Kingcrimsonprog 2022’s The Sick, The Dying And The Dead is Thrash Metal legends Megadeth’s 16th full-length studio album. At just shy of an hour, the Mustaine / Chris Rakestraw produced record is a nice, easily digestible slice of modern Megadeth.

The album’s backstory will doubtlessly overshadow the music (you know it all by now, Dave’s triumph over cancer, Ellefson’s removal from the band, Steve Di Giorgio’s stepping in etc). The music probably won’t be talked about as much, especially in a few year’s time.

Stylistically, its sort of the same direction the band have been doing since United Abominations. There are some pretty strong tunes that fans will love “Soldier On” “Celebutante” and “Night Stalkers” are all quite memorable, but there is a little bit of filler and like the previous album, Dystopia, its a lot of the right style with great guitar and drums, but slightly forgettable actual songs, that don’t live up to say Endgame or the first six albums.

The special digital edition of the album ends with two cover tunes, a Dead Kennedys B-side and a Sammy Hagar tune where Sammy himself actually provides guest vocals. A nice bit of fun as a bonus to round out the album and send you on your way. They end up being two of the most memorable tracks on the record. I would recommend this version.

TSTD&TD is an absolutely fine modern Megadeth album, and there are three or four songs from it that could make it into the live show for a short time, which at this stage in their career is really all you can ask for. Ranking it against their back catalogue, it feels kind of around the same tier as maybe Thirteen. Go in with tempered expectations, and you should have a good time. Just don’t expect an absolute career highlight. It’s the best album you can reasonably expect… just remember to have reasonable expectations.

UMUR "TH1RT3EN" is the 13th full-length studio album by US thrash metal/heavy metal act Megadeth. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in November 2011. It´s the successor to "Endgame" from 2009 and is´s notable for the return of original bassist Dave Ellefson, who had not recorded with the band since "The World Needs a Hero (2001)". He replaces James LoMenzo who had recorded and toured with the band in the 2006-2010 period.

The music on the album is thrashy heavy metal, which of course is no surprise if you are familiar with the band´s back catalogue. Some of the band´s albums have leaned more towards heavy metal than thrash metal and visa versa. "Endgame (2009)" was one of the more thrash metal dominated releases by Megadeth, but with "TH1RT3EN" I think the band again lean a bit more towards heavy metal, although the album still features many thrash metal riffs and rhythms.

One of the greatest assets on the album is the high level musicianship and especially guitarist Chris Broderick who delivers one shredding, melodic lead after another. He is able to lift even some of the more standard quality tracks to a higher level with his diverse and skillful playing. The rest of the band are also, as usual, very well playing including frontman Dave Mustaine who delivers yet another nasal, snarling, and distinct sounding vocal performance. He shows his softer more melodic side on occasion though. His performance in "Millennium of the Blind" is an example of that, but quite a few of the tracks on "TH1RT3EN" feature relatively melodic choruses.

Although the standard of the songwriting is pretty high throughout there are some less remarkable tracks on the album and only a few standout tracks. Highlights include the two opening tracks "Sudden Death" and "Public Enemy No. 1" and album closer "13". Some of the material on the album had previously been recorded as demos, and therefore written several years before, but was re-worked and re-arranged for "TH1RT3EN". It can be heard in the riff style on some tracks, which is similar to the riff style on various preceding releases. In that respect "TH1RT3EN" isn´t the most original or unique sounding Megadeth release, but it´s recognisable and the overall quality of the album is solid. Featuring a powerful, detailed, and well sounding production job, it is another quality release by Megadeth, but still a slight step down from the quality of "Endgame (2009)". A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

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.

UMUR "United Abominations" is the 11th full-length studio album by US thrash/heavy metal act Megadeth. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in May 2007. It´s the successor to "The System Has Failed" from 2004 and features an almost completely new lineup since the predecessor, as the only remaining member of the lineup who recorded "The System Has Failed (2004)" is lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Mustaine has brought in the Drover brothers Glenn and Shawn (Eidolon) on guitars and drums respectively and former White Lion bassist James Lomenzo was brought in to complete the quartet lineup.

The material on "United Abominations" is the sound of Megadeth as we know them. Melodic thrash/heavy metal featuring sharp riffs, a skilled and well playing rhythm section, great guitar harmonies and blistering solo work, and Mustaine´s distinct sounding snarling vocals in front. Mustaine has increased his melodic singing over the years, and his most raw snarling has decreased, but there is generally a good balance between the two styles on "United Abominations". He also talks/sings on some parts and Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil performs guest vocals on the re-recording of "À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)".

Initially I didn´t understand the idea of re-recording a song, which in its original form is already a Megadeth evergreen, but I must say that this re-recorded version is quite the treat. "United Abominations" is overall a very well written and for the most part instantly catchy and memorable album, but a little criticism would be that it is frontloaded with the best quality material. The first five tracks on the tracklist are all great and the above mentioned re-recording of "À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)" is also a highlight, but some of the closing tracks on the album aren´t that remarkable ("Burnt Ice" is quite a nicely fierce thrasher though). Mind you there´s nothing of a bad quality here, just a couple of tracks which aren´t that memorable beyond their playing time (and there are some pretty awful lyrics which mare "Amerikhastan").

"United Abominations" features a powerful, heavy, and detailed sounding production, which suits the material perfectly and does what the best production do...make the material shine. Upon conclusion "United Abominations" is a step up in quality from the 2004 comeback album "The System Has Failed". Megadeth sound like a band on this album and not just a solo project by Mustaine released under the Megadeth monicker (which "The System Has Failed (2004)" pretty much was). And that´s not to take away from "The System Has Failed (2004)" which is a great album in its own right, but to my ears this one just sounds more like a "real" Megadeth album. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The System Has Failed" is the 10th full-length studio album by US thrash/heavy metal act Megadeth. The album was released through Sanctuary Records in September 2004. It´s the successor to "The World Needs a Hero" from 2001 and features several lineup changes since the predecessor. The only remaining member of the lineup who recorded "The World Needs a Hero (2001)" is actually lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Several different things led to the big lineup shuffles, and the first was Mustaine disbanding Megadeth in April 2002, because of a serious arm injury, which made him unable to play guitar. Mustaine received intense physical therapy but it still took months before he could play guitar again.

The writing sessions for "The System Has Failed" started out as a Mustaine solo project, but because of contractual obligations the project adopted the Megadeth name. Mustaine called his old friend and co-founder of the band bassist David Ellefson, but the latter was unsatisfied with the financial terms of the deal Mustaine offered him and refused the offer to return to Megadeth. Instead Mustaine opted to bring in session musicians for the project. Former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland was brought in to record solos and lead guitar parts, Jimmy Sloas was brought in to record bass, and Vinnie Colaiuta to play drums. The latter is mostly known for playing on many jazz/fusion releases by various artists, but also for playing with Frank Zappa in the late 70s and early 80s. A very skilled drummer and quite the capacity.

Not surprisingly the high level musicianship is one of the greatest assets of "The System Has Failed". Colaiuta brings something a little different to the rhythm part of the band´s sound (while staying true to the core sound), and Poland delivers one blistering melodic solo after another. Mustaine sounds revitalized after the rather limb "The World Needs a Hero (2001)" and his riffs are sharp and his vocals strong. His unique voice will always be an aquired taste, but he arguably puts on a good performance here. It sounds like the hiatus (although it was forced upon him) was actually good for him.

The material are generally of a good quality but it´s not through and through a brilliant release. There are enough quality material here to warrant me calling "The System Has Failed" a good quality album though, and tracks like "Blackmail the Universe", "Kick the Chair", and "My Kingdom" (which are all among the most hard edged and thrash metal oriented tracks on the album) are for example pretty strong tracks, which smell just a little bit like 80s/90s Megadeth. The remaining tracks range from good to slightly mediocre, but none are bad. If I have to compare "The System Has Failed" with some previous Megadeth releases it would probably be the melodic heavy metal oriented "Youthanasia (1994)" with an occasional whiff of "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986)". The latter is mostly due to Poland contributing but the occasional appearance of a hard edged riff also point in that direction.

"The System Has Failed" features a powerful, detailed, and well sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. The sound greatly contributes to the material shining and appearing as effectful as possible. Upon conclusion Megadeth have succeeded yet again in writing and recording a good quality melodic heavy metal/thrash metal album. It occasionally makes my blood boil and the rest of the time I´m at least well entertained listening to music as well composed and performed as the case is here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

martindavey87 The Megadeth episode of VH1’s ‘Behind the Music’ series is pretty much exactly what it says it is; a look at the history of one of heavy metal’s most beloved bands. The VH1 name gives this a bit more credibility and authenticity than your typical unofficial band biography, and as such, this features interviews with band members past and present, as well as other people associated with the band at one point or another.

Looking candidly at Dave Mustaine’s expulsion from Metallica, the bands early days and their later attempts to break into mainstream territory, as well as Mustaine’s endless battles with addictions, other than being a bit outdated now, (being released in 2001), this is overall a very interesting watch, and a worthy addition to any Megadeth fan’s collection.

martindavey87 ‘Rusted Pieces’ was my first music DVD purchase, way back in the year 2000, at the tender age of 13! While YouTube makes any collection of promotional music videos pretty pointless today, this was still an awesome video to watch back when I was barely old enough to shave. Featuring just six music videos and small bits of dialogue in between each song, these are some of Megadeth’s finest early songs, and have some significance to heavy metal history. However, despite that, at barely half an hour in duration, this isn’t worth owning today unless you’re an OCD collector like me, who needs to own everything.

Kingcrimsonprog Megadeth’s That One Night: Live In Buenos Aires is arguably the band’s finest live effort and certainly one of their best DVDs. The band are absolutely on fire in terms of performance and energy, the crowd are going wild for the band and the setlist is superb, what more could anyone ask for in a concert ?

In terms of the actual DVD; the Audio/Visual quality is top notch and the whole performance is captured well, with a good job made of the mixing, camerawork and editing. Everything is utterly professional and well handled, nothing is cheesy or over the top which just allows the music to do the talking.

Surprisingly; apart from frontman Dave Mustaine, even though the band’s line up at the time didn’t feature any musician responsible for the albums from Rust In Peace – Cryptic Writings, or indeed David Ellefson who was on every single Megadeth album until The System has Failed, the band put down a storming performance and seem to be at the top of their game, reveling in their success and fired on by the manic crowd.

(Then) New members Glen Drover on guitar, James MacDonough on Bass and on Shawn Drover on Drums are all great additions to the band, and it isn’t difficult to see why Glen lasted another studio album and Shawn remains with the band to this day.

The concert includes all the classic Megadeth material you would expect like ‘Peace Sells…,’ ‘Holy Wars… The Punishment Due,’ ‘Symphony Of Destruction,’ and ‘In My Darkest Hour,’ as well as some less played numbers such as ‘I’ll Be There,’ and the superb ‘Set The World Afire.’

Additionally, their then new The System Has Failed record is well represented and the songs fit well into the set along side all the fan favourites.

That One Night’ was filmed in 2005 and released in 2007 and is still a brilliant live document and perhaps unsurpassed by later releases. I remember being hugely impressed with it when it was new, and watching it back now my opinion has not changed at all, which is surely a good sign. All Megadeth fans should all consider picking up a copy, this is an utterly fantastic concert and would serve as a fine introduction to the band. I highly recommend it.