After 43 years in the business, Californian heavy metal band Megadeth released their eponymous and final album last Friday, Jan. 23. It’s a 47-minute ride through what made Megadeth one of the best metal bands in the 1980s and their final message to fans around the world by frontman Dave Mustaine and his merry men.
The album opens with its first single “Tipping Point,” a thrash-metal romp that overstays its welcome. It includes all the hallmarks of the thrash metal Megadeth is known for, with distorted guitars wailing out solo after solo — few of many solos throughout this album — and blast beat drums that pummel the mix. I’d argue the final line on the bridge, where Mustaine sings “you will beg for silence/you will pray for peace, woah,” is a good way to end the song, but the final outro was unnecessary.
The second song and single is the punk-inspired “I Don’t Care,” whose music video presumably calls back to Mustaine’s past growing up in Los Angeles. It also becomes obvious while listening to this song that Mustaine’s singing degrades the album experience.
Mustaine can’t deliver the aggressiveness needed for a punk song, and his choice to sing in what I’ve heard fans call his “silly voice” leads to a large dissonance between the music and the singing. He also can’t hide the fact that he’s 64 years-old now and had amassed years of wear and tear on his voice, which includes a bout with throat cancer back in 2020.
Speaking of growing old, “Hey God?!” is Mustaine’s call to God, asking for forgiveness for his past actions. He asks God for a little more time and for God to hear him out, and apologizes for his actions as a youth, when he was into witchcraft and black magic. Mustaine caps off each verse with a gut-wrenching chorus, singing “Sometimes, I feel so insecure, as I walk these streets alone.”
Changing the mood, “Let There Be Shred” arguably has Mustaine take the position of God — the god of metal, that is. This song is another thrash metal masterpiece, with fast, intricate guitar playing complements a Mortal Kombat inspired music video and Mustaine delivers a prayer: “On the day I was born, guitar in my hands / The earth started rumbling a thunderous command / To band and to thrash, to bang my head / To smash my guitar and let there be shred.”
Now for a change in tempo, “Puppet Parade,” brings some of the heavy metal Megadeth is known for. With sludgy chords, commanding drum lines and the ever-present screeching guitar solo. Unfortunately, this song provided Mustaine a moment to shine with his voice, but he couldn’t really deliver.
Just when you think they’ve finished playing their greatest hits, Megadeth turns the heat up with “Made to Kill.” Contrary to the song title, this serves as a critique to war, and those who cause it for selfish reasons. In accordance with this anti-war message, the intro gives a chance for drummer Dirk Verbeuren to shine, as he crashes the drums for an amazing solo performance.
“Obey The Call” is another anti-war track, with lyrics alluding to the “war machine” and “false crusaders dressed in red.” The highlight of this song is guitarists Mustaine and Teemu Mäntysaari flying up and down the guitar, playing lightning-fast scales and heavy riffs, capped off by Mustaine’s triumphant “Obey the Call!”
The last song in this war-focused trilogy is “I Am War,” and it’s arguably the most forgettable one, even a cowbell couldn’t save the middling tempo and Mustaine’s vocal performance. It brings out the worst parts of this album into the spotlight.
Thankfully, the album hit a buzzer-beater with its (technically) final track “The Last Note,” the best track on “Megadeth.” It’s a triumphant farewell and a final hurrah for the band, as they bid each other goodbye.
The emotions are strong in this song; you have the band playing for their lives, making each note count. Meanwhile, Mustaine reminisces on 40 years as a musician and makes peace with Megadeth’s legacy.
While “The Last Note,” would have been the perfect song to end on, the album ends with a cover of “Ride the Lightning,” from Metallica’s 1984 album of the same name. “Ride the Lightning,” was one of Mustaine’s last songwriting credits with Metallica, so it’s nice to see him have a full-circle moment as he ends his final album with a song he helped write back in the 1980s.
Megadeth’s self-titled effort certainly has its moments, but the album feels like a rehash of Megadeth’s greatest hits and doesn’t really stand on its own. It more so serves as a reminder to fans of Megadeth’s legacy, gives Mustaine and company a reason to tour and allows Mustaine himself to say goodbye to something that was so important in his life.
Rating: 3/5