One thing fans have to get over, however, is that Megadeth are really no longer a thrash
band, nor did they EVER claim to be. Nobody seemed to mind this reality when
the band released their very positively received 1992 album Countdown to Extinction; an album that
was so clearly a response to Metallica’s
sudden commercial success. Fans and critics alike didn’t seem to mind that the
album only had two or three good songs on it that were unanimously well
received, centred around another seven or eight songs that are mediocre to just
good. At least their next effort, 1994’s Youthanasia,
which was also met warmly with fans and critics, elevated the new found heavy
metal sound of the band so that pretty much the whole album, while still not
thrash, was filled with terrific traditional heavy metal songs.
It was after this that the band started a bit of a downfall,
with the next three albums all being relatively mediocre, with their moments
but still lacklustre. It is because of this era of the band that fans have
found themselves sceptical of any note that the band plays, a lot of the time
judging it before they even hear it. After a couple of albums that weren’t
panned but weren’t the best received, the band released Endgame, which was by all intents and purposes a return to thrash
metal. In hindsight this may have not been the best thing for Megadeth to do, because it put in to
fans heads that they are still a thrash metal band. This is why when 2011’s TH1RT3EN was released, returning the
band to traditional heavy metal, fans backlashed (while critics thankfully didn’t
so much). I will admit to finding that album to have a few filler tracks that I
wasn’t pleased with.
So that brings us full circle to the bands 2013 release Super Collider, an album that has, surprise
surprise, been panned by fans and critics. I find many of this reception is due
to the album’s title track and leading single; a track which sounds sort of
commercially friendly, but no more than a song like 1992’s Foreclosure of a Dream, yet everyone seemed to love that song.
Tracks such as Kingmaker,
Burn! (despite its bland lyrics) and
Don’t Turn Your Back... are full on
balls out metal tracks mixing melodies with shredding guitars and double bass
drum kicks. Built For War is another
of these tracks in terms of its aggressive approach, but this is a track that I
DO find to be less than significant. I do really enjoy its apocalyptic bridge
though. A song like Off The Edge has
a slower pace, but has just as much aggression as these previously mentioned
heavy hitters. Much like the title track Super
Collider, the songs Beginning of
Sorrow and Forget to Remember do
have a bit of a commercial feel to them. The former of the two would be one of
the least significant tracks on the album, but Forget to Remember shows some terrific song writing in terms of its
heavy chugging riff and its melodic chorus.
One of, if not the most experimental moment in the history of
the band, would be the track The
Blackest Crow. Anyone who listens to the song instantly hears Dave Mustaine on his slide guitar,
something unheard of in previous metal songs in general, let alone Megadeth songs. It gives the song an
intentionally old bluesy feel. That is until its heavy hitting chorus of
course.
The album ends with a cover. While I’m not sure how necessary
it was so cover Thin Lizzy’s irish hard
rock classic Cold Sweat, I must say
the band does an absolutely terrific job in covering it. Having heard a few
covers of the song in the past, particularly by Helloween and Sodom, and
hearing how rather half assed those versions of the song were, I was relieved
to hear Megadeth’s version. They
down tuned the song a bit, but besides that the song is completely true to the
original, including Dave Mustaine
NAILING the classic guitar solo originally done by virtuoso John Sykes.
So you can take this opinion or leave it, but Megadeth have released an album that
they should be proud of. Unfortunately they can’t possibly be proud of it
thanks to the reception. Knowing Dave though, the more negative the reception,
the more likely he’ll be to include more songs from this album in to the bands
setlist. The album is no Peace Sells
or Rust In Peace, but it was never
meant to be. It does, however, stand out compared to the bands more recent
albums for sure.
ALBUM HIGHLIGHT
“Dance In The Rain” – I find this track
to sum up Megadeth’s entire career.
I hear three parts in this song. There is Dave
Mustaine speaking out lyrics to the song in front of double bass drums and thundering
guitars, something Dave has done numerously throughout the bands career, then
the speaking turns in to singing, in front of the same thundering guitars and
drums. Up to this point, the song reminds me of something from something off of
the bands 2007 album United Abominations.
Then the end of the song, after the melodically shredded twin solos, is when
the song picks up into a practical thrash masterpiece. This brings in Disturbed/Device frontman David Draiman providing a guest vocal performance.
The sheer feeling and aggression put in to this last minute of the song is
practically the greatest moment on the entire album.
FINAL RATING
8 (Out of 10)
Track List:
1.
|
"Kingmaker"
|
4:16
|
2.
|
"Super Collider"
|
4:11
|
3.
|
"Burn!"
|
4:11
|
4.
|
"Built for War"
|
3:57
|
5.
|
"Off the Edge"
|
4:11
|
6.
|
"Dance in the Rain" (Featuring David Draiman)
|
4:45
|
7.
|
"Beginning of Sorrow"
|
3:51
|
8.
|
"The Blackest Crow"
|
4:27
|
9.
|
"Forget to Remember"
|
4:28
|
10.
|
"Don't Turn Your Back..."
|
3:47
|
11.
|
"Cold Sweat" (Thin Lizzy cover)
|
3:10
|
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