Megadeth - United Abominations

Megadeth started as the runty bastard of Metallica with petulant Dave Mustaine heading the group. They drank more, played faster, were more pissed off and wrote darker songs than Metallica. Their covers were more graphic, disregarding the need for widespread approval that Metallica yearned for. Over the years the band has changed to become their own entity. Mustaine has outdrank and outdrugged his former band, causing several disgruntled band members. Some left, some were fired but Mustaine didn't lose his vehemence.

He took time off to get his vices under control and even put the band on extended hiatus twice. Only after a failed attempt at widespread appeal via a failed album, going into rehab, becoming a reformed alcoholic and born again christian did Mustaine start to get good again.

Well, not really. His first album after his return was a disappointment. 2001's The World Needs a Hero, while far better than some of his previous efforts, were still far from the near perfection the band achieved in the late eighties, when they were at their best. This is a new band now, years later, all except Mustaine who finally got his shit together.

This is the Megadeth we'd always known was beneath all the problems. Dave takes a professional attitude towards the music but rediscovers the sound and passion that made Megadeth such a respected band way back when. It's not Rust in Peace, the release that made them one of the most respected bands in metal but it's the closest they've come in years and it's something I've been waiting for.

Danzig- The Lost Tracks of Danzig

Danzig is another story altogether. Assembled from the pieces of Sam Hain, which was assembled from the wreckage of the Misfits, they were supposed to be the metal version of both bands. With Glenn Danzig singing and a band made up of former members of Black Flag and Sam Hain a lot was expected of them and for a while they lived up to it. Like Mustaine, Danzig had trouble playing with others and went through several lineup changes throughout the band's life.
Danzig also had a great comeback album late in their career, 2006's Circle of Snakes, which no one expected. Danzig has slowed down on the touring, with age and a very public and recorded beating by a member of North Side Kings, making his scary, strongman image a little less strong and a lot less scary.
Other projects have slowed him down, including his classical Black Aria II and from this release he's basically emptying out his black closet of all the b sides, mediocre songs and other songs that didn't fit on any other release. Good, but only for Glenn Danzig enthusiasts. I had trouble listening through the whole thing.