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MEGADETH
Megadeth

BLKIIBLK (2026)
Rating: 7/10

I think I was one of the naive souls who expected the final record of Megadeth to be an all-out thrash assault. However, I was a fool to think such a thing, especially when considers that Dave Mustaine and company haven’t been a thrash band since the early 90s. Although Megadeth were, as a band, very much part of my metal youth, I drifted in and out of their catalogue after 1992’s Countdown To Extinction, and my tip-toeing trepidation was certainly justified from the late 90s onwards.

Admittedly, Mustaine always boasted more sneer than fellow juggernauts Metallica, and more recent records such as The System Has Failed (2004), Endgame (2009) and Dystopia (2016) were far more rewarding than latter day efforts from James Hetfield and co. But now, some 40 plus years since inception, Megadeth – or should I say, Dave Mustaine – takes his final bow before the curtain drops.

It’s intriguing then that Megadeth’s departure should end with a cover of Metallica’s ‘Ride The Lightning’, which of course Mustaine co-wrote in the mists of yesteryear. As a bonus cut, it’s a flat and rather soulless rendition suggesting that still, to this day, Mustaine remains haunted by the Metallica demons. Elsewhere, though, the album is palatable, if somewhat sanitised with the only real fire being that on the cover art as flames consume band mascot Vic Rattlehead. Personally, I’d have brought artist Ed Repka back in for one last painted hurrah, but then again this isn’t a thrash record.

Alas, like previous outings, Megadeth (shame they never called it Megadeath) flits in and out of steelier, sneering designs, the rest being a somewhat underwhelming composition mirroring the more placid viewpoint of a man collecting his pension at the grand old age of 64. So maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh on this swansong, but I’m not here to pander to trend, the fact is Megadeth, while well crafted, is tepid and even dull at times. If anyone tells you that this is a full circle album whereby Mustaine returns to where it all started, then give them a slap and tell them to go and review Robbie Williams.

Sure, you’ll get your thrash workouts on the terribly titled ‘Let There Be Shred’ with it’s equally cringe lyrics, but musically this record is the expected tight torrent of whizzing solos and flashing riffs, the hallmark of most aggressive Megadeth cuts. Mustaine sounds a tad thin vocally, maybe that’s to be expected, but as the album unravels from the opening ‘Tipping Point’ to the rear end of ‘The Last Note’, I’m left somewhat nonplussed, unfazed and subdued.

I watched a recent interview with Mustaine who stated that at the start of recording this was just “the next album” that changed into being “the final album”, but it’s a record that lacks the triumphant snap of a fitting finale. ‘I Am War’ is your standard mid-tempo rocker as is ‘Puppet Parade’; a brace of ineffective songs which regurgitate the lacklustre and generic phases of the band’s post 90s career. ‘Tipping Point’ sets us up nicely with its thrash scurries and darting leads, and a round of applause must also go to bassist James LoMenzo. However, when the dust settles the thrash outbursts on the album are spoadic. No, I wasn’t expecting Rust In Peace part two, but I did anticipate a livelier opus. Case in point, ‘Hey, God?!’, ‘Another Bad Day’ and ‘Obey The Call’, all well crafted yet uninspiring mid-tempo slabs which stick to tried and tested formulas.

Lyrically, there’s the usual mix of the tongue in cheek and the reflective, the most noteworthy and poignant being on ‘The Last Note’. Mustaine croons: “One more spotlight starts to fade to black, One more winding road that I won’t come back, The roar I lived for, it starts to die, And now it’s time for me to say the long goodbye”. Each mile, the road has worn me thin, Each song has got beneath my skin, The strings and amps still scream and cry, And I can’t outrun the spinning hands of time”. Even with such stirring wafts of emotion the presence of cringe remains, but that’s typical of Mustaine as we’ve experienced with so many of his songs. ‘Made To Kill’ and the punky ‘I Don’t Care’ provide some speedy spunk, but it’s not high class material worthy of a last will and testament. Instead, they are mere watery flurries in an otherwise restrained environment.

Nothing here leaves a lasting impression, but for those blinded by nostalgic sentiment there may be rose-tinted moments. For me though, this self-titled curtain call more so epitomises the last few decades of Megadeth’s career; tepid at worse, but a world away from the energy and technical prowess of their vintage years. Goodbye Megadeth, it’s been a blast… at times.

Neil Arnold

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