Fatal Illusion

Megadeth has established themselves as both the most consistent and the most stylistically mixed of the media dubbed Big Four. They've generally stuck to a regular niche of heaviness and melodic contour that sets them a slight bit closer to the speed metal and NWOBHM style that paved the way for thrash metal, barring a few token interludes into lighter fair that can be best described as modern, at least in context of when they were released. Naturally some albums have had a bit more thrashing brilliance going on, while others have shied away to a more mid-pace, grooving, and almost hard rocking demeanor at times, and they've shined brightest when sticking closer to the former category though they have generally pulled off the latter reasonably well. Their last couple studio albums following Endgame, however, saw the band backsliding into a dull and plodding rut that had not been seen since their creative nadir at the turn of the millennium, and it's been hoped for, if not expected that at some point things would need to be shaken up for Megadeth to get back on track.

The exit of the somewhat longstanding involvement of drummer Shawn Drover and lead guitarist Chris Broderick could definitely be counted as things getting a shakeup, and if their recently released single Fatal Illusion is a consistent representative of what will be Megadeth's upcoming LP Dystopia, it will have been a good one. Though featuring some odd characters in newly recruited guitar shredder Kiko Loureiro of Angra fame (though perhaps not so odd given he comes from a comparably non-thrash metal background as that of Marty Friedman) and guest drummer of Lamb Of God Chris Adler, it's pretty clear that this is Mustaine's ship and he's captaining it with the same stylistic trappings that underscored the better moments of Megadeth's recent history. This particular song is relatively short in scope, but loaded with off-the-cuff switches and flashy guitar work that partially hearkens back to the Rust In Peace days, bearing some similarity to "Holy Wars", but being a bit thicker and closer to the punchy, darker character of Endgame and some fancier bass work at a few key points.

While the future is still a bit uncertain as to where Dystopia will fall, it's pretty well stipulated that Mustaine and company have moved back into the realm of politics and cynicism, which has generally been their forte as far as honing their sound into a medium where it is at its most effective. Mustaine's voice is a bit hoarse and haggard sounding, the same tricks are generally in play as far as the duality between Mustaine's own straight-forward shredding vs. a much more flashy and unconventional foil, and the songs gets off to something of a slow start with a recurring, down tempo chug that is almost as repetitive and simple as "March of the S.O.D.", but this is a really solid slab of up-tempo yet measured thrash metal that will definitely appeal to those seeking a return to earlier forms in Megadeth's sound. If things follow this course on the upcoming LP, Mustaine will have yet again prove who ultimately got the last laugh after his ejection from Metallica.