Review Summary: It’s better to burn out than fade away…
Of all the old guard bands in the progress of winding things down, Megadeth’s legacy just might be the most complicated. What could be considered metal’s ultimate underdog story is more often than not seen as a cautionary tale of how a contrarian mindset combined with dramatic lineup turnovers and never getting over your ex can overshadow some of the genre’s most legendary achievements. Dave Mustaine deserves the accolades he’s received over the years and no doubt has incredible efforts to his name, if he would just let himself have them…
That duality is best exemplified by the ‘cover’ of “Ride The Lightning,” which may technically be a bonus track but will inevitably be what draws more attention to this album than anything else. It’s not necessarily a bad rendition, rousing enough to start but losing momentum by the end due to the faltering vocals and lacking energy. I suppose it’s the principle; it would’ve been tasteful as a live encore or standalone single, but having it be the last song on what may be the band’s best album just undercuts their legacy. Megadeth covering “Mechanix” was Dave’s way of reclaiming his music and showing them how it was supposed to be, “Ride The Lightning” is just… Megadeth covering a Metallica song?
It’s unfortunate because once you settle down and judge Megadeth’s self-titled album on its own merits, the music is honestly more focused than I expected. In a way similar to Thirteen, the style encapsulates the melodic rock of their nineties albums with a classic metal coat of paint and very occasional light thrash surges. It makes for more coherent listening than blunders like Super Collider or The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead!, especially considering the merciful forty-seven minute runtime.
However, the execution ends up rather middle of the road with the musicians seemingly trying to make the most of what they’ve given. There’s nothing too complex at play and we’re worlds away from the band’s feral roots, but guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari gets some crackling leads while the rhythm section of drummer Dirk Verbeuren and prodigal bassist James LoMenzo sounds beefy as hell. Alas, Mustaine’s declining vocals remain a factor and provide a fatigued overcast. Megadeth’s numerous talented players over the years were always the secret sauce behind his vision but now it feels like the hired guns are just doing their best to carry him over the finish line.
And despite the songwriting being fairly competent, the songs themselves come off as either unfinished or like they’d sound better in different hands. The opening “Tipping Point” and “Let There Be Shred” are the sort of upbeat anthems that Kreator has excelled in and I find myself wondering how “Made To Kill” or “Obey The Call” could’ve been spruced up by a younger NWOTHM band with a more involved vocalist. “Another Bad Day” would be a pretty fun redo of “A Secret Place” if they’d done anything at all for the atmosphere and the juvenile lyrics on “I Don’t Care” might’ve been easier to overlook if there’d been a proper chorus. Fortunately, “The Last Note” is a genuinely good song that signals the emotional curtain call in thematically appropriate half-ballad/anthem fashion.
Most of the issues surrounding Megadeth’s self-titled farewell can be tied to the notions of legacy weighing down on them, but this would still be a fairly milquetoast listen otherwise. They’ve made worse albums but there are merely faint traces of the prowess that made them such a great group in the first place. It’s easy to imagine how these songs would’ve sounded if they had been recorded earlier in their career or even just had the conviction of something like Endgame or Dystopia’s best material behind it. Perhaps leaning on this being their last bow would’ve been more effective but this ‘business as usual’ execution just is more ennui than encapsulation.
I wish Dave the best when it gets to that retirement time but this is the sort of fading away that Neil Young once sang about…
