"This album has a feeling of greatness about it," Mustaine said. "That's what we were aiming for the moment we started writing thesongs. The goal this year is to make everything reach that same level whether it's the live shows, the videos or anything else we might try to do. I like to believe that with what we're doing now we've gone beyond the normal categories people place on music. I've heard critics label this album everything from 'thrash' to 'metal' to 'rock', but I don't think they really know what they're talking about -- which is certainly nothing new. It maybe be all of those things, but labels don't do those songs justice."

Despite Mustines's occasional shots at the media, rival bands, or even his record label ( who he believes have been slackers in some regards when it comes to properly promoting Youthanasia, but more about that later ), Megadeth has emerged as one of the most beloved groups of the hard rock genre. In fact, it's often been asserted that it is The Dangerous One's ofteh arrogant stance that has served as the catapult that has launched the Mega Metal Machine into the rock stratosphere. After all, whi wants a mild-mannered, overly-polite, soft-spoken frontman for the band that widely hailed as the single most lethal unit to ever hit the top of the charts? But even Mustaine wasn't prepared for some of the harsh criticism that he and his bandmates ( bassits Dave Ellefson, guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza ) received for the contravercial cover and album title that adorn their laters platinum platter. In particular, a number of pro-life factions took umbrage at the band's cover choices.

"It's hard to judge the way people will react to things," Mustaine said. "The title Youthanasia was more of a play on words than anything else. It's far from the first time we've done something like that. But you can't read anything into it. The fact that we had a cover with babies strung on a clothesline with the title Youthanasia above it caused some misguided people to assume we were making some grand political statement about abortion or something like that. It's just now so. In fact, this is the least political album we're ever donw. People can read what they want into anything we do, but unfortunately most of the time there interpretations are totally incorrect."

It's hard to say whether or not any of this contravercy has had any detrimental effect on the sales of the band's latest release. Yet it is known that some major retail outlets gave the group's label, Capitol Records, an initially hard time about stocking the supposedly contravercial disc. Mustaine admits that he finds any heat placed on Capitol rather amusing since the band is in the midst of negotiations with the label. Much like his former bandmates in Metallica -- who a few months back successfully sued their parent company, Elektra Entertainment, in their bid to renegotiate what they viewed as an antiquated contract -- Mustaine holds the strong belief that some folks in his labels upper schelon aren't dealing very fairly with Megadeth this time around. He believes their attitudes have had a detrimental effect not only on the band, bu ton the acceptance of their latest disc as well.

"It can be difficult when you're in the middle of renegotiating with the label," Mustaine said. "But, in all honesty, it shouldn't be. Capitol is giving off the impression that Megadeth isn't any more important to them now than we were when we first signed with them. That's a very strange attitude for a lable to take when you're one of the biggest rock acts that company has. Sometimes I wonder if they even know how to properly treat a rock act. They totally messed up our album cover and now I sometimes get the impression that they're trying to mess us up as well. Bit I hope they realize that any of the mind bamse they're playing won't work with us. We started out as a small band on an indie lable, and if it means having to go back to being an indie band, that doesn't scare us one bit."

Harsh wordshave never been known to intimidate Mustaine in any way, shape, or form, and the issuing of such dictums comes as naturally to him as tuning a guitar. Yet when all is said and done it seems most unlikely that either Capitol would run the risk of losing their most profitable hard rock act, or that Megadeth would want to play the dangerous game of alienating their label prior to their contract having run its course. At the present time, the Megamen owe Capitol at least one more studio release ( with the additional option for a live disc or "greatest hits" album at that label's discretion. So it seems as if new contract or not, Megadeth is tied to Capitol's purse strings, at least for the next two or three years. But, as with everything else in the entertainment world, things can change in a hurry.

"We're trying to work out a new deal," Mustaine said. "But we want to be sure that they're as supportive of us nos as they were a few years ago. It always seems like certain top-level people come aboard who just aren't as positive about you as their predecessors might have been. After all, they didn't sign you in the first lace. But if that's the way it is with us, all they've got to do is tell us -- which they're not doing. They seem to feel everything is great. Well, I guess we'll find out about that in the near future."

beadil@trend1.com jsimmons@compassnet.com