Editing Cryptic Writings (section)

== Background and recording ==
In 1992, Megadeth released ''[[Countdown to Extinction]]'', which contained songs with compact, accessible structures that resulted in strong sales and significant radio airplay. 1994's ''[[Youthanasia]]'' and 1997's ''Cryptic Writings'' followed a similar route, with the latter spawning four top 20 hits.<ref name="Billboard 1">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQ0EAAAAMBAJ&q=megadeth+cryptic+writings&pg=PA84|access-date=August 7, 2013|last=Michael Moses|first=Dan Kaye|title=What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=H-12|date=June 5, 1999|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917214438/https://books.google.com/books?id=tQ0EAAAAMBAJ&q=megadeth+cryptic+writings&pg=PA84|url-status=live}}</ref> Frontman [[Dave Mustaine]], speaking about the band's commercial breakthrough, said: "I think a lot of our success now has to do with the fact that we're willing to study the marketplace and educate ourselves. Most musicians don't get the opportunity to go into the market with educated strategy. Fortunately, for us, our management educated us on how to study what's current without losing our integrity and to keep on edge while staying at the forefront of what's important right now."<ref name="Billboard 2">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5AkEAAAAMBAJ&q=megadeth+cryptic+writings&pg=PA74|access-date=August 7, 2013|last=Taylor|first=Chuck|title=Metal Mainstay Megadeth Alters Its Lyrics But Not Its Music For The '90s|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=H-74|date=November 29, 1997|archive-date=September 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917214436/https://books.google.com/books?id=5AkEAAAAMBAJ&q=megadeth+cryptic+writings&pg=PA74|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to guitarist [[Marty Friedman]], it took the band a year to prepare the record "from note one to [[audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]". A lot of the material was written during the tour and some of it afterwards. As Friedman said, the songs came together naturally because the band wasn't rushed to get a record out.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marty Friedman interview|url=http://rocknoteswebzine.com/interviews/marty-friedman-interview/|work=Rocknotes Webzine|date=January 10, 1998|access-date=August 7, 2013|archive-date=September 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922084110/http://rocknoteswebzine.com/interviews/marty-friedman-interview/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album was produced by [[Dann Huff]], who had his producing debut with Megadeth. The band chose to work with Huff because they were not satisfied with [[Max Norman]], the producer of their previous record. Mustaine explained why he decided to quit the collaboration with Norman: "Max came up with this bullshit formula that every song had to be 120 [[tempo|beats per minute]] to get on the radio. When people make drastic decisions to do things like that and it backfires, it usually ends up, in one way or another, costing them their jobs."<ref>{{cite web|first=Jeff|last=Kitts|title=Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman return to worship at metal's altar with Cryptic Writings|url=http://www.martyfriedman.com/info_archive_detail.php?id=11&det=56|work=[[Guitar World]]|publisher=[[Marty Friedman]]|date=January 1, 1997|access-date=August 27, 2013|archive-date=January 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109153640/http://www.martyfriedman.com/info_archive_detail.php?id=11&det=56|url-status=live}}</ref>

Before the start of the recording sessions, bassist [[David Ellefson]] stated that the band doesn't want their seventh studio album to sound like anything they have already recorded.<ref name="Ellefson">{{cite web|title=Interview with David Ellefson|url=http://chainz.8m.com/inter3.html|work=8m.com|access-date=August 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109155928/http://chainz.8m.com/inter3.html|archive-date=January 9, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Instrumentally, the band introduced a more melodic mix than the previous albums, filled with crunchy [[ostinato#Riff|riffs]] and speedy [[guitar solo]]s.<ref name="band" /> In addition, Mustaine re-evaluated the band's songwriting techniques, recasting some lyrics to better reflect the sales and radio airplay environment of then's rock arena. According to him, many of the song's lyrics were altered in order to make the music "a little more inclusive of people who aren't into dying and evil".<ref name="Billboard 2" /> Ellefson commented that this album was a natural progression in Megadeth's sound. He further stated that they were not trying to leave behind their thrash metal and heavy metal roots, but to broaden their musical horizons.<ref name="Ellefson" />