Megadeth - Megadeth - review
Megadeth - Megadeth - review
Tracklist
01. Tipping Point02. I Don't Care
03. Hey, God?!
04. Let There Be Shred
05. Puppet Parade
06. Another Bad Day
07. Made To Kill
08. Obey The Call
09. I Am War
10. The Last Note
11. Ride The Lightning [Metallica cover] [bonus]
12. Bloodlust [limited edition bonus]
13. Nobody's Hero [limited edition bonus]
14. The Last Note [instrumental version] [Japanese bonus]
A review by
omne metallum January 31, 2026
When the news broke last year that Megadeth were to call time on their career, I was shocked that a man who sailed as close to the wind as Dave Mustaine did would be one of the lucky few in rock & metal who were afforded the opportunity to go out on their own terms. The blow was softened with the announcement of one more album, a parting shot to cap off a career by a band who helped shape and define metal as we know it.
So Far, So Good, so what now?
Well, in Megadeth, we have an answer to this question, one that few would like to accept... that Megadeth is a poor end to a legendary career. While it isn't another Super Collider disaster, it isn't the heroic ride off into the sunset fans and metalheads would have hoped for.
Megadeth is an album that has its positive qualities and moments, but none are on the scale or consistency you would expect from a band such as Megadeth. Sure, this is far from the same youthful band who made Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! forty-one years ago, but you think that youthful spirit would have been replaced with a maturity and wisdom that would have recognized the material on Megadeth as a tame effort all in all, but this sadly isn't the case.
When the band put their minds to it, Megadeth does produce, if not cuts that stand amongst their classics, then tracks that are at least decent in the last arc of their career. "Tipping Point" has some fun guitar work, while "Let There Be Shred" gives Teemu Mäntysaari a chance to join the long list of Megadeth guitarist alumni. "Made To Kill" and "Puppet Parade" (even if the latter sounds like a rewritten combination of "Trust" and "Die Dead Enough") are enjoyable, if not something I'd put into regular rotation. The highlight of Megadeth, and the one track that feels like it had proper effort put into it, is the closing "The Last Note", a song that matches its evident sentimental value with a performance that sees the final chapter at least close on a high note.
Mustaine may put most of his eggs into the guitarist basket on Megadeth, but his vocal performance has got to be amongst his best, his voice having recovered from his battle with throat cancer and having a roughness that matches his acerbic approach. Mäntysaari may ultimately be reduced to a footnote in Megadeth history owing to joining the band just as they call it a day, but he can at least point to the guitar work on "I Don't Care" and "Puppet Parade" as he etches his place in Megadeth history.
Where does it go wrong on Megadeth? Well, for the most part it's that the album feels like minimal effort was put into it; in short, it feels like b-sides rather than a proper effort. Tracks like "Another Bad Day" (sadly not a sonic continuation of the Daniel Powter song) and "Hey God?!" are boring mid-paced tracks that come and go with only an enjoyable (sadly, not great) solo to really cling to if you're lucky. To add to this, Dirk Verbeuren's drum work is reduced greatly to just keeping time, rather than adding any flair or power to proceedings, which is unfortunately paired with a snare sound that is powerless. Verbeuren gets lucky if you can believe it, as he is at least audible, whereas it's LoMenzo who draws the short straw and is largely invisible throughout.
The lack of effort is no more evident than it is in the lyrics. Whether you agreed with him or not, Mustaine's songs usually have a level of lyricism that held some level of poignancy and panache. This is, for the most part, not the case with Megadeth, as on the likes of "I Don't Care" and "I Am War" the lyrics are reduced to him just listing things he doesn't care about (add the lyrics to that list), or what he is; I like me a WatchMojo list on occasion, but a good song this does not make. As for "Another Bad Day", Dave is either the king of understatement or the person he is singing about is the unluckiest person alive if, among other things, losing his job when the rent is due is considered just another bad day. I don't know about you, I'd be doing more than just shrugging my shoulders and chalking it up to being another bad day.
The real double-edged sword is with the bonus inclusion of "Ride The Lightning". Without opening the "Dave wrote 'em all" can of worms, the cover or "Ride The Lightning" has the unfortunate effect of contrasting against the rest of the album. Where Mustaine once seemed full of inspiration and vigour when writing it, Megadeth can't help but pale greatly in comparison: less "I Don't Care" and more "Ride The Lightning" please.
Megadeth isn't the exclamation point fans would want to close out such a career. Still, while a flawed effort, it isn't a complete write-off, as it does offer fans moments and tracks worth digging out. Still, at least Megadeth get to go out on their own terms.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 5 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 6 |
Written on 31.01.2026 by
Written on 31.01.2026 by
Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening. Comments
Comments:
9
Visited by
219 users
|
Posts: 170 |
|
| Metal Spartan 78
Account deleted |
|
 Posts: 8702 |
Posts: 8702
Generally agree - its a reasonable sendoff, Mustaine's vocals are holding up pretty well, they opening track and let there be shred offer some impetus and the closer is decent enough, but theres a lot of very forgettable mid-tempo fare in between, while I Dont Care is unforgettable for the wrong reasons
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 222  |
Posts: 222
Great and fair review! You captured my feelings for this uneven album. Worst part for me is the atrocious sound of it; thin and overly processed. But oh well, my expectations were low anyways …
Loading...
|
 Posts: 619 |
Posts: 619
The problem with this album, which highlights its poor quality, is that Ride The Lightning is one of the most outstanding songs on the whole album, and it's a cover, a cover that sounds bad. Ride The Lightning sounds like a surrender, and not an honorable one, but a pathetic one.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 287  |
Posts: 287
Dave will no more compose a great album like RUST IN PEACE cuz NICK MENZA is dead, Ellefson is out of this band forever, Marty Friedman is in Japan forever doing what he loves much: it's own music. Dave Mustaine never want a reunion with CHRIS POLAND and the PEACE SELLS ALBUM LINE UP, He wants only look forward composing its own MEGADETH music writing the riffs as he likes most. So, never wait RUST IN PEACE part II. Megadeth are no more composing that drum parts and guitar parts and bassguitar parts you listen on Rust in Peace. We are unhappy? Yes, but we have to accept it and tell Dave Mustaine that he did a beautiful career with Metallica and now Megadeth. So, THANKYOU Dave for composing this music, we are really proud for it.
---- Føroyar mÃtt land Tú alfagra land mÃtt Føroyar mÃn Móðir
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 391 |
|
|
Posts: 1001  |
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 642  |
Posts: 642
I liked it, although I thought Sick/Dying/Dead and Dystopia were better. I think the only thing holding this one down is that there are a few skips in there, but there's also some shredding in there and I thought for the most part it was a lot of fun
Loading...
|
Hits total: 2321 | This month: 42