"Rude Awakening" is a live album by American thrash metal band, Megadeth. It was released in 2002 on Sanctuary Records and produced by Dave Mustaine with Bill Kennedy & Arthur Gorson, and recorded over two nights in Arizona, 2001. The line-up was Dave Mustaine (vocals/guitar), Al Pitrelli (guitar), David Ellefson (bass) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drums).

First off, 24 Megadeth songs spread across two CDs has the makings for something special, right? Of course it does, it is one of the best thrash bands in the world, after all. Another line-up change sees Al Pitrelli replacing the iconic Marty Friedman on guitar in 2000, but left in 2002 shortly after the release of this live offering when Megadeth went into hiatus while Mustaine recovered from a serious arm injury. Also present is drummer Jimmy DeGrasso who joined the band in 1998.

What you get a sense of on this album is how 'at home' DeGrasso is on the drums. You get the feeling that he's been with the band since the beginning and is more than capable of changing it up a little; throwing in an extra drum roll here and there or changing the tempo of a song.

All the Megadeth classics are on here, "Wake Up Dead", "Peace Sells", "Holy Wars" and others, as well as a few surprise inclusions, namely "Almost Honest", "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" and "1000 Times Goodbye".

The performance is, as you'd expect, technical and tight. Mustaine wows the audience and listener with his insane ability to conjure up a solo from nowhere, Pitrelli backing him all the way with ease. Highlights of the album are the sing-along "Trust", the angry "Mechanix", which was written by Mustaine while he was in Metallica, and a lightning rendition of "Hook in Mouth".

In summary, while this isn't the best live Megadeth album (though it's not easy to state which is), it's still enjoyable to listen to. Mustaine and Ellefson are helped along for the cause by Pitrelli and DeGrasso in an enjoyable 24 songs. Buy it by all means, but for that special Megadeth sound, you'd probably want to plumb for "That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires" instead.

Disc One

1. Dread and the Fugitive Mind
2. Kill the King
3. Wake Up Dead
4. In My Darkest Hour
5. Angry Again
6. She-Wolf
7. Reckoning Day
8. Devil's Island
9. Train of Consequences
10. À Tout le Monde
11. Burning Bridges
12. Hangar 18
13. Return to Hangar
14. Hook in Mouth

Disc Two

1. Almost Honest
2. 1000 Times Goodbye
3. Mechanix
4. Tornado of Souls
5. Ashes in Your Mouth
6. Sweating Bullets
7. Trust
8. Symphony of Destruction
9. Peace Sells
10. Holy Wars

My rating: 7/10