There’s a point in Dave Mustaine’s autobiography, where he discusses meeting a group of skater kids wearing Megadeth t-shirts. Slightly suspicious, Dave quizzes the kids, but comes away firmly of the belief that the kids see Megadeth as their band. It’s a quality not lost on the many fans Megadeth have accrued over the years. Less cartoonish than Anthrax, more lyrically direct than either Metallica or Slayer, Megadeth remain best summed up by Dave’s own lyric – “it’s still ‘we the people’, right?” It’s a quality that has endured, and while Dave’s legendary motormouth has got him into trouble, his compulsive honesty sets him apart from his more guarded peers, leaving you feeling like he is one of the few rock stars with whom you could sit and talk about music or politics knowing that what you see is what you get.
And so, on to The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead, Megadeth’s hotly anticipated sixteenth album. Of course, the album is not without its controversies. The fallout from revelations over Dave Ellefson’s personal conduct and subsequent dropping from the band, resulted in Dave having session bassist Steve Di Giorgio (Testament) re-record Ellefson’s parts. A decision that raised eyebrows in some quarters, whatever the tensions that contributed to Ellefson’s departure (obliquely referenced in Megadeth’s statement), it makes sense that Dave (and the band) would seek a clean break, rather than release an album featuring a member who left under a cloud.
Opening with the title track, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead harks back to (whisper it) Peace Sells… in terms of both dynamics and production. It’s a compelling opener, but very different from the state-of-the-art thrash of recent offerings, evoking Classic ‘Deth and Iron Maiden in equal measure, the latter influence evidenced in the fluid solos that shoot across the track’s surface. However, if the band were set to tread the classic path throughout, Dave clearly didn’t get the memo, because Life In Hell positively explodes, the band ramping up both the aggression and the speed. It makes for a powerful one-two punch, and it sets the bar high for the rest of the album. Fortunately, Dave has never been one to shy away from a challenge and so, on Night Stalkers, he digs deep, unleashing a series of searing solos and then, just when you thought he’d reached a peak, he ups the ante by throwing Ice T into the mix. Yet, still we’re not done. Over the course of six brutal minutes we get orchestral interludes, sanguine basslines and a false ending that leaves you breathless – make no mistake, Night Stalkers is a mini-masterpiece. Dark commentary is the order of the day on Dogs Of Chernobyl, and it’s a heart-stopping moment when the sound of children laughing is overlaid with one of the most beautiful melodies to which Dave has ever put his name. It’s soon ripped apart by a riff that advances with precision brutality, but it’s Dave’s voice, riven with emotion, that captures and holds the attention on the track. A somewhat weaker track, Sacrifice is fine, but it lacks the potency of that which preceded it. It’s still packed with cracking solos, of course, but it’s eclipsed by Junkie, a track with a splenetic Ozzy vibe and some set-piece percussion from Dirk Verbeuren.
The second half opens with the short Psychopathy, a sub-two-minute piece based around a tribal rhythm from Dirk and recalling the instrumental intro the band use on tour. It provides a neat palette cleanser before the stabbing drama of Killing Time sees the band once again hark back to their classic sound, juggling vocals and solos with aplomb. Next up, the chugging Soldier On! Is simply a great Megadeth track, heavy and catchy in equal measure and, of course, packed with more guitar firepower than most bands manage across an entire album. Opting for speed over finesse, Celebutante is one of those lightning-fast tracks that Dave loves to throw out for time. Faster and harder than the rest, it makes the subtle, reflective opening of Mission To Mars all the more effective. A very different piece, Mission To Mars has a surprising commercial sheen to it, but it neatly paves the way for the closing riff-tsunami of We’ll Be Back, a track that paraphrases the Terminator in the knowledge that the band share much with that remorseless killing machine.
A surprisingly varied album, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead sees Dave and his band in fine form, roaming the Megadeth back catalogue in search of influence and coming up with what amounts to a set encapsulating the band’s myriad strengths. Memorable moments abound, although Night Stalkers and Dogs Of Chernobyl arguably stand as the album’s highlights. That said, when the quality is so consistently high, who needs highlights? Just put the album on and be grateful that Dave cared enough to make an album as ferociously pissed off as this. A deeply impressive entry in Megadeth’s canon, Dave can rest assured that it is still “we the people”. 9/10
