The other day, I walked into a music store and started looking through the section labled "Metal." Within it were all the usual bands and usual albums. Slowly, I made my way to the Megadeth sub-section and started thumbing trhough. In there was an album that caught my eye- The System Has Failed. My first though was "Oh, here's a recent album by a band that had its hayday in the early 90s." But, seeing as it was only $12, I thought I would buy it. At first, I was a bit scepticle about how good it would be, and wasn't expecting much. Man, was I wrong.
Megadeth's current incarnation is:
Dave Mustaine: vocals, guitars
Chris Poland: lead guitars
Jamie Lee Sloas: bass
Vinnie Colaiuta: drums
Track-by-Track Review
1.
Blackmail The Universe
Wow. What an amazing song. It starts out with the sound of a missle being launched and its impact. Then, just like a bat out of Hell, the song begins. Lyrically, it starts with a CNN-like news report about Air Force One being shot down over the Middle East. Musically, this is by far one of the thrasiest modern songs I've heard in a while. The song never seems to slow down too much. The pace only slows down a bit (strong emphasis on "a bit") at about the 1:30 mark, but not to worry- it speeds right back up. After a couple of stanzas, Mustaine and Poland exchange guitar solos that just make you want to destroy something. After about 4:30, the song trails off. All round amazing. (5/5)
2.
Die Dead Enough
This too is an amazing song. It begins with Chris Poland playing some sort of balady-type guitar riff, but very quickly, thundering drums and the vocals enter as the guitar riff switches to being heavy. The tempo too speeds up, being almost similar to the tempo in Metallica's Escape. Right before Mustaine and Poland's solos, the song becomes darker and a little more sinister sounding. After the solos, the song continuse through the bridge and ends with Mustaine singing the chorus with "Die Dead Enough" sung darkly in the background. (5/5)
3.
Kick The Chair
Again, a thrid amazing song. In my opinion, this is the thrashiest song on the entire album. It begins with a very heavy guitar and double-bass intro, which basically continues throughout the whole song. This is not a bad thing though. It fits the lyrics, which are about the justice system being biased, very well.At about the 2:21 mark, Mustaine atampts to make your ears bleed with a piercing guitar solo. The song itself ends with Poland playing his own minute long solo. (5/5)
4.
The Scorpion
This song starts with the clamoring of children followed by a guitar and keyboard riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name." The song picks up a bit, begininig to sound something like Rob Zombie. It picks up again durring the chorus, but soon it returns to the HBTN-like riff, and repeats. All in all, this song isn't anything real special. In fact, it becomes repetitive. (3/5)
5.
Tears In A Vial
Now this is an interesting song. It covers a topic that many thrash/metal bands don't touch- love. Yes, this is a love song, but not your traditional one. It is actually about love gone wrong. Generally, it's a great song, but at the same time, it's nothing too special. The high points in the song are the 2 great solos by Mustaine and Poland. (4/5)
6.
I Know Jack
All this song is is a filler. It starts and ends with Mustaine playing a solo over distorted lyrics about Jack Kennedy. The only real reason to listen to this, is that it serves as somewhat of an intro to the next song. (2/5)
7.
Back In The Day
This song starts with a pretty decent guitar riff, followed by the drums and vocals. Lyrically, the song is pretty decent, too. It is about the rise of heavy metal. The first part of the song is an all round good thrash song. However, it changes pace around 2:00. It's a hard change to describe. The best way is to say it sounds kind of like a call-to-arms/march beat. (3.8/5)
8.
Something That I'm Not
How long has it been since Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica? 23 some years maybe? Well, I guess grudges never die, as proved by this song. Im' not quite sure, but it's obviously a musical attack aginst either James Hetfield or Lars Ulrich. Mustaine goes on saying how pissed off he is that they expeled him from Metallica until the guitar solos, which aren't bad by any standard. Another solo follows the final verse and Mustaine repeats "Something that you are, something I'm not" until the end of the song. (4/5)
9.
Truth Be Told
Starts very heavy. Makes you think it's going to be another thrash song. However, it quickly slows down durring the verses. Mustaine's vocals are very scratchy sounding. The song picks up momentum just before the chorus, which is actually pretty cool. The same 'slow verse, heavy chorus' thing continues until the guitar solo. After this, the song picks up and retains its momentum, sounding extremley thrashy until the end. (3.5/5)
10.
Of Mice And Men
For those who don't know, "Of Mice And Men" is a book by Steinbeck, which I recommend everybody read. The Megadeth song is different. The vocals are very scratchy at first and almost makes you want to skip it. But, the drums, guitars, and bass enter and get the song rolling. In it, Mustaine blames himself for his own stupidity as a young man (heavy drinking, getting himself thrown out of Metallica). Mustaine retaines his composer though by saying he "just got back up each time he fell." The song ends with the chorus being repeated between solos by Poland and Mustaine. (4/5)
11.
Shadow of Deth
This song is a bit of a dissapointment. You hear the title and you think "This is an awesome sounding title. The song must be awesome too." Wrong. It's another filler song. The only lyrics are some sort of poem begining in Latin, but changing to English. It ends with a Mustaine solo that intros the next song. (2/5)
12.
My Kingdom
The guitar riff that "Shadow of Deth" started is continued here. There are 2 verses here followed by a somewhat good guitar solo. However, this is really all there is to this song, as it abruptly ends at 3:00. (3/5)
All in all, this is a damn good album. I believe there is something here that every metalhead will enjoy. To compare it to another album, I'd say its similar to Metallica's ...And Justice For All, dare I say even a bit better (and this is comming from a die-hard Metallica fan). My only problem with it, is the lack of bass throughout the whole album and the fact that it's somewhat short. In the end, I give it a (4/5).
