Question: How many records has the performer of Cryptic Writings sold worldwide?

full_context: Document 1: Metallica (album): Metallica (commonly known as The Black Album) is the self - titled fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on August 12, 1991 by Elektra Records, it received widespread critical acclaim and became the band's best - selling album. Metallica produced five singles that are considered to be among the band's best - known songs, which include ``Enter Sandman '',`` The Unforgiven'', ``Nothing Else Matters '',`` Wherever I May Roam'', and ``Sad but True ''. A sixth song,`` Do n't Tread on Me'', was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release, but the song did not receive a commercial single release. The album marked a change in the band's sound from the thrash metal style of the previous four albums to a slower and heavier one rooted in heavy metal. Metallica promoted the album with a series of tours. In 2003, the album was ranked number 252 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time.
Document 2: Peace Sells: "Peace Sells" is a song by the American thrash metal band Megadeth from the 1986 album "Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?", written by Dave Mustaine. It has since been a constant at Megadeth concerts. According to Dave Ellefson, it became quickly apparent when playing the song live prior to recording the album that "Peace Sells" would be a hit. In 2006, VH1 ranked "Peace Sells" at number 11 on their list of the "40 Greatest Metal Songs" of all time. The song is also known for the distinctive bass intro played by Ellefson.
Document 3: Avenged Sevenfold: Before the release of their debut album, the band recorded two demos in 1999 and 2000. In mid-2001, it was reported that Meacham had attempted suicide by drinking excessive amounts of cough syrup. The attempt affected the band's Take Action Tour. During his hospitalization he remained in poor condition and was replaced by Dameon Ash. In an interview, lead singer M. Shadows said of Meacham that ``he perma - fried his brain and was in a mental institution for a long time, and when you have someone in your band who does that, it ruins everything that's going on all around you, and it makes you want to do something to prevent it from happening to other people. ''Avenged Sevenfold's debut album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was recorded when the band members were in their late teens and still in high school. It was originally released on their first label, Good Life Recordings in 2001. When lead guitarist Synyster Gates joined the band after the album was released, the introductory track`` To End the Rapture'' was re-recorded featuring a full band element. The album was subsequently re-released on Hopeless Records in 2002. The band started to receive recognition, performing with bands such as Mushroomhead and Shadows Fall and playing on the Take Action Tour.
Document 4: Head Crusher: "Head Crusher" was the first single from American heavy metal band Megadeth's twelfth studio album, titled "Endgame", which was released on September 15, 2009. The single was released on July 7, 2009. According to "Roadrunner Records" official website, a download of "Head Crusher" was available for 24 hours on July 7 (the availability of download ended the morning of July 8). The track was previously available for listening by calling Dave Mustaine's number, through the TheLiveLine.com, a service he launched that enables musicians to connect to their audience over the phone. The song was played live for the first time at the "Canadian Carnage Tour" on June 24, 2009. On December 3, 2009, it was announced on the official Megadeth homepage that "Head Crusher" had been nominated for "Best Metal Performance" for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, the band's first nomination in 13 years, since "Trust".
Document 5: Rap God: The song entered the Guinness World Records as the hit single which contains the most words (which includes 1,560 words),, which it still holds, but it was then overtaken as song with the most words by MC Harry Shotta's song ``Animal ''(which includes 1771 words, but was not a hit single) in the 2017 edition of Guinness. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance, but lost to Kendrick Lamar's`` i''.
Document 6: United Abominations: United Abominations is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. Released on May 15, 2007, "United Abominations" is the first Megadeth release distributed through Roadrunner Records and, with the exception of the band's frontman Dave Mustaine, was recorded with an all-new line-up. While touring to promote the album, guitarist Glen Drover left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Chris Broderick, leaving this as the only Megadeth studio album to which he contributed.
Document 7: Megadeth: In mid-2005, Mustaine organized an annual thrash metal festival tour, Gigantour. Megadeth headlined the inaugural tour with acts such as Dream Theater, Nevermore, Anthrax, and Fear Factory. Performances at the Montreal and Vancouver shows were filmed and recorded for a live DVD-and-CD set released in the second quarter of 2006. On October 9, following the successes of The System Has Failed and the Blackmail the Universe world tour, Mustaine announced to a sold-out crowd at the Pepsi Music Rock Festival in Argentina that Megadeth would continue to record and tour. The concert, held at Obras Sanitarias stadium in Buenos Aires in front of 25,000 fans, was filmed and released on DVD as That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires in 2007.In February 2006, bassist James MacDonough left the band over "personal differences". He was replaced by James LoMenzo, who had worked with David Lee Roth, White Lion, and Black Label Society. The new Megadeth lineup made its live debut headlining the Dubai Desert Rock Festival in the United Arab Emirates with Testament. In March, Capitol released a two-disc DVD, Arsenal of Megadeth, which included archive footage, interviews, live shows, and many of the band's music videos. Due to licensing issues, soundtrack and non-Capitol videos were not included. The second Gigantour began during the third quarter of 2006; Megadeth again headlined, this time with Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy and Overkill. The 2006 tour included three dates in Australia, supported by Soulfly, Arch Enemy, and Caliban.
Document 8: Ride the Lightning: Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel "The Stand". Although rooted in the thrash metal genre, the album showcased the band's musical growth and lyrical sophistication. This was partly because bassist Cliff Burton introduced the basics of music theory to the rest of the band and had more input in the songwriting. Instead of relying heavily on fast tempos as on its debut "Kill 'Em All", Metallica broadened its approach by employing acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and more complex harmonies. The overall recording costs were paid by Metallica's European label Music for Nations because Megaforce was unable to cover it. It was the last album to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the first to feature contributions from his replacement, Kirk Hammett.
Document 9: Crush 'Em: "Crush 'Em" is a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth and the lead single from their eighth studio album, "Risk". It first appeared on the soundtrack to "" in July 1999 and debuted as the third most added track on alternative rock stations on July 5. Intended as a hockey anthem, "Crush 'Em" has become associated with sporting events and was heavily promoted by World Championship Wrestling. The 2004 remastered edition of "Risk" includes the bonus track "Crush 'Em" (Jock Mix).
Document 10: Hard rock: In the new commercial climate glam metal bands like Europe, Ratt, White Lion and Cinderella broke up, Whitesnake went on hiatus in 1991, and while many of these bands would re-unite again in the late 1990s or early 2000s, they never reached the commercial success they saw in the 1980s or early 1990s. Other bands such as Mötley Crüe and Poison saw personnel changes which impacted those bands' commercial viability during the decade. In 1995 Van Halen released Balance, a multi-platinum seller that would be the band's last with Sammy Hagar on vocals. In 1996 David Lee Roth returned briefly and his replacement, former Extreme singer Gary Cherone, was fired soon after the release of the commercially unsuccessful 1998 album Van Halen III and Van Halen would not tour or record again until 2004. Guns N' Roses' original lineup was whittled away throughout the decade. Drummer Steven Adler was fired in 1990, guitarist Izzy Stradlin left in late 1991 after recording Use Your Illusion I and II with the band. Tensions between the other band members and lead singer Axl Rose continued after the release of the 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident? Guitarist Slash left in 1996, followed by bassist Duff McKagan in 1997. Axl Rose, the only original member, worked with a constantly changing lineup in recording an album that would take over fifteen years to complete.
Document 11: Rust in Peace: Rust in Peace is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 24, 1990 by Capitol Records. Following the departure of band members Jeff Young and Chuck Behler in 1989, "Rust in Peace" was the first album to feature guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza. "Rust in Peace" received universal acclaim from fans and critics, and was responsible for bringing Megadeth to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. It has been cited as one of the best thrash metal records of all time by publications such as "Decibel" and "Kerrang!", and listed as one of the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards. At the 1991 Foundations Forum, it won a Concrete Foundations Award for Top Radio Album and the singleHangar 18 won Top Radio Cut.
Document 12: Cryptic Writings: Cryptic Writings is the seventh studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. Released on June 17, 1997 through Capitol Records, it was the band's last studio album to feature drummer Nick Menza. His departure would mark the end of the band's longest lasting lineup to date, having recorded four studio albums. Megadeth decided to produce the record with Dann Huff in Nashville, Tennessee, because they were not satisfied with their previous producer Max Norman. The album features 12 tracks with accessible song structures, specifically aimed for radio airplay. The lyrics were also altered, in order to make the music more inclusive for wider audience. These changes were met with mixed opinions from music critics, who noted the band moving away from their thrash metal roots.
Document 13: The World Needs a Hero: The World Needs a Hero is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released in May 2001 by Sanctuary Records. After the critical and commercial failure of the previous album "Risk" (1999), "The World Needs a Hero" represented a change back to a heavier musical direction. Subsequently, the album charted at number 16 on the "Billboard" 200 upon release.
Document 14: List of awards and nominations received by Iron Maiden: In 1994, one of their singles, "Fear of the Dark", received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. Seven years later, the band were nominated again in that category, with the song "The Wicker Man". In 2011, Iron Maiden won the award with "El Dorado". In 2002, they won the Ivor Novello Award for international achievement. Iron Maiden received a nomination from the "Kerrang!" Awards in the "Best Live Act" category in 2003, and were inducted into the "Kerrang!" Hall of Fame two years later. At the 2006 Metal Storm Awards, "A Matter of Life and Death" was named the best heavy metal album of the year. Iron Maiden have also received nine awards from fourteen nominations at the "Metal Hammer" Golden Gods Awards. Their mascot Eddie, who has previously been used by US critics to argue that Iron Maiden are Satanists, received a Golden Gods nomination in 2006, losing to singer Cristina Scabbia; but was awarded in 2008. Later in 2008, Iron Maiden were nominated in the Best Live Return category at the Vodafone Live Music Awards, to which the band disagreed with their nomination and asked to be withdrawn, stating that they were "not quite sure where we are returning from." They were replaced by the band James. The band were named "Best British Live Act" at the 2009 BRIT Awards, winning via a public poll. They were not able to attend the ceremony, ironically due to touring duties, instead delivering an acceptance message by video link-up. Their film "" won, in the category "24 Beats Per Second", at the SXSW film Festival, held in Austin, Texas, in March 2009. Overall, Iron Maiden have received twenty-nine awards from thirty-nine nominations.
Document 15: Megadeth: Megadeth has sold over 38 million records worldwide, earned platinum certification in the United States for five of its fifteen studio albums, and received twelve Grammy nominations. Megadeth won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song "Dystopia" in the Best Metal Performance category. The band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead, regularly appears on album artwork and live shows. The group has drawn controversy for its music and lyrics, including album bans and canceled concerts; MTV refused to play two of the band's music videos that the network considered to condone suicide.
ground_truth: 38 million
sub_queries: Cryptic Writings >> performer Answer: Megadeth
how many records has Megadeth sold worldwide? Answer: 38 million