MEGADETH — The System Has Failed (review)

MEGADETH — The System Has Failed album cover Album · 2004 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Kingcrimsonprog
Megadeth’s tenth studio album The System Has Failed was a largely superb record that picked up the sound that the band had started with The World Needs A Hero and paired out all the commercialism, made the guitar tones heavier and dirtier and injected some classic Thrash Metal attitude into the wonderful modern metal that frontman and primary songwriter Dave Mustaine had been coming out with at the time.

Interestingly, while The System Has Failed sounds like a revitalized Megadeth record, it actually began its life as a solo album from Dave Mustaine, and was the first ever Megadeth release not to feature long time bassist David Ellefson. Despite this inconvenient fact, The System Has Failed is a hugely exciting Megadeth album with some serious highlights and astonishing guitar work.

Album highlights include the fast and thrash influenced ‘Kick The Chair,’ ‘Blackmail The Universe,’ and ‘Back In The Day,’ which are still to this day some of the band’s finest work and must listen stuff for all Megadeth fans and more than welcome in any live setlist. Fans who prefer the material that the band made in the 80s should definitely check those songs out.

Unfortunately the album doesn’t retain that exact level of sheer quality throughout, otherwise it would be one of the bands best albums, as it stands it is just a very good album but not an all time classic. The album certainly did spark an upward trend in Megadeth releases and the next two albums along with this helped fully restore the public’s respect for Megadeth which was somewhat challenged on some of their previous works.

For fans of the band’s melodic and slower works from the nineties, there are songs like ‘Tears In A Vial,’ and ‘The Scorpion,’ which are full of brilliant guitar and strong vocals.

Overall, The System Has Failed maybe shouldn’t be the first Megadeth album that you pick up and the band have made better albums, but when you do get yourself a copy you will not be all that disappointed, especially with the aforementioned thrashier tracks.
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