Ok, there was a fair bit on anticipation for this one as the publicity for this had built up online for a fair while. This is MEGADETH’s swansong album. I absolutely loved Megadeth as a young thrasher albums like “So Far … So Good … So What?” and “Rust in Peace” were at the pinnacle of thrash metal for me. It was with bated breath I put this release on … Let’s see how this one goes.
The album opens up with The furious “Tipping Point” a blistering display of speed from one the most celebrated Heavy Metal guitar players ever, Dave Mustaine. What a way to start an album, blindingly fast lead breaks and razor sharp riffage. The goals keep getting kicked with “I don’t care” featuring more blindingly brilliant guitar work and Dave Mustaine’s trademarked Snarled vocals. It’s a bit of a departure but hey, I’m diggin. “Hey God” a mid paced cruncher that has some very classy riffs in it. It’s a pretty decent song but lacks the immediate oomph that the previous two tracks before it, but no worries as the first two tracks were killer and this is still a cool track. “Let there be Shred” is up next and this is more like it. Much faster riffing and possibly faster than anything I’ve heard them do before with some very complex timing in the opening riff, and that familiar Dave Mustaine snarl is back! Yeah baby this is more like it. “Puppet Parade” up next kinda has that feel of something released off the Countdown to Extinction album. Not bad at all and a classy song too. So far except for a bit of a false start this album is feeling pretty decent. “Another bad Day” follows in the same suit as but with a great main riff. This is more what I’d call mid pace Megadeth, but I’m surprised how much I’m liking it, for someone that doesn’t listen to a lot of Megadeth past the first 5 albums.
Things pick up with “Made to Kill” which has some riffs that could have been on “So Far … So Good … So What?” I like this a lot as that is the album I got into Megadeth on and still hold in the highest esteem. Then we fast forward to another era of the band’s career, where if we’re being honest I lost interest in then. “Obey the Call” has a bit “Youthanasia” feel at the start to something later in their career. It’s becoming clear that this album is a tie up of various parts of Megadeth’s long career, from blistering thrash to classic Heavy Metal, the way they’ve tied it all together kinda makes me feel this is actually their last album.
All in all this is a really cool album the production is great and clear and there’s enough thrasher’s on this this to keep the fans of older and newer fans happy. The riffage is great the whole way through this album, There’s some good variation on this with enough thrashers to keep the old fans happy. The last couple of songs feel like a good bye hug from the lads with “I am War” and “the Last note” basically serving as an epitaph for the band. Great stuff and I’m glad if the band have to go out, they went out with this. This is one album I’ll be listening to again and again.
Now the curious part, Megadeth covering a Metallica song. We all know Dave was a member of Metallica early in the piece, but got the boot just before the recording of their first album. Dave presented his version of “The Four Horsemen” on his debut album and it blew Metallica out of the water with its speed and vitriol compared to the original. This, I’m not really feeling it, its basically played the same as the Metallica version but in my opinion lacks the feel of the original. Dave’s absolutely do not fit the song either. I don’t know maybe i’ll listen to the album a few more times and grow to accept it? This version doesn’t offer anything new or necessary. Kind of a let down from possibly the greatest thrash metal guitarist ever. I don’t know what what was going through this head finishing an album (the bands last album) with this this. Later in the song the solo’s are really cool and yeah they smoke Metallica’s solo’s, but I kinda feel this might have been an attention grab. Not just an attention grab the last in a long line of attention grabs from Dave reminding us he was in Metallica.
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