Well this certainly took much longer than I wanted it to. There are plenty of albums coming out this year that have me intrigued, but I'm just not getting to them (so far; still plenty of year left). I mean, my first one here was the talk of the internet at the beginning of the year, and I'm just now publishing my thoughts on it. (I've never been particularly great at being timely!). Eventually I pulled together enough reviews to fill out an article, but I have to warn you, none of these are impressing me much. Here's what I've been checking out lately.
Of all the most anticipated albums to kick off the year, this was pretty much unavoidable. Not only was it going to be the band's last album, but it featured a Metallica cover (one of the few Mustaine helped write). However, I'm not really a big Megadeth fan. I've listened to their first five, as well as Dystopia and The Sick, The Dying... and The Dead!, but overall, they're kind of hit-and-miss for me. I also know I'm way behind on reviewing this, as it's been out for months now, but I figured I'd give their swan song a listen, as I was pretty curious.
My first thought is that the songwriting is even more stripped down than Dystopia was, perhaps as much as Countdown to Extinction. Most Megadeth fans will find very little that's new or surprising, and perhaps might get frustrated with how familiar it is. While there are a few fun thrashy blast-fests, much of the album plods along as Mustaine sings about his observations and frustrations. The opener "Tipping Point" and "Let There Be Shred" are highlights for being some energetic thrash tracks, and "Made to Kill" feels like it could have been on Rust in Peace, with its meter changes and dynamics. "The Last Note" also has some decent energy as he reflects upon his career before ending the album. And then there's the Metallica cover. It's alright. It's a bit of a weird choice, too, as I understand the song changed after Dave was kicked out of the band, so playing this final version is strange. While the performance is fine (and has Megadeth's typical tightness), the main problem is Dave's voice.
And this is where I address the elephant in the room. I get that getting older isn't for wimps, and throat cancer is no joke, surely affecting his voice, but it feels really weak and rough on this album. Much of his snarling charisma is gone, and while it's not bad on every song, it is something that gets a little hard to ignore. And with "Ride the Lighting," compared to James Hetfield's roaring bark, Mustaine's voice feels so weak and kinda drags the song down. If he had covered it just 10 or even 5 years earlier, it would have sounded better. I don't mean to be a jerk about this, as I've heard that his voice has been failing for a while, and I hope he's able to keep it working through the farewell tours he wants to do. But when Mustaine's singing was such an iconic part of this band's sound, it's a little depressing to hear it struggle so much.
There is something to be said about going out on your own terms, though, and for Megadeth, this farewell is about as Megadeth as it gets, for better or worse. I'm sure the guitar nerds will enjoy picking these solos and riffs apart as they always do, but otherwise, it's honestly more of the same. I don't think it's a bad album, overall, but it does feel like a simplified version of the band's sound, which makes for perhaps a bit of an underwhelming last album.
Well, I asked for another full album and here it is! Their last one was quite a blast, and it made it into my Top 5 for that year, and since then, they released an EP that was also pretty solid. Keeping the same lineup as before, the band seems to be trying to expand their sound beyond power metal, but I don't know if it's really working for them.
Things start off well enough with "The Castaway," but then they go right into thrash metal mode with "Silence the Void" and later on again with "Reaper's Lullaby." They proved they could do this well on Lovebites II with "Where's Identity," so I'm pleased to hear them do this again. However, they also try some symphonic metal ideas with "Forbidden Thirst" and "Dream of King," but feel like they might be stretching a little too far from their base with these, especially the syncopated riffing in the latter song. Other experiments include the AOR-like "Wheels of Fire," a classic metal approach for "Out of Control," and some uptempo rock for "Blazing Halo." Then they go all-in on the extremely sentimental power ballad "Eternally," which really didn't need to be seven minutes long. These tracks had some good moments, but it does make the album feel uneven and inconsistent (and your mileage may vary with these genre shifts). Fortunately, they do bring back the power metal on "Phoenix Rises Again," and the closer "One Will Remain."
I kinda hate to say it, but this is a bit of a disappointment. After the incredible Electric Pentagram and the worthy follow-up Judgement Day, I was ready to sail with them into the power metal seas. However, after listening to all this variation, I'm wondering if the band is having a bit of an identity crisis. While I do like some of the ideas, especially the faster, thrashier songs (I think "Silence the Void" is the best track here), this album doesn't feel as strong as what they've done before and leaves me worried about what they might try next.
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Once again my favorite band has put out another album. I admit it has been tough to get into their recent material. The Quest had a decent start but eventually settled into a soft rock pace that I found lack luster. This was followed up with Mirror to the Sky, which I thought was an improvement, but still struggled in the rock department. After that one, I had a bit of hope that it was at least an upward trend as they explored this new era of their sound. When this album was teased at the end of last year, I tried to keep my expectations low, but as the singles were released, I felt underwhelmed. Now, after listening to it a few times these past few weeks, I think it's about time I gave up on this version of the band recovering the legacy of their rock prowess.
To be clear, this is by no means a bad album, just kind of inoffensive. It meanders a long from song to song, providing some decent atmosphere, and the increase in symphonic sections shows their theatrical pretensions. They do have a few interesting shake-ups, with "Outside the Box" messing around with synths and vocal harmonies, "Countermovement" was a decent epic song with some curious twists and references, "Jambustin" is a playful, quirky song that almost works, and "All Hands on Deck" sounds like they're channeling Deep Purple, of all things. The opening title track is probably the best at embracing the band's current positive mood, which resonates throughout the album. Overall, it's nice to listen to.
Unfortunately, it's just not very memorable. Even with their experimentation, there is this intention of a slower, easier pace without really having any impact on me as a listener. At least The Quest and Mirror to the Sky had tracks that felt like complete ideas or had some energy, but here, they are content to stick to this laidback version of their style, perfect for their Cruise to the Edge events. It was after I listened to this album the second time I finally had to come to terms that this current lineup just has no desire to bring back the rock music side of their sound, something that Jon Anderson did very well with the Band Geeks. I understand this album has its fans, but I am not one of them. It's such a shame, too, because I know these musicians are very talented, but they don't seem to interested in putting their mastery into what I'm interested in. Maybe in the future, they'll remember to be a rock band, but for now, this is just another disappointment.
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