Megadeth’s Final LP Is A Mostly Positive Offering

By: Philip Sayblack / Phil's Picks

​Winter is the worst time of year.  It is cold.  There is not a lot to do indoors or out, either.  So when it was announced that Megadeth, one of the biggest names in metal, was going to release its new album (sadly the band’s last) this past January, in the heart of winter, it made that worst time of the year more bearable.  That is because it gave audiences a way to pass the time indoors.  As its four current singles – ‘Tipping Point,’ ‘I Don’t Care,’ ‘Let There Be Shred’ and ‘Puppet Paradise’ have already proven, the 41-minute record definitely gives audiences plenty to appreciate.  All making up a large portion of the album’s first half, they are just a snapshot of what the record has to offer audiences.  The record’s second half has its own notable entries, not the least of which being the clearly politically-charged ‘Made To Kill.’  ‘Another Bad Day,’ which opens the record’s second half, does its own share to engage audiences while ‘The Final Note,’ front man and founder Dave Mustaine’s farewell to audiences, also proves a notable addition to the record.  Each song noted does its own share to make this final Megadeth album a presentation worth hearing.  All things considered they make the album maybe not Megadeth’s best album but still a mostly positive addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Megadeth, the final album from beloved thrash metal act Megadeth, is a mostly positive final outing for the band.  The record’s appeal has already been shown through the four single that it has produced, all four being from the record’s first half.  It makes one wonder why more of the record’s work was not used to represent the album.  That is because the record’s second half offers its own share of engagement and entertainment.  This is proven in part through the hard hitting, ‘Made to Kill.’  As noted, the song is, lyrically, a clearly politically charged work that comments on the hypocrisy of military campaigns the United States has waged globally and how so many have been waged in the name of Christianity.  Interestingly enough, this is still going on to this very day, as the Pentagon’s current unqualified “leader” has proven.  The message is made crystal clear as Mustaine sings, “Taught to pray/yet made to kill/Life’s a game/Do as thou wilt/Wave the flag/Then torch the town/Come in peace/Then burn it down” in the song’s lead verse and chorus.  The message continues as Mustaine sings in the song’s second verse, “Smoke and fire/Choke the dawn/Every trace of life is gone/Hot sun/The desert war/Blood for gold/And guns will roar/Red skies/Bombs fall/Black smoke/A nation crawls/Fight for crude and oil fields/The mighty fall/And the people kneel.”  This is a clear war protest.  It is nothing new to the rock community, and given everything going on around the world today (as the result of American actions at that) it is as relevant now as any other war protest has been that has come before.
The musical arrangement that accompanies this song’s hard hitting lyrical message brings audiences just as much to appreciate.  This is evidenced in its driving, vintage thrash style approach.  Mustaine’s gritty vocal delivery along with the rapid fire instrumentation makes the song reminiscent of songs that reach far back in Megadeth’s catalog.  For that matter, it resonates comparison to works from the likes of Testament and even vintage Metallica (fittingly).  Keeping that in mind, it is one more example of how much this song adds to the overall body of Megadeth.
‘Another Bad Day,’ which serves as the opener for the album’s second half, is another notable addition to the record.  Mustaine has been quoted as saying of this song that it is about those hard times that we all go through in life.  He said of that note, “Singing about it sometimes makes it a little bit easier for people who are struggling with stuff like this.”  It is true.  Interestingly enough, such a statement makes one think of this almost as a blues type statement, considering that was the very purpose of the blues and to a point still is. 
Keeping that in mind, it makes the somewhat bluesy edge of the song’s musical arrangement make more sense.  This arrangement is a familiar style approach for Megadeth’s established audiences.  It is the kind of semi-mainstream approach that audiences got from an album, such as Risk for the best comparison.  To that end, that familiarity and accessibility works with the song’s lyrical content to make the whole another clear example of how much the album has to offer.
‘The Last Note,’ which unofficially closes the album (ahead of its bonus tracks) is yet one more example of how much the album has to offer audiences.  It is a fitting finale for the presentation.  That is because it is, essentially, Mustain’s goodbye to Megadeth’s fan base.  The melancholy opening bars that gradually give way to the song’s more powerful body sets such an emotional mood as the album closes out.
Lyrically, the song is presented like that fond farewell to fans, with mentions of the final curtain call, being “worn thin” by the road, and not being able to outrun the “spinning hands of time.”  This is Mustaine saying outright that he is just worn down and he knows he cannot keep doing this forever.  The thing is that even with that somber message, he still offers a powerful goodbye through the song’s emotionally powerful musical arrangement.  All things considered here, the song proves to be yet one more example of how much Megadeth has to offer fans as the band’s apparent final farewell.  The term “apparent” is used here as so many bands before this act have claimed to be done only to come back not too long after calling it quits.  When this song and the others examined here are considered alongside the album’s singles and that group with the rest of the record’s entries, the entirety thereof makes the album a mostly successful new offering from Megadeth and a welcome entry in this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Megadeth, the self-titled final album from its namesake band, is a mostly positive presentation from this veteran thrash outfit.  The record offers plenty of familiarity throughout its record both musically and lyrically, as its singles have shown along with the songs examined herein.  When that entirety is considered along with the rest of the album’s entries, the whole therein makes Megadeth maybe not Megadeth’s best work to date but still worth hearing at least once.
Megadeth is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://megadeth.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/megadeth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/megadeth