With great music, to paraphrase, comes great responsibility. As one of the leading exponents of thrash Megadeth and, in particular, their fiery leader Dave Mustaine, come under the microscope every time they release an album. That Megadeth have, over the years, made mistakes is beyond dispute, but, when you have a back catalogue as extensive, mistakes seem almost inevitable. Recent years, however, have seen Megadeth on rare form. ‘Risk’ may have seen the Megadeth ship wobble, but the albums that followed saw the band edging back towards their ferocious peak and it is arguable that recent albums ‘Endgame’ and ‘13’ were up there alongside classic Megadeth albums such as ‘peace sells…’ Just as everything seemed to be rosy, however, it came as something of a surprise when Megadeth released the counter-intuitive ‘Super collider’. Unlike the majority of fans, it seems, I don’t consider ‘super collider’ to be a bad album per se, but the slower pace and radio friendly cuts such as ‘burn!’ clearly aggravated those who wanted the band’s thrash streak to continue and the result was that the album was panned (somewhat unfairly) by many who had never even sat down to listen to the whole thing. In hindsight ‘super collider’ is not a bad record, but it remains something of a perplexing entry considering the albums that preceded it and so it will come as a relief to many that ‘Dystopia’ sees Megadeth back to their razor-sharp best, tearing into thrash riffs with a gleeful abandon that makes the album the equal of ‘Endgame’ at the very least.
The album opens as it means to go on – with a moment of deceptive calm giving way to the furious riff of ‘the threat is real’. Straight away the rush of adrenalin is there and, as Dave’s increasingly gritty growl emerges from the speakers, it is clear that the Megadeth of 2016 is the streamlined, politically-informed killing machine that ‘Endgame’ promised. With Dave and Kiko (Loureiro) trading blistering solos, the rhythm section (comprising long-time member Dave Ellefson and LoG sticksman Chris Adler) tear the road up in front of them and it’s clear that we’re in classic ‘Deth territory. It’s a hell of an opener and it leads neatly to the slick melodic riffing of the title track, a chrome plated monster that could easily come off ‘Countdown to extinction’ with its clean lines, blazing leads and awe-inspiring conclusion. Things get darker as the chugging riffs of ‘Fatal illusion’ loom into view with all the subtlety of the Martian killing machines from War of the Worlds, Dave Ellefson’s ominous bass underpinning riffs of real weight before giving way to a sweet bass solo that simply kicks ass. This is the Megadeth that causes even hardened fans to eulogize over the power of Dave Mustaine in full flow and there’s a strong argument that, record for record, Megadeth have become mightiest of the so called big four regardless of what sales figures may tell you. ‘Death from within’ slowly emerges from a haze, a deceptively muffled intro giving way to an all-out assault that hits home with the force of a sledgehammer, Dave snarling about the fires of war, his thousand-yard stare telling you that he’s not unfamiliar with the dark side. ‘Bullet to the brain’, for all that it tackles dark subject matter, is an arena-killing anthem complete with a chorus to die for and the sort of furious, technically dazzling riff that Dave has made his stock in trade over the years. Things take an even darker turn for the doom-laden ‘post-American world’ which sees Megadeth benefitting from Chris’ adventurous manoeuvrings around the kit. The song has a sinister quality, the chugging riff and Dave’s calmly threatening voice intoning “if you don’t like where we’re going, you won’t like what’s coming next!”
Taking a moment, ‘poisonous shadows’ builds out of a deceptively beautiful acoustic guitar refrain before building into a mid-tempo metallic monster that has ‘epic’ written all over it. From the exquisite solos to the sound of a tolling bell, itis dark-hearted, story-telling metal at its best and a perfect example of the power that Megadeth wields in 2016. ‘Conquer or die’ opens in Spaghetti Western mode, with another acoustic guitar refrain building to an instrumental that is jaw dropping in its display of virtuoso musicianship. It is tracks such as this that underscore the ambition that still eats away at Dave Mustaine and, on ‘Dystopia’, there’s a sense that his grand vision has been bought fully to life by possibly the strongest ‘deth line up yet. Treating the previous track as an extended intro, ‘Lying in state’ storms form the gates with a raw power that easily equals any of the music from Megadeth’s early days. This is Dave daring thrash newcomers to come for his crown and defending it with an unexpected ferocity that is dizzying. A track with a radio-friendly vibe, ‘The emperor’ recalls the likes of (whisper it) ‘crush ‘em’ with its chugging riff and strong melodic hook, and yet, with the blistering solos that epitomise the rest of the album still firmly in place, it’s radio-friendly metal with a venomous edge and lyrics such as “you even suck the life out of dying!” it’s clear that Dave’s mordent sense of humour is still firmly intact. The album concludes, having rushed through its tracks at relentless pace, with ‘foreign policy’, a ferocious blast of toxic punk metal that harks back to Dave’s earliest compositions. Sounding for all the world like Ministry, shorn of the jabbering technology, ‘foreign policy’ is the razor-sharp conclusion the album needed and it leaves the listener exhausted and yet elated that Megadeth have managed to hit it out of the park with such force.
Megadeth have had their ups and downs over the years and Dave Mustaine has not always helped his cause with his ridiculously plain speaking approach and revolving door policy on band members. And yet Dave’s flaws are arguably also his greatest strength. Unlike so many rock stars he remains resolutely human and grounded and his assertion that “it’s still we, the people, right?” remarkably rings true no matter how many million records he sells. Where other bands seem to become increasingly distanced from their audience, Megadeth remain a band with whom fans can maintain a genuine connection and albums such as ‘dystopia’ do much to reward the loyal. At their best, megadeth have always been a politically charged killing machine, and ‘dystopia’ holds up a cracked and dirty mirror to modern society with frequently dazzling effect. Chris Adler brings considerable weight to the performance but the stars of the show are Dave and Kiko who trade whip-smart solos across the album like duellists crossing swords. Their dextrous, inventive work sits at the heart of what makes ‘Dystopia’ so powerful whilst Dave Mustaine has stepped up his game to craft an album that brutally characterizes the fractured world we live in. In short, ‘Dystopia’ is a Megadeth album to cherish and a stark reminder of just how potent Dave Mustaine remains – do not miss this album!
