MEGADETH — Endgame (review)

MEGADETH — Endgame album cover Album · 2009 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Time Signature
Dialectic chaos...

Genre: Mustaine metal

In 2009, Megadeth released their 12th album "Endgame". Although "Endgame" was yet another step toward Megadeth's roots in thrash/speed metal, and thus should be candy for most long-time fans of the band, the album ended up being a little obscured by subsequent events.

These include Dave Ellefson's return and anniversary tour celebrating the classic "Rust in Piece". The "The Big Four" concerts, where Megadeth appeared together with Anthrax, Slayer and Metallica, marked the apparent end of Dave Mustaine's long-standing disputes with Metallica and Slayer (much of which has been kept alive by the media). Dave Mustaine's autobiography was also released, and the band was said to be working on a new album (which, it turned out, would be "Th1rt3en").

"Endgame" looks like a natural step in Megadeth musical development since Mustaine brought Megadeth back on track after two year hiatus - caused by a serious injury in his hand - with "The System Has Failed" (then one might of course discuss whether or not "Th1rt3en" is a stap backwards or a step forwards in the eyes of those who love thrash metal Megadeth-style). "Endgame" thus lies stylistically somewhere between "Rust in Peace" and the more melodic "Countdown to Extinction" and "Youthanasia" and there are also elements that remind me of "Peace Sells ... But Who's Buying "and" Killing Is My Business ... and Business Is Good. "

Alternating thus between fast and aggressive thrash metal on the one hand and heavier and more melodic heavy metal and hard rock on the other, the album is somewhat of a rollercoaster. For example, 'This Day We Fight' a hefty thrasher with riffs akin to what you can hear on "Rust In Peace", and '1.320' contains riffs that remind me of Megadeth's first three albums. Likewise, there is a sense of fierceness to 'Bite the Hand'. and 'Head Crusher' certainly lives up to its title, while 'Dialectic Chaos' sounds more like a kind of power metal track. In the other end we find 'The Hardest Part of Letting Go ... Sealed with a Kiss', which can be said to be the power ballad of the album, and the more melodic and heavier tracks '44 Minutes', 'Endgame', 'Bodies', 'How the Story Ends' and 'The Right to Go Insane', which all sound more like material from "Countdown to Extinction" and "Youthanasia".

"Endgame" contains some of Mustaine's best songwriting since "Youthanasia", and it is also very well produced (it is characterized by the easily recognizable Megadeth sound which was established on the "Rust in Peace" and further developed on "Countdown to Extinction").

"Endgame" is definately a 'true' Megadeth album (they all are, of course, but this one captures a lot of what many people loved about the pre-"Risk" releases) which any fan of Mustaine's should check out.
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