Megadeth – Megadeth

Thrash metal legends’ forthcoming self-titled seventeenth studio album is also announced as their final album. Besides that it marks the band’s first album to feature Teemu Mäntysaari, who replaced Kiko Loureiro as lead guitarist in 2023 and it’s the first Megadeth album since 2009’s Endgame to feature James LoMenzo on bass. So, on paper, it’s an exciting release from the veterans, who are one of the bands that defined the genre in the ’80s.

But does the album live up to the hype and the weight that naturally comes when a band announces an album as their final one?

Just like the previous two records, Megadeth is produced by Chris Rakestraw together with the band’s only original member, Dave Mustaine. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that sonically the album follows the familiar formula of Dystopia and The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! That means it’s a clean, tastefully executed-sounding record so as such, it sonically checks just about all the boxes.

Unfortunately, the tendency of pushing the bass guitar further into the background continues. Perhaps not as much as it did when they had the mighty Steve Di Giorgio guesting on the previous album. And while it perhaps made sense to give Di Giorgio less space in order not to let him leave a massive Di Giorgio mark on the album – something he naturally does due to his unique style and outwardly skill – this album does take inspiration from the late ’80s and ’90s era of the band, which is the era when David Ellefson’s bass played such a massive role in Megadeth’s sound.

Musically, too, the band takes inspiration from that golden era, something they’ve abandoned several times throughout their career but, like Metallica and many other fellow bands from the genre, something they eventually had to return to, quite successfully, especially a decade ago after another unpeaceful attempt at experimenting with their sound on Super Collider.

There is a bit of most of the band’s trademarks on here, so stylistically most fans should be satisfied. There are explosive tunes such as “Tipping Point” and “Made to Kill,” cheeky punky cuts like “I Don’t Care” and “Let There Be Shred,” and extremely catchy tracks such as “Hey God” and “Another Bad Day.”

Lyrically, Mustaine is as direct and socially and politically charged as ever. While there isn’t much that’s truly memorable here, at least the cringe quality that characterized the lyrics on the previous album is noticeably less present on Megadeth.

“Let There Be Shred” is a quirky ode to guitar solos, a bit in the vein of “Victory” from 1994’s Youthanasia, but less original and fun. Lyrically, it’s predictable, with several corny lines such as “Faster than lightning, a machine gun on meth”, There is, however, an infectious quality to it, and it’s packed with sizzling guitar leads, most of which are courtesy of Mäntysaari. He does a good job filling Loureiro’s shoes throughout the album.

Songwriting is predictable, with countless references to some of the band’s iconic moments such as among others ”Countdown to Extinction” and “Trust,” to name a few.. While these moments can sometimes feel like downright copies (“Obey the Call”), in general the songwriting on the album is noticeably stronger and more focused than it was on its predecessor.

One of the singles released prior to the album is “I Don’t Care,” a cheeky punk infused track in the vein of “Peace Sells” and Mustaine’s 1996 sideproject MD.45. Thematically, it comes across as somewhat contradictory, given his endless list of Mustaine’s beefs over the years and his inability to let go of his Metallica past.

And speaking of Metallica, the album also includes a cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning,” which Mustaine co-wrote with James Hetfield, Cliff Burton and Lars Ulrich back in the day. The album does close with a proper farewell song “The Last Note”, but there is a full-circle feel to closing Megadeth’s final album with a bonus track, which is a cover of some of the first music Mustaine ever wrote. On the other hand, it reinforces the heavy Metallica shadow that has always been hanging over Megadeth throughout their career. Musically, it doesn’t add much new to this classic. The vocals and song in general are less produced ands far more raw, which adds to the nostalgic feel connected with the song and echoes Hetfield’s vocals on the original. Most of all, though, this cover feels like a marketing trick because – aside from the fact that this is the band’s final album – it has drawn the most headlines.

So, is this Megadeth album a mastodonic way of saying goodbye for a mastodonic band? Well, not really. In many ways, it feels like most other Megadeth record released over the past couple of decades. The craftsmanship and performances are top-notch, and the band focuses on the most celebrated aspects and eras of their career, but that’s usually the case with Megadeth. Overall, the band is more focused and direct here, trimming the songs of just about all unnecessary fat. As such, it feels like a step up compared to their previous release, but it doesn’t really match Dystopia, which itself is nowhere close to matching their genre-defining releases from the ’80s and ’90s.

So, is this a worthy farewell album from the band? Yes, it is. Is it an album that will stand tall in the band’s career for reasons other than being their final release? No.

Thanks for more than four decades of creating music that will go down in history and Rust in Peace, Megadeth.

www.megadeth.com