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Note : I write freelance reviews for the Rock Street Journal, India's premier rock n roll magazine. I was the sub-editor of that mag before I moved to Singapore. I still contribute with my reviews now and then. Please do give me feedback on these reviews and do ask me if you wish me to review any particular album. Cheers 
Megadeth
United Abominations
Roadrunner Records
Longevity, in any walk of life, sways pendulously between timeless, eternal magnificence and bloated, irrelevant existence. In the world of music, this holds just as true. Whilst the latter has many claimants under its wing, notably bands like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, who seemed to have succumbed to the “Rock Dinosaur” syndrome, straining only enough to put together a few compilations, the odd VH1 documentary and the ubiquitous world tour to pay for their respective frontmen’s innumerable illegitimate seeds scattered across the globe, there are a clutch of bands and musicians, despite their decades of music behind them, who refuse to lay down their arms and continue to make relevant, honest and exciting music to this day. Dave Mustaine is one such person.
MegaDave returneth with a spanking new album, a clever characteristic Mustaine-sque jab at the United Nations and the sorry state of affairs that America finds itself entangled in today. Months before its scheduled release, the air was rife with speculation. A new line-up, the usual rumours of a “return to the roots” or “Rust in Peace Part II” doing the rounds, Dave’s new found religious beliefs, and bookings on several high profile festivals only heightened the anticipation.
With a wide grin plastered across my face, I can safely say it was worth the wait. Barring the aberration that is the revamped “A tout le Monde” with Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) on guest vocals, the album veritably BURNS from start to finish! “Sleepwalker”, the album opener and the first song put up for preview on the band’s site, borrows a riff here from “Set the world on fire” (So Far, So Good…So What?) and a riff there from “Take no prisoners” (Rust in Peace), Mustaine’s characteristic bite - “Then dump you garroted, lying naked in a ditch”, backing vocal harmonies, hitherto unheard off on a ‘deth record, make for compelling listening, and a barnstorming album opener.
“Washington is next” is..err..next and this is where Glen Drover’s (ex-King Diamond) inclusion in the ranks shines through in his melodic guitar interplay with Mustaine on the intro, and lines like “How can there be any logic in biological war?” bring back memories of “Military Intelligence, two words combined that make no sense.” The high point of this song is an blistering lead break, where Dave and Glen exchange solos, backed my a thunderous volley of double bass kicks from Glen’s younger sibling, Shawn. James Lomenzo (ex-Black Label Society, White Lion) does a sterling job of handling low-end duties on the entire album, incorporating some excellent melodic basslines and not just blindly following the rhythm guitar.
The title track has an infectiously catchy chorus, that causes the song to grow on you with repeated listens and “Gears of War”, used as the soundtrack for a new video game of the same name, pretty much follows the mid-tempo Cryptic Writings/Youthanasia template. The melodic overtones are hard to miss, and you wonder if Dave spent a large part of Gigantour listening to Nevermore, also on the bill. In any case, it’s a good resolve, and with uberproducer Andy Sneap, who also handles production for Nevermore, twiddling the knobs behind the mix as an added bonus, the production shines through wonderfully. The guitars chug along with a lot of intensity, while the drum and bass tones mesh seamlessly. Songs like “Pray for blood”, “A Call to arms (Never walk alone)” and “Blessed are the dead” are chock-full of memorable riffs, solos and hooks and the madness towards the end of “Burnt Ice” alone is enough to certify this album a bonafide classic. Not to say there isn’t the odd turkey. “Amerikhastan” and the reprise of “A tout le monde” can best be categorized as filler material, the latter being totally pointless as Ms.Scabbia’s vocals hardly leave any sort of impression on the original track.
All said, and done, though I wouldn’t proclaim “Megadeth are back to their best” or “This is RIP’s true successor!”, Megadeth have put out a solid metal album, one that infinitely scores over the half baked efforts of The World needs a Hero and The System has failed. This is not a return to their roots, nor is it a nod to the old school, merely a manifestation of where Dave Mustaine is at the present moment. It’s not as angry, it’s not as thrashy, it’s not 1986 all over again. It is, however, a classic chunk of melodic metal and it’s good to see Dave doing what he does best, once again.
Rating: 4.5/5
Megadeth
United Abominations
Roadrunner Records
Longevity, in any walk of life, sways pendulously between timeless, eternal magnificence and bloated, irrelevant existence. In the world of music, this holds just as true. Whilst the latter has many claimants under its wing, notably bands like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, who seemed to have succumbed to the “Rock Dinosaur” syndrome, straining only enough to put together a few compilations, the odd VH1 documentary and the ubiquitous world tour to pay for their respective frontmen’s innumerable illegitimate seeds scattered across the globe, there are a clutch of bands and musicians, despite their decades of music behind them, who refuse to lay down their arms and continue to make relevant, honest and exciting music to this day. Dave Mustaine is one such person.
MegaDave returneth with a spanking new album, a clever characteristic Mustaine-sque jab at the United Nations and the sorry state of affairs that America finds itself entangled in today. Months before its scheduled release, the air was rife with speculation. A new line-up, the usual rumours of a “return to the roots” or “Rust in Peace Part II” doing the rounds, Dave’s new found religious beliefs, and bookings on several high profile festivals only heightened the anticipation.
With a wide grin plastered across my face, I can safely say it was worth the wait. Barring the aberration that is the revamped “A tout le Monde” with Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) on guest vocals, the album veritably BURNS from start to finish! “Sleepwalker”, the album opener and the first song put up for preview on the band’s site, borrows a riff here from “Set the world on fire” (So Far, So Good…So What?) and a riff there from “Take no prisoners” (Rust in Peace), Mustaine’s characteristic bite - “Then dump you garroted, lying naked in a ditch”, backing vocal harmonies, hitherto unheard off on a ‘deth record, make for compelling listening, and a barnstorming album opener.
“Washington is next” is..err..next and this is where Glen Drover’s (ex-King Diamond) inclusion in the ranks shines through in his melodic guitar interplay with Mustaine on the intro, and lines like “How can there be any logic in biological war?” bring back memories of “Military Intelligence, two words combined that make no sense.” The high point of this song is an blistering lead break, where Dave and Glen exchange solos, backed my a thunderous volley of double bass kicks from Glen’s younger sibling, Shawn. James Lomenzo (ex-Black Label Society, White Lion) does a sterling job of handling low-end duties on the entire album, incorporating some excellent melodic basslines and not just blindly following the rhythm guitar.
The title track has an infectiously catchy chorus, that causes the song to grow on you with repeated listens and “Gears of War”, used as the soundtrack for a new video game of the same name, pretty much follows the mid-tempo Cryptic Writings/Youthanasia template. The melodic overtones are hard to miss, and you wonder if Dave spent a large part of Gigantour listening to Nevermore, also on the bill. In any case, it’s a good resolve, and with uberproducer Andy Sneap, who also handles production for Nevermore, twiddling the knobs behind the mix as an added bonus, the production shines through wonderfully. The guitars chug along with a lot of intensity, while the drum and bass tones mesh seamlessly. Songs like “Pray for blood”, “A Call to arms (Never walk alone)” and “Blessed are the dead” are chock-full of memorable riffs, solos and hooks and the madness towards the end of “Burnt Ice” alone is enough to certify this album a bonafide classic. Not to say there isn’t the odd turkey. “Amerikhastan” and the reprise of “A tout le monde” can best be categorized as filler material, the latter being totally pointless as Ms.Scabbia’s vocals hardly leave any sort of impression on the original track.
All said, and done, though I wouldn’t proclaim “Megadeth are back to their best” or “This is RIP’s true successor!”, Megadeth have put out a solid metal album, one that infinitely scores over the half baked efforts of The World needs a Hero and The System has failed. This is not a return to their roots, nor is it a nod to the old school, merely a manifestation of where Dave Mustaine is at the present moment. It’s not as angry, it’s not as thrashy, it’s not 1986 all over again. It is, however, a classic chunk of melodic metal and it’s good to see Dave doing what he does best, once again.
Rating: 4.5/5
