Roadrunner

Didn't seem that long ago that Metallica released a new album right? ... Oh look, now Megadeth has one. Weird when that happens.

Dialectic Chaos starts out the album. Its a blazingly intense intro track that has Dave Mustaine and new guitarist Chris Broderick soloing back and forth in a game of "can you top this?" Usually Dave hires guitar players who won't outshine him, but I must say, he really fucked up this time! Chris Broderick completely steals the show out from under Dave's nose. It may sound premature at this stage of the current line-up but Broderick may be the best guitarist Dave has ever found. This Day We Fight is the first proper song and goddamn, does it pack a powerful punch. I don't remember the last time that the band sounded this vicious, probably not since Rust In Peace.

Despite what preview songs had one believe, Endgame isn't an all out thrash album. There are also more moderate tempoed songs not unlike their mid-90's material, which is fine by me. 44 Minutes is the first of these. This is the sort of song that would had fit nicely on Youthanasia and it would had also blown away everything on that particular one had it been written then (and I absolutely love that album). 1,320 returns to the hectic speed that Megadeth is typically known for, with a series of ripping solos that'll make anyone bang their heads. Bite The Hand is another mid-paced heavy tune with a killer chorus. Bodies sounds like a lost song from the Youthanasia sessions.

The last few albums had songs that served to show Dave's particular paranoia when it comes to politics. The album's title track is no different, describing a "what if" scenario that'll make the tinfoil-headed wet their pants. I personally find these lyrics silly. It would be like someone writing a song about Chicken Little. After the title track, we have the album's weakest track, The Hardest Part Of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss. This song is essentially divided in three parts. First its a ballad not unlike the ones that were on The World Needs A Hero, then it goes to a heavier part that seems like an unfinished song that was just shoved into this. The song closes out with a reprise of the sappy first part. This song really stands out and not in a good way. After that slip up, the band ends the album with a series of high notes. Headcrusher is an adrenaline-packed fist to the face, one of the fastest songs the band has done in almost 20 years. How The Story Ends and The Right To Go Insane close out the album with a one-two punch of mid-paced heaviness.

I've seen some people comment that this is the band's best album since Rust In Peace but I wouldn't go that far. I will say its the best they've done this decade. Hopefully Dave can keep this line-up together for a few more albums.


01. Dialectic Chaos
02. This Day We Fight
03. 44 Minutes
04. 1,320
05. Bite The Hand
06. Bodies
07. Endgame
08. The Hardest Part Of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss
09. Headcrusher
10. How The Story Ends
11. The Right To Go Insane

Score: 8/10