Like the roar of a caged animal

By Yusuf Abdol Hamid • UrbanWire
email reporter • email story • printer friendly version

"This is breaking news

It appears that Air Force One was shot down

Somewhere over the Middle East this morning

By a sleeper cell of rogue terrorists, firing a Stinger Missile

The Pilot and all passengers are unaccounted for

The President's whereabouts are presently unknown and he is presumed missing

The Vice President, Secretary of State, and principles of the military are assembling

The opening lines of 'Blackmail The Universe' from Megadeth's latest album, The System has Failed, suggest that lead singer Dave Mustaine may have been hanging out a little too much with infamous anti-Bush film-maker Michael Moore .

After disbanding in 2002, Megadeth has re-emerged into the scene with probably one of their most blatant political albums to date.

19 years after their first album back in 1985, Megadeth has seen substantial changes within the band. The latest lineup features 2 new members, James MacDonough formerly of Iced Earth on bass, and Glen Drover of King Diamond/ Eidolon on guitar. Interestingly even though the work on The System has Failed album was contributed by original guitarist Chris Poland on lead guitar, Jimmy Lee Sloas on bass guitar and Vinnie Colaiuta on the drums.

The changes keep in tradition with Megadeth's ferocious nature, with Mustaine quoted on www.megadeth.com , describing the tattooed James MacDonough as "an animal on bass", adding that they "like [don't change the quote]that kind of danger on that side of the stage." Nick Menza takes his seat behind the drums, having stroked the cymbals for Megadeth from 1990 through 1997.

Much has been said about Megadeth's sticky relationship with Metallica , given that Dave Mustaine was once Metallica's lead guitarist. His wild antics and infamous drug use was too much for Metallica's other members to handle and Mustaine was shown the door. Despite their differences, Megadeth and Metallica are almost brothers in terms of their musical style, with both trying to stretch the boundaries of heavy metal as far as possible. However, with St. Anger , Metallica went into a direction that not everyone enjoyed, prompting many critics into calling it a 'sell-out'.

Fortunately , The System has Failed , sticks to more traditional heavy metal lines while attempting to go back to the thrash sound that made Megadeth popular in the early days. The opening track, 'Blackmail the Universe', sets a nice tone for the album, with plenty of anger and pounding riffs punctuated by raspy vocals and sweeping solos.

The rest of the album doesn't disappoint either, with great tracks like 'Die Dead Enough' and 'Kick the Chair' that bring us back to their excellent 1990 album, Rust in Peace . For heavy metal fans out there, this is one album that physically assaults your ears for a good 50 minutes with some serious double-pedalling action and inspiring metal melodies. The chorus on 'The Scorpion' is classic, with Dave Mustaine roaring his heart out while the rest of the band pound on behind him, resulting in a song that sounds almost commercial while maintaining that unmistakable metal edge.

One thing to note about this album is how tight the melodies are, and yet how, at the same time, it manages to sound liberating and unrestrained. Examples of this include   'Truth be Told' and 'Back in the Day', head-banging anthems that force the listener to the edge of his seat. The melodies change seamlessly within songs, but at times Mustaine's voice lacks that aggressive edge. His godfather Alice Cooper might be willing to give him some lessons on singing brutally.

All in all, The System has Failed is an excellent album, and you could probably spread the word around that Megadeth is back. The album is just begging to be played live, and beginning Oct 23, Megadeth hits the road in the United States on their Blackmail the Universe Tour .

A message to readers who manage to catch them between then and Nov 20: Go to their concert, and hold up a placard that says " Megadeth 1, Metallica 0" .

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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