UMUR "Endgame" is the 12th full-length studio album by US thrash/heavy metal act Megadeth. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in September 2009. It´s the successor to "United Abominations" from 2007 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Glen Drover has left and has been replaced by Chris Broderick, who was fresh out of a 1997-2008 period stint with Jag Panzer. The rhythm section of drummer Shawn Drover and bassist James Lomenzo are still onboard with lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine completing the quartet lineup.

"Endgame" is usually considered one of the more thrash metal oriented releases in the band´s discography, and tracks like "This Day We Fight!" and "Head Crusher" are definitely in the fast-paced and thrashy end of the scale for Megadeth, but there is a little more to "Endgame" than what those tracks might suggest. But when you think of it most of the band´s releases are quite varied in style, so it´s no surprise that "Endgame" also features heavier thrash/heavy metal tracks, more melodic oriented songs, and even a half power ballad in "The Hardest Part of Letting Go... Sealed With a Kiss".

Megadeth are as well playing as ever, and Broderick brings a lot of shredding to the plate. "Endgame" is absolutely loaded with blistering guitar solos and lead guitar themes in top of the sharp thrash/heavy metal riffs and the powerful playing rhythm section. Mustaine sounds great on the album, although his voice and vocal style will always be an aquired taste. The sound production is courtesy of Mustaine and Andy Sneap, and although I could have wished for a slightly more organic production on the drums, the production is a high quality job. Powerful, sharp, and detailed, perfectly suiting the material. Upon conclusion "Endgame" is a strong release by Megadeth and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is fully deserved.

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.

bonnek This record is fun! Megadeth stuck to their tricks that's sure and doesn't experiment too much, but it also avoids that dreary mid-tempo that dragged so much previous albums down. This one basically has 10 stabs of energetic thrash metal and nothing less.

Actually this album reminds me a bit to the debut. It's like a grown up version with a professional execution and production, but it entirely captures that intensive energy again! It's still no 80's Megadeth, but at least it's an album with real bite and solid songs. It can be a tad formulaic at times, with 'Bodies' and 'How The Story Ends' sounding like at least 10 previous Megadeth songs. Mostly Megadeth ventures into fast paced and very technical material here that touches some of the challengingly technical thrash they did on 'RIP' and 'So Far So Good So What'. My favorite track is 'Headcrusher' but all songs work quite well here.

It's such a pleasure hearing this great band having so much fan at playing music again. I didn't hear that on the preceding 'United Abominations' and certainly not on anything between 'Youthanesia' and 'The System Has Failed'. I would rate this album just below the albums of their classic era (1986-1992) and it is the recommended pick if you want to explore something more recent from them. 3.5 stars it is, maybe 4 if I let my fan heart speak.

Kingcrimsonprog I was delighted with The System Has Failed, the band’s tenth studio album which was a step in the right direction as Megadeth altered their direction back to a more thrash sound again. It wasn’t just the musical style however, as the songs were great, the musicianship was excellent and the production was punchy again. The next album, United Abominations took that ball and ran with it, mixing the style from their thrash era with the style found on Countdown To Extinction to create a modern sounding album that still had that return to roots feel.

The band’s twelfth album, Endgame, feels like the next logical step in the new era; getting that next bit heavier and faster than United Abominations but without becoming stale or uninteresting. The album opens up with an enjoyable instrumental speed metal track full of guitar solos. The phrase `start as you mean to continue,’ comes to mind as the rest of the album follows that formula, with the exception of `The Hardest Part Of Letting Go…’ which is similar in style to `Promises,’ from their The World Needs a Hero album, only reworked with some extra speed metal segments.

There are no weak tracks, no bad guitar solos and the production is brilliant, really there isn’t a lot more you could expect. Dave Mustaine snarls and barks in top form and even lets his singing voice out on some of the more melodic moments, his voice is as good as it ever was, with no slide or decline to be found. Furthermore the drumming is rock solid, with plenty of double kick and inter cymbal fills to accompany the bevy of flawless guitar solos and bouncy bass guitar lines.

Standout tracks include the amazing thrash style title track `Endgame,’ which is probably the catchiest song on the album, `This Day We Fight,’ an awesome straight up thrash number and the interesting closer `The Right To Go Insane,’ which has a kind of `Youthanasia,’ feel to it.

To summaize, Endgame is Megadeth at the peak of their abilities, with top notch production, musicianship and songwriting. If you liked the last two Megadeth albums then you will unquestionably love this well written masterpiece. Like