Megadeth
Megadeth
Calling your final album Megadeth is a fairly clear way of setting expectations. Dave Mustaine and company have a lot of history behind that name, and this record makes room for several parts of it: fast thrash, slower heavy metal, sharp guitar leads and a voice that still sounds permanently annoyed.
Tipping Point is a strong opening. The guitar playing gets straight to work, the rhythm has real drive, and the song gives the album a welcome burst of aggression. It makes a convincing case for one more record before everybody starts discussing the farewell.
Let There Be Shred is another obvious highlight. The title tells you almost everything you need to know, and the band deliver it with enough energy to make the lack of subtlety part of the fun. Teemu Mäntysaari is an excellent addition on guitar. The leads are among the most enjoyable things here, giving the songs colour even when the writing takes a familiar route.
That familiarity becomes more of a problem in the middle. Some of the mid-paced material is solid without being particularly memorable, and Another Bad Day doesn't have the same urgency as the opening songs. The clean production makes the playing easy to follow, but it also leaves parts of the album feeling lighter than they should.
The Last Note provides the emotional centre. It gives Mustaine a chance to reflect, with a more considered pace and a closing spoken section that makes the goodbye feel real. The bonus version of Metallica's Ride the Lightning brings another piece of his history into the picture, although it works better as an extra than as the album's final statement.
This won't replace Megadeth's strongest records. It has too many ordinary stretches for that. What it does offer is good guitar playing, a few genuinely strong songs and a recognisable sense of character. For a final chapter, that's a respectable result, even if the best moments leave you wishing the whole album had been this sharp.
