{"id":95245,"date":"2022-09-02T00:00:20","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T23:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=95245"},"modified":"2022-09-05T15:27:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T14:27:48","slug":"album-review-megadeth-the-sick-the-dying-and-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-megadeth-the-sick-the-dying-and-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"MEGADETH – The Sick, The Dying\u2026 And The Dead! (2022) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

MEGADETH
The Sick, The Dying\u2026 And The Dead!<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nUMe (2022)<\/span>
Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I guess I\u2019m getting old because the last time I got excited about a Megadeth<\/a> album was in 1990 when the brilliant Rust In Peace<\/em> was released. Since then my interest, just like Dave Mustaine\u2019s thrash, has waned and I\u2019ve been on and off for decades, flitting in and out but occasionally finding some releases (Dystopia<\/em>, 2016) to be more than reasonable efforts.<\/p>\n

However, just like Metallica, Megadeth still spark debates as to whether they are thrash or not. I merely point people in the direction of damp squibs such as Super Collider<\/em><\/a> (2013) to quash any rumours that Megadeth is still thrash. But on the rare occasion Mustaine, and whatever merry bunch of musicians that tags along with him, will venture into those sharper tactical nuances as showcased on Dystopia<\/em> \u2013 but that was six years ago. Admittedly, my soft spot for Dave Mustaine and his recognisable sneer remains, and I\u2019d much prefer to journey into his psyche than that of Metallica, the U2 of the heavy metal world.<\/p>\n

And so we come to the next Megadeth chapter, and one which to an extent excites the metalhead in me, mainly because Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Sadus et al) plays bass, although it has since been announced that the new full-time bassist is journeyman James LoMenzo who previously featured for Megadeth from 2006-2010. Propping up Megadeth circa 2022 on percussion is Dirk Verbeuren, alongside axeman Kiko Loureiro, who have both been with Mustaine for around six years now.<\/p>\n

The Sick, The Dying\u2026 And The Dead!<\/em>, Megadeth\u2019s 16th full-length release, boasts 12 tracks, although certain editions feature two interesting but unnecessary extra tracks, both being cover versions which are \u2018Police Truck\u2019 (Dead Kennedy\u2019s) and \u2018This Planet\u2019s On Fire\u2019 (Sammy Hagar), with the latter feauring guest vocals from Hagar.<\/p>\n

The album will certainly please those who seek something punchy and clinical. The batch of tracks issued with videos pre-album release certainly suggested the band were harkening back to the classic years, but then again bands of this ilk often do that; draw you in then leave you feeling underwhelmed. Even so, the snarling speed metal energy of \u2018We\u2019ll Be Back\u2019 is riddled with head-to-head Mustaine \/ Loureiro shredding as those whiffs of 1988\u2019s So Far, So Good\u2026 So What!<\/em> fill the nostrils and war-torn images flash before the eyes to a soundtrack of hammering percussion and Megadeth\u2019s usual clinical scything.<\/p>\n

\u2018Life In Hell\u2019 is equal in its intensity as is the aggressive \u2018C\u00e9lebutante\u2019 and \u2018Sacrifice\u2019 which will please the thrashers, while the mid-tempo fires of \u2018Soldier On\u2019, \u2018The Dogs Of Chernobyl\u2019 and \u2018Killing Time\u2019 hit like juggernauts, bolstered by the swirling bass lines and that typical seething technicality.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m certainly of the opinion that since his cancer scare that Mustaine has found a renewed vigour within his soul, and even Ice-T\u2019s rather cheesy appearance on \u2018Night Stalkers\u2019 can be forgiven because musically it\u2019s so belligerence and cutting. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love Ice-T but hearing him boom \u201cGame\u2019s over bitches!\u201d<\/em> transports me back to metal\u2019s hazy heyday when every band and its dog were trying to be hip-hop. Thankfully, Mustaine\u2019s snarl and those dazzling slices of axe work just take this opus to new realms as the riff machines roll, twist and cavort but remain clear, concise and complex.<\/p>\n

What I really like about this record is the theatrical elements and numerous storylines ranging from the plague to tales of American black-ops and to Chernobyl\u2019s abandoned dogs, but there\u2019s also a sense of classic rock dynamics too when one hears the title track or the cosmically designed \u2018Mission To Mars\u2019. And one also must refer to some of the infectious choruses on offer as with \u2018Junkie\u2019, even if there are moments laced with cheesiness.<\/p>\n

Of course, there will still be those \u201cfans\u201d expecting Rust In Peace<\/em> part two, but all I can say to that is just move on and be thankful we still have Mr. Mustaine around to rip our ears with what is a revitalised Megadeth and one which continues to provide outstanding virtuoso performances but also showcase the power of the unit too, whoever that may include. For me, the inclusion of DiGiorgio is a blessing, albeit a short-lived one, but The Sick, The Dying\u2026 And The Dead!<\/em> remains a potent and polished offering, even if its cover art resembles a console game.<\/p>\n

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

MEGADETHThe Sick, The Dying\u2026 And The Dead! UMe (2022)Rating: 8\/10 I guess I\u2019m getting old because the last time I got excited about a Megadeth album was in 1990 when the brilliant Rust In Peace was released. Since then my interest, just like Dave Mustaine\u2019s thrash, has waned and I\u2019ve been on and off for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-megadeth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95245","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=95245"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95247,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95245\/revisions\/95247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}