Reviews

In what was obviously a major metal event Megadeth announced their retirement and released their final album. After 40 years and a large (and sometimes uneven) discography, the band left a legacy for fans that will be discussed and argued over for decades to come. This album will probably be one of the hot topics of debate. The two previous albums, Dystopia (2016) and The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead (2022) were both heralded by fans as some of the band's best work in years, so anticipation for the final self-titled album was obviously high. Opener (and first single) 'Tipping Point' feels like a rally to war, a portent to the music to come. It is fast and aggressive and undoubtably a signature product of no one but frontman Dave Mustaine. It opens the album perfectly, and the listener straps in tighter for the ride ahead. 'I Don't Care' is up next. It's a punky tune that is punchy, and a little bit dumb in its subject matter - but it sells easily that it doesn't want to be taken seriously. It gets the head nodding, but certainly doesn't nominate as a contender for Song Of The Year. The quality begins to take a dip at this point as 'Dead God?!' presents as the first very generic sounding track of the album. The lyrics are poignant, but nothing special, and even the short guitar solo is bland and average. 'Let There Be Shred' lifts the pace again, and although the lyrics are an ode to the guitar, they borderline on just too cheesy this time. Musically it is one of the fastest tracks, and as you would expect based on the title, has some of the best guitar work of the album. 'Puppet Parade' is mid-paced but not a bad track in comparison to some others. 'Another Bad Day' for example could have been called 'Another Bad Song'. The lyrics are childish and the song is about as bland as anything the band has ever released, not to mention how it drags on. 'Made To Kill' kicks off with a speedy riff, but before too long reveals itself to be another fairly average track. The pace is great, but tempo alone doesn't make a good song. 'Obey The Call' has one purpose - to compete with 'Another Bad Day' as the most uninteresting song on the album. The last minute actually ups the pace and saves the song from total mediocrity, but far too late for it to be particularly memorable. 'I Am War' is another paint-by-numbers sing-along plodder that is better left on the cutting room floor, than added to an album. 'The Last Note' has the honour of being the last official Megadeth album closer, and although it feels like it is building - it doesn't. Another mid paced song, it rolls along with not much to make it memorable beyond a line here or there that evokes slight emotion until it fades from the speakers. With even the guitarwork sounding average, the album - and with it the band's career - goes out with a disappointing whimper. It is worth mentioning most versions of the album contain the highly anticipated cover of Metallica's 'Ride The Lightning' as a bonus track. Not much can be said about this beyond it being a competent cover. It isn't bad, but certainly doesn't shine either. Even the soloing is note-for-note the original, leaving it feeling pretty pointless overall. That is in a nutshell what most of the album feels like - pretty pointless overall. It is all well recorded, with the entire thing feeling somewhat '90s' Megadeth for some reason - possibly due to the guitar tone - and many of the faster moments feel like they could have appeared on albums like Countdown To Extinction (1992) or Cryptic Writings (1997). It leans more toward a 'modern metal' album than the signature thrash the band is known for. To be fair - it has some good moments, and fans will certainly not be completely disappointed - but the high points are so much better than the low that the contrast jumps out. Even the guitar leads, which are sometimes exceptional, are also sometimes very dull. The lyrics are even lacking in the depth Mustaine is usually known for. Bands should never be afraid to try something new, and this was the band that even named an album Risk for that reason in 1999. This however doesn't feel like anything new, but in fact something old, and quite tired at that. No fan wanted to hear it was time to retire the band, but after hearing this it actually sounds like the right time to do so. Beyond a handful of riffs the album doesn't beg you to press play again the moment it finishes like a good album should.