Megadeth – "The Sick, the Dying, and the Dead"
Just like "Back in the Day"...
Last full Megadeth record I heard was 2009's splendid "Endgame". Admittedly, though, I'm not much of a fan, seeing as how Dave Mustaine's vocals and the man himself are both kinda weird. But I can hear quality thrash when it comes out the speakers, regardless.
And Megadeth's 16th studio album is largely that. Notwithstanding that at this point, the band has changed its line-up more times than Whitesnake during the mid-to-late '80s, the opening title track is unmistakably Megadeth: An uptempo riff going from complex and melodic to bluesy and fierce during the verse. Mustaine sounds like a bitter old man, which is probably not far from the truth, but it does fit the dystopian (!) theme.
There's a nice amount of back-to-the-roots thrash this time around. Nothing innovative or memorable, but professional and mostly flawless in and by itself. The production is organic and clear, which is probably heard best in the waltz-y "Dogs of Chernobyl": The respective instruments tend to be busy at work most of the time by far, but they all come through equally well.
What we're dealing with here is a solid helping of MegaThrash that won't be a future classic, but that's as professionally done as you could expect from a maestro like Mustaine.
This track, however, sets a precedent for a kinda odd characteristic here: The lyrical subject matters are sometimes very specific, often leaving absolutely nothing to the listener's interpretation.
For example, "Mission to Mars" is about exactly that: Going to Mars in a spaceship. And I dunno if it's just me, but I find it a bit bizarre to hear the ever-snarling Mustaine singing lines like "I wanna be an astronaut", and "Blast-off, I'm on my way / I'm a shooting star, a man on a mission".
But at least that's kind of original. A song like "Junkie", on the other hand, is about – you guessed it – a junkie. Not exactly an original theme, much less downright cool. But hey – wouldn't be the first time a band recycled a theme. And musically, it does feature those signature deep triplet-pickings and arpeggiated riffs that fans love and expect.
I can hear quality thrash when it comes out the speakers. And Megadeth's 16th studio album is largely that.
And overall, that's what we're dealing with here: A solid helping of MegaThrash that won't be a future classic, but that's as professionally done as you could expect from a maestro like Mustaine. Everything's tight and well-played, and the borderline break-neck solos are enjoyable as always.
Apart from a couple of fillers, it all even holds up on side 2, with the catchy mid-tempo start/stop-riff of "Killing Time" and especially the closing "Well Be Back" being fresh and inspired stand-outs. Indeed, when "The Sick, the Dying, and the Dead" is at its best, it's like meeting an old acquaintance that you haven't seen in many years and maybe not had a lot in common with, but it still makes your day, because that person seems to be doing as well as humanly possible.
And considering Mustaine's comeback since cancer treatment, that's probably not far from the truth, either.
Rating: 4.5 out of 6
Genre: Thrash metal
Label: Universal Music Group
Release date: 2/9/2022
Producer: Chris Rakestraw + Dave Mustaine