Megadeth - United Abominations

[Liu]

Megadeth - United Abominations
Roadrunner

The last few years have been trying times if you're a Megadeth fan. First mainman Dave Mustaine decides to call it quits, disbanding the then line-up of Mustaine/Ellefson/Pitrelli/DiGrasso, only to reform the band with a whole new line-up the following year (minus Ellefson who had been a member of Megadeth since its very inception). All was well when Dave and his army of hired guns recorded the outstanding return album The System Has Failed, but alas, Dave was once again hit with the bug of calling it quits. He thankfully changed his mind again, and now (with yet another new line-up backing Dave up) the band has produced what is probably their strongest album in well over a decade.

I'll have to fess up and admit that the album didn't impress me on the first few listens. At first it seems that Mustaine is just re-treading old ground, but this perception quickly changes when one realizes that these songs are strong enough to stand on their own. The album begins with a one-two punch in the form of Sleepwalker and Washington Is Next, the latter of which may be the best Megadeth song perhaps since Tornado Of Souls. At first the song sounds odd because of an uncharacteristic melodic lick that opens the song, but once the verse starts the whole song explodes into a whole new stratosphere. I don't remember the last time where a simple rythmn riff has commanded my attention like the one during the verses in this one song. Add to that a top notch chorus that stretches out longer than a typical Megadeth chorus would normally go and you got simply one of the more ear-catching songs in the band's catalouge.

Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms is a song that could have been on The World Needs A Hero. Its rather simple in structure and despite having the "..." in the title, its just one straight-forward song instead of two like every other "..." song the band has made. I'm still not sure what "A Call To Arms" is supposed to refer to. The title track is more melodic and mid-paced in tone, voice-overs serving as the main source of discontent that the lyrics are aiming at. Gears Of War is the first real weak song on the album. It starts with an interesting gothic intro but doesn't go anywhere after. Its frustrating because the chorus really has some bite behind it, but the rest of the song fails to follow through. Blessed Are The Dead is one of the album's best songs, having a slow build in the beginning that reaches its realization during the excellent chorus. Play For Blood is another interesting song, the main body of the song has a groove that brings to mind the late Dimebag Darrell.

The biggest mark against United Abominations is the inclusion of a re-recorded version of A Tout Le Monde, which originally appeared on the Youthanasia album. This new version (with the added subtitle of "Set Me Free") is completely out of place on the album, destroying the momentum set by the songs that preceeded it. The original ballad vibe has been removed in favor of an upbeat tempo meant to attract a more mainstream crowd. The duet with Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia is basically a waste, she doesn't add anything to the song and in some parts gets in the way (she sings a lyric over the outro which just infuriates me). This song should have been left off for a soundtrack or as a b-side.

The sour note continues with Amerikhastan, easily the worst song on the album (at least among the original material). Musically its decent but the vocal line has Dave just ranting on and on. I haven't felt the need to comment on the political nature of the lyrics yet because its common ground as far as Megadeth is concerned. On Amerikhastan Dave takes it to the almost absurd, sounding like a paranoid conspiracy theorist who is desperately trying to get someone to listen to him before the Men In Black come to take him away. At the very least the album closes out on an extremely high note with You're Dead and Burnt Ice. Both songs contain what must be considered some of the very best solo work featured on any Megadeth album, and that's covering quite alot of ground. I don't think I've heard Dave sound as bitter as he does on You're Dead in a very, very long time (I'm willing to bet anything that that song is in some way refering to Lars). Burnt Ice is the band's best full blown thrash song in ages. Dave's very last solo in the song is a reprise in part of the solo found on Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, no doubt his way of saying that the band has gone full circle. The lyrics refer to a drug user spiralling out of control and I'm glad Dave is well past that point of his life.

The best part of the album is the sheer amount of solos contained within it. Glen Drover is more than up to the task of filling the second guitar spot that was previously held by guys like Marty Freidman and Chris Poland. In fact, on quite a few occasions, he even outshines Mustaine's own guitarwork, a formidable task to say the very least. The album has Dave and Glen trading off an endless barrage of solos, more than any other Megadeth album, even including Rust In Peace. These aren't placeholders either, these are extremely well thought out and compliment each song perfectly.

In my view United Abominations has already surpassed The System Has Failed and is quite frankly the band's best album since Youthanasia (an album I hold very high in regard). Barring any spur-of-the-moment decisions by Dave, Megadeth have proven that they are still very relevant in this day and age and will continue to do so in the coming years.


01. Sleepwalker
02. Washington Is Next!
03. Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms
04. United Abominations
05. Gears Of War
06. Blessed Are The Dead
07. Play For Blood
08. A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)
09. Amerikhastan
10. You're Dead
11. Burnt Ice

Score: 8/10