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Countdown to Extinction is het vijfde studioalbum van Megadeth. Het album werd geproduceerd onder de vlag van Combat Records en kwam uit op 14 juni 1992. Countdown to Extinction schoot Megadeth naar conmercieel succes met hits zoals Symphony of Destruction en Sweating Bullets. In 1993 kreeg het album een Grammy Award. De titel voor het album is volgens Megadeth bedacht door drummer Nick Menza.

Countdown to Extinction is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on July 14, 1992, through Capitol Records. It was the group's second studio release to feature the "classic" lineup of Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, David Ellefson and Nick Menza, with all of them contributing to songwriting on the album. The album features some of the band's best known songs such as "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets", and "Skin o' My Teeth", which enjoyed significant chart success and made a great musical impact.

Countdown to Extinction received positive reviews from music critics, who noted its politically oriented lyrics and simplified sound in comparison to their previous record. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number two, the band's highest position ever. It eventually achieved double platinum status and became their most commercially successful album. The record was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards, while the album's title track won the Humane Society's Genesis Award for raising awareness for animal rights issues.

In 2012, in recognition of the album's 20th anniversary, Megadeth kicked off a 20th anniversary tour in South America, playing the album in its entirety. In addition, a 20th anniversary special edition of the album was released in November 2012, and a live album featuring a performance of the full album was released in September 2013.

Countdown to Extinction marked the first absence of Megadeth's mascot Vic Rattlehead in its album cover.