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Megadeth: TH1RT3EN
25/11/11 || Smalley
It’s funny; the concept of regression is generally viewed as a negative, but when it comes to Megadeth, it’s actually resulted in what is easily their best album in 17 years. Hell, even though “TH1RT3EN” (ew title) isn’t on the same level of a “Rust in peace”, it still comes as the best album that any member of The Big 4 has done since ’94, and considering the way some of ‘em are going, the other old farts may never top this in the future (but we’ll see). No doubt, this one isn’t good simply because a good deal of it takes previous ‘deth works; after all, 2001’s “The world needs a hero” was closer to old-school thrash compared to say, Risk, but it was tepid anyway. “TH1RT3EN”, on the other hand, is good because it actually sounds like Mustank still has some of that ol’ fire in his belly, and that he’s playing thrash-y stuff because he wants to, not just because of the fans (though most of ‘em will still dig this).
I imagine reuniting with old bassist/band mainstay David Ellefson helped energize him, but whatever the case, I say keep doing it. We open with “Sudden death”, decent, but definitely not the best cut, as the chorus is disappointingly weak, and it relies too much on “Rust in peace”-redux soloing (though the solos are still all-around excellent on this record). The “Hangar 18”-ish “Public enemy no. 1” is a step up, with some nicely-aggressive snarled vocals, but the album really gets up to snuff on “Whose life (is it anyways)?”, with crunchy riffing and sections that alternately show off the good sides of both Megadeth’s thrashy and poppier sensibilities, a very rare achievement indeed, since you don’t often hear both done well on the same song.
“We the people” is a solid cut, driven by a groovy, mid-tempo riff, & decently catchy chorus, enough to overcome Dave’s naive, political soap-boxing lyrics, while “Guns, drugs, & money” disappoints by never building up the proper urgency. Whatever, a few duds here and there won’t ruin a basically good album. “Never dead” gets us going again, with an atmospherically spooky intro, perfect for Halloween-listening, before building up into classic shredding and an appealingly melodic chorus. We then come to the first of many re-recorded versions of old material here, “New world order”, which we heard as a demo on the special edition of “Youthanasia”. It seems like a cheap way to reach the desired quota of 13 tracks, but I do genuinely enjoy hearing its shiny, much-improved production, Mustaine’s changed vocal tone, and new touches like a melodic lead guitar line that didn’t used to be there. Plus, that speedy outro is pretty killer as well.
“Fast lane” is a decent mid-tempo cut, though it drags in sections, and while I get what they were going for with the stronger emphasis on melody on “Black swan” (which is not about delusional, same-sex homoerotica between ballerinas, too bad for you), the final product still fails to grab me. “Wrecker” has a nice, catchy crunch to it, fueled by some lyrical venom against an anonymous homewrecker (Dave sure gets a lot of mileage from attacking individuals, eh?). Whatever, as long as the actual songs are still good, he could dis my Grandmomma for all I care. Not my momma though, that’s just goin’ too far.
Anyway, the album closes out with a solid re-record of “Millennium of the blind”, the infectious choppiness of “Deadly nightshade”, and the climatic, slowed-down epicness of “13”, which feels not just like a goodbye from Dave to his storied career, but to his entire life as well (which you just know won’t be the case, though; thar’s money to be made!). All in all, “TH1RT3EN” isn’t 100% consistent, but for the majority, its songs are catchy, the riffs punchy, the solos nice and hyperactive (if overused), Ellofson’s excellent bass work sounds better than ever backing up Dave’s riffs, and the music heavier and more passionate than most bands this old have any business being. There’s still plenty room for improvement on the inevitable next album, but for now, “TH1RT3EN” is the happiest this band has made me in a very, very long time. Hurray for old dogs learning old tricks again!
- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Roadrunner
- Website: www.megadeth.com
- Band
- Dave Mustaine: guitars, vocals
- David Ellefson: bass
- Shawn Drover: drums
- Chris Broderick: guitars
- Tracklist
- 01. Sudden Death
- 02. Public Enemy No. 1
- 03. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
- 04. We The People
- 05. Guns, Drugs & Money
- 06. Never Dead
- 07. New World Order
- 08. Fast Lane
- 09. Black Swan
- 10. Wrecker
- 11. Millennium Of The Blind
- 12. Deadly Nightshade
- 13. 13
