly detracts from it. This is where Megadeth kind of took a hit in overall music quality again, and unfortunately, they would never make another album as good as Rust In Peace, Countdown To Extinction, or Youthanasia. However, it's still good and no Megadeth library is complete without it.

good music!
One of the last great metal bands, Megadeth has struck back on a pop-laden society with Cryptic Writings, their brand new album. Unlike some other band singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine was in during the early 80's (who could that be?), Megadeth's latest offering is pure, solid, heavy metal. It's hard to explain how the band sound, because not every song is fast and saturated with tons of distorted guitars.

I like the fact that every band member gets their time in Mustaine's spotlight (not that he hogs it). For drummer Nick Menza, it's the throbbing tom beats at the beginnings of "Trust" and "Sin". Dave Ellefson's bass grabs your ear at the start of "Mastermind", and lead guitarist Marty Friedman gets the attention every time there's a solo.

Megadeth is portrayed solely as a metal band, and that's what they are, but some of the songs on Cryptic Writings show their fantastic skills at writing all kinds of tunes, including some slower ones with string arrangements. Some of the real enigmatic songs include "Trust", "Use The Man", "I'll Get Even", and "FFF". vortex is masterpiece and the disintegrator is one of their fastest songs ever. like usuall no matter how fast they play it still sounds melodic. that's the good of this band

Taking into account everything I've said here, I believe Megadeth is a very open-minded, versatile band with a rock hard edge, and Cryptic Writings will prove to be one of the best metal records of 1997. and as for me i;m very open minded fans not fans who love to say "sell out" thats not fan ectually but people who hate megadeth. this is awesome record.

Cryptic Writings
Trust 2/5
Song about broken relationship. Dull riffs during verses and a repetetive song all in all.
Almost Honest 2/5
Nervewrecking intro leads to a song about relationships once more. This time it's about lies and deceit. The song goes nowhere and seem uninspired.
Use the man 4/5
Acoustic song about drug abuse. Witty lyrics and vocals with character.
Mastermind 2/5
Song about the 'cyber age' we are going in to. Forced vocal performance with many special effects added.
The disintegrators 2/5
Fast paced song about street thoughs. Song goes nowhere and the solo is simple.
I'll get even 1/5
Song about hate and revenge. Don't care for the lyrics and the song has an overall pop feel to it which doesn't work very well, especially the chorus.
Sin 1/5
Pretty forced effort in song about reasons for sinning.
A secret place 2/5
Ballad that is about wanting to be alone but never manage to escape successfully. Fuzzy lyrics and bland melody.
Have cool, will travel 2/5
Song about what's wrong with todays society in the United States. Decent chorus otherwise forgettable.
She-wolf 5/5
Song could be about the HIV-virus and it's deceiving nature. Not sure though. Anyway, killer riff under very strong vocal melody with clever lyrics and catchy chorus. Smooth solo wraps it up.
Vortex 2/5
Fast paced song with a good start. Strong verse riff and delicate chorus ends abruptly for meaningless direction out in nowhere.
FFF 2/5
Fast paced song based on solid riff with political lyrics. Vocal effort has no character and the melody is too smooth and the result seem pretty meaningless.

Whoever Put This Album In Order Should Be Shot
And probably was since the two studio albums that followed Cryptic Writings were in the correct order. Here's a hint: "Trust" is the closer, not "fff." It's too bad Marty Friedman for the most part sounds uninterested in this album since Nick Menza never sounded better and, while these songs are more derivative than Mustaine's other writings (cryptic or otherwise), they're still extremely solid. In most instances, what he's doing is better than what the people he's paraphrasing or quoting did originally. This album rates well below the three outstanding albums that preceded it but nevertheless deserves a spot in my collection and, hopefully, in yours, as well.

awesome!
i order this album here back in 98 and it made me turn into fans of this band.
first forget the amazon editorial review which is say watered down nirvana riff... that's the most lame review i've heard on this great site. nirvana riff? i wonder who's that person who wrote the editorial review. i can only shake my head reading those word.
nothing on this album sounds like nirvana. just listen from the first songs till the end of the album , it's pure metal. the old school track are she wolf, disintegrator, fff and vortex , the rest are all heavy metal too but those 4 tracks are the fastest. almost honest,secret place and use the man are top 5 radio hit. trust is one of their best songs ever not only musically but also in mainstream, this songs reach no.1 billboard rock chart in 1997 and spent 5 weeks on the top

this album maybe not full of speed metal like rust in peace but it got all megadeth element from the old style into modern one
i'll get even is the slowest tune and the disintegrator is one of their fastest songs. no ballad on this album.
In 1996, after Dave Mustaine released his experimental side project, MD.45's The Craving, there were scattered reports about how the metal veteran was turning over a new leaf with a new band. But any circulating rumors of Megadeth's demise have been greatly exaggerated. The group's seventh album Cryptic Writings is its strongest release since 1990's Rust in Peace. Not only are the songs crunchy and confrontational, they're suffused with crafty hooks that make them memorable without detracting from their primal power. Add some acrobatic guitar solos from Mustaine and Marty Friedman, and you've got a record that will unfurrow the brow of anyone who thinks Metallica sold out with Load. Granted, there's not much innovation on Cryptic Writings, but in an age of self-centered angst and watered down Nirvana riffs, Megadeth's unapologetic metal fury is as refreshing as a dip in the pool on a hot summer day. --Jon Wiederhorn
Japanese edition of their 1997 album with 'One Thing' added as a bonus track 'One Thing'. 13 tracks total, also featuring the single 'Trust'. An EMI release.
Contains Bonus Track 'One Thing' Exclusive to Japanese Pressing.