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August 29, 2008 |
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MEGADETH - The System Has Failed
Sanctuary (2004) |
9/10 |
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01. Blackmail The Universe
02. Die Dead Enough
03. Kick The Chair
04. The Scorpion
05. Tears In A Vial
06. I Know Jack
07. Back In The Day
08. Something That I'm Not
09. Truth Be Told
10. Of Mice And Men
11. Shadow Of Deth
12. My Kingdom
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Man, after ten years of disappointments and frustration...does it ever feel good to pay honest money for a new MEGADETH disc again!
Really. Welcome back, Dave. Deep down I think we all knew you had it in you. But since this is a big one, first...a trip down memory lane:
What can one say about Dave Mustaine's (and hey...come on now, it really was and is Dave's baby) MEGADETH!?! If you're a Metal fan, obviously it just goes without saying that the band's first four albums (83's 'Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good', 86's 'Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?', 88's 'So Far, So Good...So What!', and the unstoppable, untoppable 1990 opus 'Rust In Peace') are nothing less than classic must-haves that no self-respecting headbanger can be without. Cornerstones of any Metal collection worth protecting from the greasy clutches of the local pawnshop owner. Hell...MILESTONES even in terms of innovation and influence both within and upon the Metal genre itself. By the same token however, any honest fan will also attest to the fact that this selfsame band who had once seemed so invincible and untouchable in terms of creative drive and vision have suffered terribly over the last decade due to a steady decline in the quality of their material.
I mean, 92's 'Countdown to Extinction' - arguably the band's 'Black Album' (Damn METALLICA comparisons raising their ugly heads!) - was definitely a great piece of work in it’s own right, although it certainly heralded a conscious nod towards commercial compromise and acceptance which did not bode well for many fans as time passed by. 94's 'Youthanasia' drifted even further down the well-trodden path towards the mainstream, alienating many longtime fans in the process as well (although having returned to that album, I have found it has a surprising staying power and grows on me more and more).
More recent output though such as the dismally banal 'Cryptic Writings', the flat-out terrible 'Risk', and the lackluster, unjustifiably-hyped 'The World Needs A Hero' frankly, possess no such hidden treasures (bad pun, I know!) and seemed to betray a band who were increasingly short on ideas, inspiration, and even a reason to be, as revolving-door lineup problems including the departure of longtime members Nick Menza, Marty Friedman, and most recently David Ellefson, Mustaine's oft-resurfacing personal problems, and declining respect from the Metal community conspired to cast MEGADETH into has-been oblivion.
Fast-forward to 2004. A sleeping giant has awoken. With 'The System Has Failed' Dave Mustaine and MEGADETH have returned to prove that the fire inside Vic Rattlehead's bony old dome is still burning brightly!
With only Mustaine - and after a long absence, returning guitar-wizard Chris Poland - remaining from the original lineup, this newest incarnation of the MEGA-Beast is the album all longtime fans have been praying for! From the thrashy, hooky opening riffs of 'Blackmail The Universe' you instantly know that everything is right again in the world of MEGADETH. Gone are the unfocused, directionless days of yore. Back again are the fiery leads, thoughtful riff structures, and sneering vocal hooks that put Mustaine's brainchild on the map in the first place. I mean, so much is just so right about the way in which this album flows together, ya just gotta love it! Mid-pacer 'Die Dead Enough' is classic retro 'Deth fare just oozing with Mustaine's signature bratty personality.
'Kick The Chair' and 'The Scorpion' continue the assault with full-throttle old-school-fuelled aggression. Anthem 'Back In The Day' rumbles along at a fist-pumping gallop that serves as the perfect climax to the nostalgic, yet strangely fresh and revitalizing vibe this album creates. Only during the last two or three tracks does the affair begin to suffer. It just seems that the energy and pace begins to meander and taper off at this point. Simply editing the tracklisting down from twelve to say, a solid eight songs would have served to alleviate this minor problem.
Nevertheless though…what a comeback album! It's always such a pleasure to see so respected a member of the proverbial 'Old Guard' as Mustaine/MEGADETH return to the fold with such a killer platter of tunage on offer. I always knew the guy still had to have chops! Who needs 'show-me-on-the-dolly-where-he-touched-you'-style group therapy, bad haircuts, and a documentary film crew for a comeback when all that's necessary is solid material!?! Sheesh! The only slight thorn in the side of it all is the knowledge that behind the scenes all is not well with the classic 'Deth lineup; i.e. Ellefson's present legal estrangement from the band (and Mustaine in particular), Friedman's disappearance into Japanese guitar-clinic obscurity, and Menza's, well...where the hell is Menza anyways!?!
Session players Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass), and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) are certainly competent and talented, and the return of legend Poland into the spotlight is certainly a treat to say the very least but...well you know. I personally would just be over the moon to be able to experience this new material live with the classic Mustaine/Ellefson/Menza/Friedman lineup. That would be the icing on this stainless steel cake.
But I digress. As it stands, all my addled blathering on and reminiscing this is without any doubt whatsoever a KILLER comeback release. Mustaine is back in top-notch form, and MEGADETH is again a force to be reckoned with! So I'm going to shut up now, throw the horns one last time in salute to a great, great band - MEGADETH - and a great, great album - 'The System Has Failed' - and let you all go so you can purchase a copy for yourselves and enjoy the Metal feast that awaits ye. Hails!
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