Megadeth Continue to Take No Prisoners, Nor Shit

By: Ryan Linska

Megadeth are back with another mind crushing thrash album titled Endgame, and all I can say is “holy shit”. Megadeth are one of those bands that never cease to impress with each release. This trend continues with Endgame. The album sucks you in with the opener "Dialectic Chaos”, pleasing you with the sounds of the shredding duo of none other than Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine and his new partner in crime Chris Broderick. This is Chris Broderick’s first appearance on a Megadeth album, and he does nothing but impress the entire way through…this guy can SHRED! He is easily one of the most talented guitar players on the thrash scene right now.

Throughout Endgame the guitar playing of Broderick and Mustaine is top notch, every note, every solo, nailed with the upmost perfection. Mustaine and Broderick trade off solos that feed off one another in a magical fashion hardly seen in newer releases nowadays, the chemistry is perfect. Supported by the strong rhythm section provided by James Lomenzo (drums) and Shawn Drover (bass) the thrash beast that is Megadeth continues to assault it’s listeners with ear-bleeding thrash metal.

The album is a pure thrash album from start to finish, from the aforementioned “Dialectic Chaos” to the single “Head Crusher” Megadeth unleashes a force which no-one can withstand. However, the album is not without its breathing space. On “The Hardest Part of Letting Go…Sealed With a Kiss” we get a chance to rest our necks from the full on head banging assault. The song itself lets the listener breath before the pummeling thrash assault begins again. Through and through there are few low points on this album; each song is as strong as the last, angry and pissed. My personal favorite tracks on this album were: Dialectic Chaos, Head Crusher, This Day We Fight, Endgame and 44 Minutes.

The song writing continues the previous thread we saw on “United Abominations” with a couple of the songs being very politically based, and one going far as attacking ex-President Bush directly in it’s lyrics (Endgame). However, it seems Mustaine has taken it easy on political songs and allowed some other influences in as well, such as on the song 1,320 which is about nitro fuel funny cars. Overall, Mustaine’s songwriting hasn’t lost its touch on this record in the least.

Now for the criticism, I overall enjoyed this album, but one thing that threw me off was the ballad…When I think Megadeth I do not think love ballad, the example of this being “The Hardest Part of Letting Go…Sealed With a Kiss”. Now I don’t know about anyone else’s opinion of a thrash record, but when I think thrash the word "ballad" does not even cross my mind. The ballad doesn’t bring down the album too much by any means, but could have been left out; it just doesn't fit. At least this time we didn’t have to hear a duet with the lead singer of Lacuna Coil…

Another small problem I have with this record is the abundance of politically based songs. Now I don’t mind political songs, but sometimes it becomes overkill. Unlike the last record “United Abominations” Mustaine has toned down on his politics, which is a step up. However, I feel like during these songs, instead of bringing issues of society to light, I hear bitching. Overall, not a huge problem but something I wouldn’t mind seeing removed from future albums.

Final judgment… Endgame is an amazing thrash record. It shows growth for Megadeth as a band, and paves the path for, hopefully, many more albums to come from. I award this album with a solid 9/10. I highly recommend this album for anyone who is a fan of Megadeth, metal, or heavier music in general.