Megadeth have a storied history, and every story needs a final chapter. After over 40 years of genre-defining breakneck thrash, Megadeth have decided to call it a day while delivering one last slab of guitar-driven thrash metal madness as Dave Mustaine and the boys unleash Vic Rattlehead’s final assault.
A self-titled record is usually a grand declaration of what the band represents, and Megadeth is no exception. This album features some absolutely blazing guitar work from Teemu Mäntysaari and Mustaine himself, with tracks like ‘Let There Be Shred’ and ‘Made to Kill’ showing off the gang at the peak of their skills. Dirk Verbeuren even gets a moment to shine, with ‘Obey the Call’ beginning with some killer fills.
Dave Mustaine might not be the best lyricist around, with tracks like ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Hey, God?!’ coming off a bit juvenile and goofy, but at least the instrumentals are of high quality and technical proficiency. Despite some goofier lyrics, the album features a fairly intimate look into Dave Mustaine’s thoughts on his relationship with God and even a poignant, at times self-aggrandising, reflection on his career with ‘The Last Note’.
There’s quite a bit of filler on the album, with tracks like ‘I Am War’ and ‘Another Bad Day’ being a bit forgettable and plodding, but it’s never long before something interesting happens and the pace picks up. The strangest part of the album comes during the highly anticipated cover of Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’, a track that Mustaine helped create during his time in the band. It’s a near 1:1 cover with very little deviation from the original, but it has this weird uncanny valley effect hearing Dave singing Metallica lyrics. Not the best cover, but it’s at least interesting.
‘The Last Note’ is going to be incredibly awkward if this doesn’t end up being the final Megadeth album. It has this grand dramatic tone of finality as Dave reflects on his time as a titan of heavy metal. It’s a fitting eulogy to over 40 years of pure heavy metal chaos, and as the sun sets on Vic Rattlehead, all we can say is: rust in peace.
And that’s your lot: the final push from Megadeth. Once this album cycle is over, we’ll have just two left of The Big Four as the sun sets on a heavy metal dynasty that Dave Mustaine helped create back in the early ’80s. Is this the best Megadeth album? No. Is this a fitting send-off? Yes. What will Dave do once Megadeth is gone? No one knows, but we’ll always have the legacy he left for us.
