Nightfly When listening to this album today I was thinking about the hard time it’s had from the press and a lot of fans. Not thrash enough, their weakest for years etc. I can’t agree with any of that as Super Colider is a damn good traditional metal album.

Sure, there’s not much here that could be called thrash metal but who cares when the songs are this good. This album is full to the brim with great songs and riffs, many with strong melodies which okay, some may not particularly want from their metal if you like the more extreme stuff. They certainly haven’t gone soft though, just listen to the clever shifting rhythm of Built For War for starters topped off with a killer riff and the opening 1-2 of Kingmaker and Super Colider. The playing’s great – a real shame this line-up didn’t last. Dave Mustaine’s voice has nicely matured with a gruff edge that can really hold a tune – less shrill and lost the whiney edge it had on the early albums. I’m looking for a bad song here and can’t really find one. Dance In The Rain may be a bit ordinary and sedate until it picks up towards the end and Forget To Remember is not particularly memorable but they’re far from bad. They save the best until almost the end – Don’t Turn Your Back after a mock blues intro kicks ass with a pummelling riff and driving double kick drums. Awesome stuff!

Super Colider may not match Peace Sells… for classic status but I actually believe this to be their best album since Rust In Peace and good that it is, better than Endgame which many rate highly as a return to form. A new one is on the way with a couple of hired hands from Angra and Lamb of God (Kiko Loureiro and Chris Adler) to replace departed Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick. Interesting to see if it can match the quality on offer here.

The Angry Scotsman After their own thrash metal comeback album, "Endgame" Megadeth released the lackluster, though not really bad, "Thirteen" and this, (in addition to "Endgame" being weaker than both Metallica's "Death Mangnetic" and Slayer's "World Painted Blood") left me not terribly optimistic for their next album.

Unfortunately, my feelings were validated, and listening again now almost 2 years later, my opinions are unchanged. As it may be known I am a fan of all types of metal and music in general, I don't need a Megadeth album to be thrash. My issue with "Super Collider" is not "it's not thrash" it's just not very good.

"Super Collider" is a boring album, criminally so. Mustaine's vocals are poor, and yes...that is even for Mustaine. The music is simple, uninspired, lackluster, and boring. Sure, there are some good riffs, cool moments, and decent solos but it is not enough to redeem this boring, radio rock album.

While I never fault a band for doing different things, I just don't think Mustaine is capable of making good, non thrash music. Though unlike some of their 90s albums, "Super Collider" lacks any good songs, and even lacks good moments. I always found some good songs, or interesting/enjoyable moments on their non thrash albums even if not caring for them overall, but there is shockingly little to be found here.

"Don't Turn Your Back..." was the only song that found any resonance with me on the album. Though it was not anything more than "attending holding".

So maybe Mustaine can't make non thrash music, maybe I just expect more from him/the band with all their talent, regardless this is an album that leaves no impact. I can't give it a two star, because there is no guarantee a fan of the band would probably enjoy this album, I myself and many others I know don't. It's not garbage, there is nothing offensively bad with it, so I will give it a 1.5 and say there is no need to listen to this album aside from pure curiosity.

ONE AND A HALF STARS

Stephen Based on several spins, I came to conclusion that this is no better than ‘Thirteen’. Couple of notable tracks for me here are 'Kingmaker' which offers a tremendous riffs and I guess the whole song is enjoyable and 'Forget To Remember', a very nice hard rock outfit, perhaps a little bit commercial, and very melodic, love it. The last track, which happens to be Thin Lizzy cover if i'm not mistaken, is great too, but I guess too many fillers here.

'Super Collider' is kinda cheesy, they tried to be radio friendly but don't know why I can't like this track. 'Burn!' starts up nice with a solid riffage and good verse, but what happened to the chorus, they just ruined it. 'Beginning of Sorrow' sounds like an alternative crap, but wait until you hear 'The Blackest Crow', perhaps the worst track they made here. Some other good tracks here such as 'Off The Edge', 'Built For War' and 'Don't Turn Your Back' are kinda okay. It grows a bit after a while.

I guess Megadeth just reached a new low and they need to come up with a better stuff, at least give it a mix between 'Endgame' and 'Thirteen' and I'll be a happy man, but this thing will stuck around 70% and definitely not their proudest moment.

UMUR "Super Collider" is the 14th full-length studio album by US heavy/thrash metal act Megadeth. The album was released through Tradecraft Records in June 2013. Tradecraft Records is lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine´s own label and "Super Collider" is the first album released on the label. It´s interesting to note that it´s the first Megadeth album since "Cryptic Writings (1997)" where there have been no lineup changes since the preceding album. For a short while in the early- to mid nineties Megadeth had a stable lineup. Maybe Dave Mustaine has finally found another stable constellation.

...judging by the high level musicianship on display here, that´s a healthy thing for the band. These guys are solid and tight playing. The many guitar solos on the album (especially those played by Chris Broderick) are really well played. Dave Mustaine´s vocal delivery is also pretty good on this album although his nasal voice will probably always be an aquired taste. The album is packed in a professional and powerful sound production, which might not be a surprise, but it´s a great asset.

It´s when it comes to the songwriting I´m left a bit wanting. Out of the 11 tracks on the 45:14 minutes long album, there are simply too many unremarkable tracks. They are not bad, just unremarkable. I found 4 tracks that I felt stood out. The opening track "Kingmaker" (which is one of the few slightly thrashy tracks on the album), the title track (which might sound like something off the much criticized "Risk (1999)", but it´s a damn well composed track and it´s highly memorable), "Dance in the Rain" (which features an interesting structure and a couple of adventurous ideas) and the closing cover of "Cold Sweat" by Thin Lizzy. The rest (at least to my ears) weren´t on the same level as the 4 mentioned highlights.

"Super Collider" is one of those Megadeth albums where they sound more like a heavy metal act with occasional thrash metal leanings, rather than a thrash metal act with occasional heavy metal leanings. You can decide for yourself if that´s a good or a bad thing. I´ll put in the subjective opinion here that they are best when they focus on thrash. When the songwriting then isn´t on the earth shattering level that we know Megadeth can deliver, the outcome is slightly disappointing. Overall it´s still a pretty good album though and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.