{"id":11266,"date":"2004-09-14T00:00:53","date_gmt":"2004-09-14T00:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=11266"},"modified":"2013-06-01T15:05:44","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T15:05:44","slug":"album-review-megadeth-the-system-has-failed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-megadeth-the-system-has-failed\/","title":{"rendered":"MEGADETH – The System Has Failed (2004) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEGADETH
The System Has Failed<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSanctuary (2004)<\/span>
Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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After a two-year hiatus the mighty Megadeth<\/a> return to the fray with an album that suggests the band have become tired of wading in lukewarm waters, and instead prefer hotter lagoons.<\/p>\n

This time round there\u2019s no sign of David Ellefson (bass), Jimmy DeGrasso (drums) or Al Pitrelli (guitar) from 2001\u2019s The World Needs A Hero<\/em><\/a> as Dave Mustaine dives in solo, accompanied by an army of session musicians, including former Megadeth axe-master Chris Poland.<\/p>\n

Twelve tracks, 49 minutes, and an album cover (by Mike Learn) that nods to the 80s style of graphics. Album opener is the thrash-tinged \u2018Blackmail The Universe\u2019, a shredder\u2019s dream featuring some staggering guitar work courtesy of messrs Mustaine and Poland, and immediately we\u2019re thrown into a time machine that sweeps us back to the late 80s. \u2018Blackmail The Universe\u2019 is the sort of track we\u2019ve prayed for since Countdown To Extinction<\/em> (1992), featuring that distinctive Mustaine sneer which is packed with more attitude in the first few minutes than the last three Megadeth albums put together.<\/p>\n

\u2018Die Dead Enough\u2019 is a dark stomper of a track, although possibly one of the album\u2019s weakest. But just when we think we\u2019re sinking back to Megadeth mediocrity, we\u2019re submitted to the shred-fest that is \u2018Kick The Chair\u2019 with its shattering dynamics and structures, made all the more threatening by the drum machine that is Vinnie Colaiuta, a staggering journeyman of a drummer who deserves to be in a stable band playing arenas. The same must also be said for bassist Jimmy Sloas, best known for his session work with numerous country music artists.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019d have thought that such an unlikely line-up could propel Megadeth back to those dizzying heights of thrash mania? \u2018Kick The Chair\u2019 probably features more solos, jarring riffs and intricacies than most songs could handle. And it doesn\u2019t stop there, as the tick-tock melody of \u2018The Scorpion\u2019 provides us with the album\u2019s most melodic track, but an infectious one at that, featuring some great drug-related and folkloric lyrics and Colaiuta\u2019s mind-blowing drums.<\/p>\n

\u2018Tears In A Vial\u2019 is equally epic, featuring some of Poland\u2019s best solo work, and while \u2018I Know Jack\u2019 is merely a fleeting interlude, we\u2019re treated to the stunning \u2018Back In The Day\u2019 which sees Mustaine in reflective mood. The initial solo takes us right back to the mid-to-late 80s, and lyrically what may seem na\u00efve is in fact a nod to the thrash scene of all those years ago as Mustaine sneers, \u201cIn denim and leather, we are all part of one force, knocked rock \u2019n\u2019 roll on its ass, and put metal on the course\u201d<\/em>… absolutely brilliant! This track wouldn\u2019t have seemed out of place on the superb Peace Sells… But Who\u2019s Buying?<\/em> (1986) with that killer guitar sound.<\/p>\n

The same could also be said for the blistering chug of \u2018Something That I\u2019m Not\u2019, which could easily have been aimed at Dave Mustaine\u2019s former Metallica buddies with the lyrics, \u201cEverything about you has been one big charade, what will you do now that the well\u2019s run dry?\u201d<\/em>. I\u2019m guessing this could be aimed at any one of Mustaine\u2019s enemies. Even so, it\u2019s a sneering, wildebeest of a number which melts into the progressive swirls of \u2018Truth Be Told\u2019, which shows how the band can explore subtle realms without sounding meek. Again the guitars jar the ears, as the killer, chanted chorus steps in.<\/p>\n

The album finishes strongly too. \u2018Of Mice And Men\u2019 trudges out of the speakers as Mustaine reflects on his youth, spouting: \u201cBack when I was just seventeen, I thought that I knew everything, I could make it in this scene, To be a rising star that only gleamed, but all the answers disagreed, with the questions held for me\u201d<\/em> … superb stuff, once again. And then there\u2019s the pounding march of the brief yet battering ram that is known as \u2018Shadow Of Deth\u2019 which melts into album closer \u2018My Kingdom\u2019, complete with cutting riff and bone breaking drum.<\/p>\n

The System Has Failed<\/em> is, in my opinion, Megadeth back on track, heading back to those thrashy frontiers and making us realise just how much we missed them.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MEGADETHThe System Has Failed Sanctuary (2004)Rating: 8\/10 After a two-year hiatus the mighty Megadeth return to the fray with an album that suggests the band have become tired of wading in lukewarm waters, and instead prefer hotter lagoons. This time round there\u2019s no sign of David Ellefson (bass), Jimmy DeGrasso (drums) or Al Pitrelli (guitar) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-megadeth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11266"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12137,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11266\/revisions\/12137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}