The time has come for the farewell Megadeth studio album, since the band’s mastermind, Dave Mustaine, had stated that “Megadeth” would be the final album in the band’s history. Now that we have listened to “Megadeth”, what are our impressions? Let’s be honest: it is a mediocre to good heavy/thrash album — unique, respectable and clearly carrying the Megadeth signature, but not the record a die-hard fan would want as the perfect ending or the ideal finale longtime followers might have dreamed of. “Megadeth” has some strong moments, such as “Tipping Point”, “Hey God!”, “Puppet Parade” and “Another Bad Day”, and on a technical level it is impressive and grand in scope — the guitar work is breathtaking, the drumming is thunderous. However, there are also many average tracks, and we must admit that even the better songs would struggle to find a place on the band’s classic albums. You will find here all the legendary Megadeth trademarks, but that alone is not enough when the album as a whole fights with mediocrity. So, it’s fair to say that Megadeth’s swan song is recommended mainly for historical reasons — fans will buy it anyway. The final track of the main album, “The Last Note”, is deeply emotional, though not a masterpiece, as someone would expect. The curtain falls on Megadeth with a decent album that is 100% Megadeth, but not particularly inspired. We thank Dave Mustaine and his band for some of the greatest moments in heavy metal history and for a dignified final goodbye.
♦ 7/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
