Super Collider

Once it became clear that heavy metal could become successful, profitable, and part of the mainstream, the purity of the genre suffered, and we the fans along with it. Time after time a number of bands have tried to recreate the success of Metallica's black album. Megadeth has been especially guilty of trying to recreate this kind of mainstream relevance ever since, and it can be heard/seen from every album after the release of Rust in Peace. Given the heights that Megadeth have achieved throughout their career, Super Colider seems to bring them to a new low, even beyond what the experimental album Risk did. The 11 songs listed follow a very familiar path for anyone that has followed the band since the mid 90's, hence the sense that there is a lot of rehashed content here. I would even say that this album is Th1rt3en part 2 - The Rejects. In spite of this, there is some freshness and some "experimental" stuff is still present here. One example is during the use of a banjo during the intro of The blackest crow, or the crowd chants midway through Built for War. These elements might be enough to put off the more hardcore metal heads, but give me a minute to explain, because even with all of this said, as well as understanding the backlash the album gets, I still think that this album is worth your time.

Lets face it, this is more of a rock album with maybe one thrash song and the occasional thrash riffs thrown in. While this is considered by many to be Megadeth's worst album, Super Collider is still worth a listen for metal heads simply because it is Megadeth. Simply because the guitar god that is Chris Broderick brings his amazing abilities to the mix. The usual nasally vocals that Mustaine offers here is the same he's been putting out under the delusion that he can sing well. It is still Dave though. This album could be the bar for simplicity, tightness, and dare I say effective song writing. Albeit a bit formulaic, there's enough meat in this collection of songs for anyone that is just getting into the metal genre. So, I would definitely classify this album as gateway metal, but because it isn't mega Dave's best work, so maybe I'd hold off on that idea?

As I dissect this album, I find there is good, and there is bad, and it is fairly evenly divided. I'll start with the worst part of this record; the vocal lines. The vocal delivery sometimes goes sour. It is not how he sings, as much as it is what he sings, and what he sings about. The lyrics don't help. So, it is safe to say that the lyrical content needs work. It needs a lot of work.There is some cringe and cheese happening here. The song Don't turn your Back is the guiltiest of the tracks. The riffs here are decent but are ruined by the pre-chorus vocals. It is pretty cheesy and not one of Dave's best performances. The idea that if we could get a better vocalist then everyone would be happy certainly applies here.

The second worst part of this album is when the leads don't resemble anything in a minor key/scale, or the leads come close to sounding "happy" like it does when the title track starts off. The initial guitar bend in the beginning has become very recognizable as being one of the annoying guitar licks on a metal record. I have to wonder who thought it would be a good idea. This is the album that ended Chris Broederick's tenure with Megadeth. He goes on to say so in many interviews. And, the lack of his creative output is very clear. Since he didn't get enough creative output it only makes sense that he would leave. It is a real shame. There are certainly flashes of his brilliance here, but it isn't present enough to rescue this release, and it is most noticeable because he isn't all over the tracks like he was on Th1rt3en.

Outside of the title track, which by the way is one of the worst songs and annoying songs that Megadave has ever written, the album is mediocre by Megadeth standards at worst. All of this to say that even though the album could be better, the album still has riffs and leads that Megadeth has become known for. Kingmaker, Built for War, and Dance in the Rain were fairly decent tunes and would carry over well into any of their live shows. Those songs cover a wide range of tempos and lyrical themes, and show off some of the catchier rhythms here.

Then there's the cover of Thin Lizzy. The first cover to be included on a Megadeth album since their cover of the sex pistols' Anarchy in the UK. This is one of the tighter covers of this song listed here on Metallum. I think it is better than Sodom's, Helloween's or The Sword's versions of this song. If only the rest of Supercollider had been this tight, then there wouldn't have been this much backlash over this album!

One final thought, if you happen to find a way to speed up the album by 25% -- say, like on YouTube's feature to speed up videos -- then the record sounds much more like thrash. Try it. Get back to me. Tell me I am not so crazy to think this album is decent then.

I'll admit, Super Collider is definitely guilty of a few sins, but I'm actually a little bit shocked at the backlash this one gets, and the same goes for back when this came out. One thing's for sure, it's a decent leap forward from the snooze-fest that preceded this one. This should be evident right away, as the guitars have a much meaner angst to them, and the opening track "Kingmaker" could not be more of a candidate to represent this. Consistency may be lacking in the realm of keeping the song structures the same, but it's all there in regards to tighter platforms, less slop, and bouncy rhythms. Plus, this one is noticeably less "over-caked" with glistening production work than previous Megadeth albums contained in the more recent years, giving it a more stripped down appeal.

One thing that nobody seems to mention is the fact that there seems to be some throwback-ness in Super Collider, and it's not only because of the production I mentioned. No, the riffs themselves dwell on the energy and attitude that drove a lot of the speed metal tracks on So Far, So Good, So What, and the aforementioned "Kingmaker" takes the cake on this. Man! I can't get over how killer of an album opener that is! On the flip side, the title track goes back to the styles on Cryptic Writings with the vocal harmony, slowed down tempo, and the flush progression in the chorus. Stellar grooves with hopping time signatures make an appearance on this disc as well, with the main riff of "Built For War" having that beating punch to it while not getting stagnant. Lastly, incorporating major keys despite the darker themes make this an interesting spin to say the least. Admittedly, most of these qualities don't jump out at you, and it may take a few rotations to pick up on, but that's the art of music that grows on you.

There are definitely some things that can't be overlooked, and I think the most popular accusation is the fact that some of the lyrics make you want to quiver. Let's revisit "Built For War", the one that I praised for having an absolutely banger riff. What it's guilty of is annoying vocal delivery, as well as poorly written lyrics. But really, hasn't Megadeth somewhat been guilty of this since 1999? It's a flaw, but it isn't horrendous. "Dance In The Rain" is definitely guilty of this too, but again, it somewhat makes up for itself by having solid chord progression, an amazing bridge, and the buildup that leads to a rather devastating outro. One more noticeable thing is the fact that the songs near the end tend to get a little bit boring and unmemorable. Seeing a pattern here? Pretty much every issue with newer Megadeth is the same, it's just that some albums show it more than others, and this one really doesn't as bad as some seem to think.

Breaking this down, we've got a few issues regarding try-hardism, edginess, and some bland numbers here and there. This is nothing new. And really, this doesn't come through as blisteringly as it's advertised. Plus, there's that infamous Thin Lizzy cover at the end, which is a beautiful way to close the album. If nothing else, this gives you the motivation to power through those tracks that don't carry much flame on the second half. These other typical issues aside, you're left with solid songwriting, changes in mood, retro essence, and thunderous guitar ripping! I beg thee, please give this another chance.

Wow.  And I thought Th1rt3en was boring.  This is the epitome of unenthusiastic thrash metal.   Almost every riff is just chugging along to a simple thrash beat, never climaxing.  These tracks just start, lead absolutely nowhere, and then end.  Listening to this, I'm expecting the track to get to a point where it actually means something, but this only occurs on a few tracks.  Even the melody in "Built for War" sounds lazy.  It's like Megadeth stopped trying and just released this record for money.

Before I talk about the music, I want to look at the album cover.  I feel like I've been cutting Megadeth some slack for the bad album covers they've been giving us as of later years.  Every album since Cryptic Writings, with the exception of The System Has Failed, seems to have a poor album cover.  This looks like it was from the early 2000s but was touched up a bit to make it more "modern."  I mean Risk was the lowest of the low as far as Megadeth album covers go, and United Abominations wasn't an improvement at all.  But this has to be their third worst cover.  It's just so unsatisfying to look at.

Music-wise, pretty much every track is boring and repetitive, none of them sticking in the listener's mind once the album is finished.  That is, until "Dance in the Rain," a speed metal song that has a huge old school vibe, especially in the vocals.  The riffs on this track aren't specifically great, but they're a huge change as everything leading up to it has been borderline mediocre.  This is continues in the next track, "Beginning of Sorrow," but the energy wavers from present to nonexistent throughout the song.

These two tracks are pretty much the peak of the album.  Dave Mustaine brings us back to The System Has Failed with "Forget to Remember" when he starts singing about some relationship, even giving voice-overs that are supposed to be phone calls.  It's pretty cheesy.

There are other aspects of this album I do enjoy, such as the fiddle in "The Blackest Crow."  It is best utilized in the intro, giving the track an ominous sound.  However, every time it plays after the intro, it just makes the sound less eerie and ends up being a throwback to Megadeth's twangy years of Cryptic Writings and Risk.  Even the first guitar solo is twangy.  It's an unfortunate waste of an otherwise cool intro.

The cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" is actually really good.  The riffs are pretty basic, but it's Thin Lizzy, so what do you expect?  It isn't until the solo when this cover truly stands out for me.  Being their first cover that wasn't their own material (I'm looking at you, United Abominations version of "A tout le monde") since So Far, So Good, this isn't bad.  I mean, it's a lot better than Metallica's cover of Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey in a Jar."

In total, this album is mostly lacking in energy and inspiration.  I just imagine Mustaine, drained of all ideas, lazily poking around on his guitar during the writing process of this album.  Even the solos sound unenthusiastic.  The melody in this album is unenthusiastic.  Everything is unfun and lackadaisical.  Listen to "Dance in the "Rain" and the Thin Lizzy cover and nothing else.

Overall Rating: 30%

Originally written for themetalvoid.wordpress.com

But also more then a few missteps along the way. Megadeth with the last three or four albums have been on a roller coaster ride of very good and simply just decent material with nothing really standing out. The music contained here on this compact disc is no different really.

After releasing thirteen this record is what we got. I went into this release with expectations of it being better than thirteen. Overall it was almost up to par with that release. However nothing on Super Collider was as strong as the beginning of the former record. Of course I am referring to Sudden Death. The title track also being a good song. I liked the acoustic introduction.

However this is not a review of that album. The few tracks on this album that impressed me such as Kingmaker, the title track and Forget to Remember were good enough to be stuck in my memory. No pun intended. But not much else really. Nothing about those songs really stands out. The main problem is not Dave Mustaine's vocals, they sound like usual and I have gotten used to that a long time ago. His vocals fits the music almost in a perfect way. In fact I don't know what the problem might be. It's certainly not the soloing on here. This is one thing this record has an abundance of. None of them are bad at all. Far from it. But the majority of the instruments on the rest of the album just sound phoned in.

The drumming is far from terrible however very confusing. It just sounds plain but also still very aggressive. Does that makes sense? Like for example the track Kingmaker. This song speeds around at a frantic pace. I can't find any faults with this track and the solos here may be the best on the record with the possibility of Don't Turn Your Back being a little better. In here you also get a guitar solo that is well worth hearing with above average guitar riffs. The song ends on a guitar solo and of course its a great one.

This release sure isn't bad. Nothing here is terrible or put together in a bad way. But this is a Megadeth release and just being good enough isn't great enough. This band has released several classics, and their glory days are not over however here we have a step in a wrong direction. A direction that was thankfully done away with on the next release.

Some people I know think 'Thirteen' was a bad album because the album contained too many reworkings of older songs. Justified, but at least there was quite some memorable stuff on the record. ‘Thirteen’ contained at least five songs I really liked. ‘Super Collider’ has one. And a couple I consider somewhat enjoyable. But a good album, this is not. I have no problem with Megadeth playing something closer to hard rock than thrash metal, but imagine ‘Youthanasia’ or ‘Cryptic Writings’ without the good ideas. That’s what ‘Super Collider’ is.

This album’s title track was the first thing that surfaced from the album and it’s easily one of the worst post ‘Risk’ songs by the band. But then again, heavy metal has never really been about the singles, has it? First single ‘Can I Play With Madness’ could never prepare the listener for the unbridled brilliance of Iron Maiden’s ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’ either. Sadly, ‘Super Collider’ is no ‘Seventh Son’. The songwriting is bland and I can only hope that this is a one-time mistake for Dave Mustaine.

Also, Mustaine was known for his sharp lyric writing in Megadeth’s heyday. Even though I didn’t always necessarily agree with his views, his lyrics had a conviction and an indispensable, clever wit. A lot of the lyrics on ‘Super Collider’ seem to have been written with a rhyming dictionary. The next person who rhymes “fire” with “desire”, I will slap in the face. In addition, it seems that these days, when Mustaine wants to make a point, he starts a spoken part. It’s a feature that dragged down the title track of ‘United Abominations’ six years ago and now mutilates the otherwise decent ‘Dance In The Rain’, which also features a pointless guest appearance by Disturbed frontman David Draiman doing his best to sound as much as Mustaine as possible. ‘Burn!’ is also marred by insipid lyrics and a horrible chorus. The verses are awesome though.

Maybe that’s the most frustrating aspect about ‘Super Collider’. It’s not like Mustaine lost it. Opening track ‘Kingmaker’ is an impressive heavy metal tune with a killer riff to boot. ‘Forget To Remember’ is a pretty good melodic hard rock tune with possibly the best set of lyrics on the album and ‘Off The Edge’ and ‘Built For War’ would have been good with better words.

The album’s production is alright, just a torture to listen to on headphones. It’s got too much treble, accounting for a pretty restless listening experience. Also, closing an album with a cover (even when it’s a Thin Lizzy tune) has never been a good idea. You could try to get the edition with the bonus tracks, but those aren’t all that good either. Especially ‘All I Want’. It’s hard to believe that song has been written by the same man who gave us ‘Hangar 18’, ‘Tornado Of Souls’, ‘Skin O’ My Teeth’ or ‘Trust’.

With this lineup possibly being the strongest the band has had musically, I’m sure they’ll come up with something better after this. I’ll just listen to ‘Rust In Peace’, ‘Countdown To Extinction’, ‘Cryptic Writings’, ‘Endgame’ or ‘The System Has Failed’ in the meantime.

Recommended track: ‘Kingmaker’

Originally written for my Kevy Metal weblog

The year was 2013. Megadeth released a brand new song, entitled "Super Collider" which would be the title-track from their upcoming album. Upon my first listen, I was immediately appalled. Flashback to 2011 when Megadeth put out the album "Th1rt3en", and especially 2009 when the thrash masterpiece "Endgame" came out. "Th1rt3en" was a little less thrashy than its predecessor, but it was still a very good melodic heavy metal album. With "Super Collider", it seems that Megadeth is trying to capture either the melodic metal elements of "Cryptic Writings", or the highly controversial radio-rock album "Risk". Speaking for a minority group of people, I actually enjoy "Cryptic Writings" quite a bit and I even think "Risk" is a good album, although it definitely should have been released under a different name than Megadeth. So, why is "Super Collider" such a bad album if it takes elements from two of Megadeth's albums which I actually like? It's not completely an issue with the album's mainstream sound, rather an issue of inconsistency and the album's boring, uninspired, and "tired" sound.

This wretched turd of an album begins with "Kingmaker". Out of these 11 songs, "Kingmaker" is the closest thing we get to thrash metal. It's actually a pretty good song musically, although the vocals are pretty bad, which I will get to later in this review. The riffing is pretty strong and tight, and really make this song a great Megadeth anthem. Alas, all good things come to an end because it is immediately followed by the awful title track. Yes, this song sounds like something that was released by Bon Jovi or AC/DC. It's a completely boring, unoriginal radio-rock track that really does sound like an inferior song from "Risk". One huge issue I have with this album is the inconsistency. We get a mix of some thrash metal songs with a huge influx of crappy pop rock songs like this one. Just take a look at the lyrics to "Burn!":

"Burn baby burn cause it feels so good."

Are you freaking kidding me? Is Dave Mustaine seriously trying to sound like Katy Perry? Because his lyrics on this album are generally on the same level of intelligence or literacy. Not only is he using the dreaded word "baby" in a "teen pop" way, but the lyrics themselves otherwise are just plain dumb. Another example of lyrical immaturity would be within the song "The Blackest Crow", with an excerpt such as: "This cold, empty house is so quiet now she's gone". Sure, these aren't nearly as bad as the lyrics on "Burn!", but they do sound like something that would be written by a depressed teenager after his girlfriend left him. Certain styles of music typically contain lyrics like this, but Megadeth isn't necessarily a band I'd expect this from. Even songs like "Almost Honest" and "1000 Times Goodbye" from past records are better-written lyrically than this.

Accompanying the usually sub-par lyrics are the tired, aging vocals from Mr. Dave Mustaine. This really isn't a surprising factor, though. To be completely fair, he was 51 years old by the time this album was released and he had been with Megadeth as the front man for 30 years. I'm sure all the singing he has done over the years have effected his vocal cords in a way. Still, his performance on this album is just bad. He sounds extremely lethargic and completely burned out. I've never been a huge fan of Dave's voice. Sure, he's not a terrible singer or even a bad one. He's just always been fairy average in this department in my opinion. He even sounds like he's on drugs in certain songs. Ironically, when he was doing drugs, he at least wrote better music. Note that while I say this, in no way am I condoning drug use. Say no to drugs, kids.

This album definitely contains some killer guitar riffs. Like I mentioned earlier, "Kingmaker" contains some classic thrash metal sounding riffing. "Built for War" is another prime example of this. However, when mixed with cheesy sounding pop rock songs like the title track, "Forget to Remember", and "Burn!", you get a very inconsistent, bipolar album that seems to suffer from an identity crisis. The thing that made "Risk" so good in my opinion was its melodic, rocking consistency. Sure, "Cryptic Writings" had a mix of melodic songs and thrashers, but it was a well-rounded album with a captivating sound and contained some amazingly consistent guitar work. This album seems to try way too hard to blend classic thrash with pop rock and fails miserably at this. This album really could have been something great. Dave Mustaine is still an amazing guitarist who is quite charismatic with his riffs and melodies. However, this album falls short of everything he's ever written, and this definitely not his finest hour. Sorry Dave, I'm just not feeling it.

This album really angered me when I first heard it. After sitting with it for two years and listening to it again for the sake of this review, does it sound any better to me? Has it grown on me? The answer to these questions is definitely a no, but I've grown a bit in terms of looking at sub-par music in a critical yet fair way, and I don't let it anger me. Instead, I now explain why this album is so bad in my opinion rather than simply saying "it sucks" or something along those lines. "Super Collider" is the worst thing Megadeth has written, but it's also following 13 albums, all of which I enjoy. Maybe Dave and Co. will come back with a better album to follow this one, maybe not. But this band certainly has had a great, successful career and will live on in history as one of the most important thrash metal bands, and for all of metal in general. However, only time will tell if they can recover from this mistake.

If Megadeth ever had an album as bad as Metallica's "Lulu," then this is it. "Super Collider" has got to be the lowest Megadeth has ever gone. Just when we thought "Risk" was a steaming pile of shit, this album is a truckload of it. Not only is the sound cheesy and bland but it also made me (I can't speak for everyone, only for myself) cringe. It literally sounds like a terrible alternative album that you would hear on the radio and a shitty dive bar somewhere.

Let me break it down for those who haven't experienced listening to this album: you're definitely not missing out. While this album triumphs over Metallica's recent failed abortion, it's not much better. Mustaine's voice is dry and faded out, the lyrics are a hit or miss depending on the song and the music simply does not peak my interest enough to keep going. It's one of those albums where you get tired of listening after a few songs and then switch to something else. It sounds as if the band were playing what the producers wanted them to play instead of actually playing what the fans wanted (ie. "Rust in Peace," "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?" etc.). The creative edge isn't very impressive either, everything is very half baked and thrown together in a massive clutter. Needless to say, this album is disappointing by a long shot.

I'm not going to entirely shit on this album though, there are some good things. Mustaine is a well-respected musician in the metal world, mainly for his amazing playing style and he really let that flow on this album. There's some solos that really made me have some hope for the album, sadly that was short-lived due to everything else such as the shitty execution of lyrics, riffs and creativity. They had so much potential with their previous releases, "Endgame" and "Th1rte3n," that we were expecting something really good to come our way this year. Sadly, it's just one of those moments where even the legendary Megadeth couldn't deliver.

Like I said earlier, you're not missing out on this album. It's literally nothing but a shitty dive bar soundtrack or one of those albums you listen to on a road trip. It just didn't make the cut and the band have a lot of thinking to do and should really give this album a look, hopefully they will make something new and improved in the years to come. It lacks in a whole lot of things, in fact everything. However, if you're a die hard Megadeth fan and want to buy this, regardless of it's rating, then more power to you. It's your money and you spend it the way you want it...however this album is just a waste of time, effort and money. This album is easily the worst of 2013.

Super Collider is not all that bad. It's an album that sees the band trying something a little different, and they should be praised for that. This album may have flaws here and there but some people are going way overboard with the negativity. People ask "why couldn't they just write another Endgame or Thirteen?" because, well, some bands just don't like writing the same album over and over again! And this includes Megadeth, and that should be appreciated, because, if they did write the same album it would be boring for them, and as a result, boring for us. We'd soon be picking up on the band's lack of passion.

One thing that plays a big part in the change of sound for me is the down tuned guitars. The reason for this is to support Dave Mustaine's ageing voice; the guy had been struggling to hit the high notes he could hit more easily before. But, as with all singers, voices deepen as they age, so it's no surprise, and it's no reason to criticise.

Let's run through a few tracks, shall we? Kingmaker is the opening track and one of the most thrashing tracks on an album that generally deviates from thrash for the most part. So, as you may have guessed, it's one of the more pleasing tracks for those hardcore thrash purists ripping apart the rest of the album. However, it is a strong track and a good way to open the album. "Super Collider" the title track and the lead single, was more of a concern for fans with its slower tempo and melody. I will say I wasn't too sure what to think at first, but the song did end up growing on me. The major thing for me was Dave's voice, which I felt sounded too gritty for such a melodic song, but I'm used to it now.

Fast-forwarding quite a bit, Dance in the Rain, for the most part, is a dark, slow song, which eventually becomes faster and more upbeat, and guess who sings this part of the song? None other than David Draiman. His voice sounds great, but I would have preferred it to be a little louder in the mix. Beginning of Sorrow carries a sinister sound, and on the chorus, a sinister sounding Mustaine when he sings the song title! The final ORIGINAL song is "Don't Turn Your Back..." and my favourite part of the song is actually the memorable chorus. Again, it's melodic, but it works well. The album closes with a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat". it's a solid cover but I don't really listen to it much. It would have been nice for the album to end with another original. The band hasn't put a song cover on an album's base tracklist since 1988's "So Far, So Good...So What?"

The major experiments in sound can be found in the opening of a number of the songs. For example, the fiddle on "The Blackest Crow". The album has some rather impressive moments, others standard Megadeth moments and a few moments maybe a little below average. But I still stand by my view that it's nowhere near as bad as some people say. If you're a Megadeth fan it's certainly worth picking this up.

It’s no secret that Super Collider is already becoming one of the most controversial releases in the Megadeth discography. While the band has certainly pulled off more, since the 90s, but this album is coming out right after they spent a good ten years reclaiming their thrash metal reputation. But while this album will never be worse in the public eye than Risk, it does prove to be a pretty rocky listen.

It is obvious that this album is different when compared to the last few efforts before it, but it’s hard to tell just how it is different. Unlike Risk or Cryptic Writings, there are no blatant sellouts or dance music experimentations. If anything, you could say that it is just a dumbed version of their signature melodic metal as the tempos are slower and the vocals return to a more prominent position.

Of course, these changes do lead to a somewhat disjointed band dynamic. While some training and honest effort led to fairly enjoyable vocals during their last commercial period, Dave Mustaine’s voice just sounds tired and almost bored in this day and age. Thankfully Chris Broderick gets some good leads in when he can and Shawn Drover’s drumming has its moments, but the limited writing means that the talent is more competent than it is impressive. That’s not even going into the banjo on “The Blackest Crow” or the David Draiman influence, though those elements aren’t as offensively prominent as one would think.

Speaking of which, the writing also feels like a mixed bag and seems to lack the hooks the band had gotten really good at putting together. “Burn!” and “Built For War” would’ve been bigger highlights with smoother transitions, “Dance In The Rain” and “Beginning Of Sorrow” have a few pacing issues, and the title track is the kind of hard rock song that makes one wonder why AC/DC couldn’t have gotten to use the title first…

Fortunately, there are still some good moments on here. The opening “Kingmaker” and “Don’t Turn Your Back” make for solid metal tracks as the former channels some Diamond Head influence and the latter features a particularly tight drum performance. The cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Cold Sweat” also makes for a decent closer and “Forget To Remember” actually has a few hooks in there though it could’ve been even better in the hands of a more melodic group.

While Super Collider certainly isn’t at the Lulu level of disaster, it is certainly the weakest Megadeth album since The World Needs A Hero. The best moments are when the band sticks to what they’ve been doing since United Abominations and even some of the other good ideas may have been better with other bands performing them. Seriously, doesn’t the title Super Collider sound like it should’ve been for the best AC/DC album in twenty years?

Current Highlights:
“Kingmaker”
“Built For War”
“Forget To Remember”
“Don’t Turn Your Back”
“Cold Sweat”

Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com

in the past few years, we've seen Mustaine and co. rise from the mire of radio-friendly, popularity-oriented mindsets and actually put forth albums that are worthy on their own merit. Sure, it took some time and was a process all its own, but even the weakest track in "Endgame" puts the best "Risk" song to shame by a serious ways. And then...darkness loomed on the horizon. Focus seemed diverted and a touch unhinged. "Th1rt3en", while a solid album through and through, just didn't have all that panther piss in its veins as before. Didn't seem as angry and vengeful, but more bothered and irked. But that's OK, because they can bounce back, right? Well...then came the title track off this new album for sampling, and ooohhh BOY was it a flaccid kick to the nuts. Something was amiss, clearly.

Still, this veteran 'DETHer soldiers on, hoping against hope that the rest of the album will redeem the first sampling...

Putting the title track rather early on in the album could be seen as a good or bad thing; on the one hand, it gets its catchy weakness out of the way quickly after the slap to the face that is "Kingmaker" (not a bad way to start things...). But on the other hand, one could conclude that it would "just go downhill from there". And in this case, things start off in a mid-paced war march and seem to stay there for the most part. Much of the thrashy sensations of the past few albums appear to be forsaken for a more melodic, rocking atmosphere that could very well make some remember the drudging softness of "Risk" and "The World Needs a Hero" more than what we've come to love about MEGADETH. But that's all in the ears of the beholder. But for my money, I found it to be a rather above average affair that has its share of vices as well as virtues. The central feel of "Super Collider" is still more cohesive and legit than many other modern metal albums out there. Some of the melodic ends are actually pleasant, dramatic and occasionally raging, adding an extra amount of depth to what could have been a flat product; take into consideration the rather proggy nature of "Built for War" and the soulful sensations of "Dance in the Rain" and "Beginning of Sorrow". Guitars and bass still bite, solos are tasteful and drums still have that profound attacking potential, and more harmonics and twisting chord arrangements abound than ever before. And I can even forgive some of Dave's vocal stylings (more varied and experimental here than before); that's SOME, not all. The snarl is still as sharp as before and his cleans have a bit more heart to them, but when he shoots for a more "intense" approach it, more often than not, comes off as a little, well...silly. Like he's trying. I know he is. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'm just saying. However, while still having the appeal of a complete album through and through, things seem more like a collection of ideas than full-on compositions and arrangements, where much of the songwriting comes off as a bit unfocused and, dare I say, pedestrian, with the feeling of genuine anger and hate replaced with grumpiness and a mere shaking of the fist. Not so much uninspired, just rather just there for the sake of being there, still maintaining the simpler times of "Th1rt3en" with a few dashes of "Cryptic Writings" (albeit more metallic than the latter). Such a blasé approach to this new album could make the more jaded folks out there question where or not Mustaine and Co. gave it their all with regard to the final product. Are they still angry at the world, like they've been for so long? Or are they just merely humbled more than a little bit due to getting older? That's up to them.

As it stands now, "Super Collider" has moments of placation that rock like nothing else, but the full-on end result isn’t as completely cohesive as it could’ve been. Maybe I’m asking too much from my MEGADETH, but I found it rather lacking and in dire need of that kick to the balls we’ve come to expect from them. Slightly recommended.

This album really is full of great ideas. In fact, I'm not so sure if the songs themselves are all that bad really, but it does feel underwhelming. I feel a big part of the problem is that every album starting with United Abominations has this annoying modern, sterile production that just chokes all of the balls out the metal moments of this album. I've seen much criticism that this album is more of a rock album than a metal album. I'm not so sure that's true as the riffing on most of the songs certainly is metal, however all organic life was squeezed out and replaced with a cold, almost computerized sound that it's just not a very satisfying album to listen to. I feel like this album was recorded on a reel of tin foil! I thought ditching Sneap would help, but Thirteen sounded just like Endgame and this is their worst sounding album yet (yes, So Far, So Good..., had terrible production, but terrible analog is much more welcoming than terrible digital.) I think Mustaine himself is to blame and he really needs to stay away from the mixing board and get on board with someone that can heavy it up for him.

The second biggest problem is Dave Mustaine just isn't putting any effort into his vocals anymore. He clearly doesn't have much of a voice left. Every live clip I've seen is very hit or miss and with every album since Endgame he just seems to be talking through it. This isn't to say Mustaine was ever a great vocalist, but like all "non-traditional" singers, he had a certain charisma to his vocals and that just isn't there anymore. Songs like Kingmaker Burn! and Built For War would totally benefit from a much more aggressive singer. In fact, these songs would fit in very well on a classic Megadeth release with a much younger Mustaine singing (and probably writing lyrics).

On this plus side, he seems to have toned down his polarizing political lectures, which allows me to want to listen to every single song. While I'm aware that his entire career since Peace Sells has been full of political lyrics, it certainly isn't the same. I think Dave realized with this release that it's making many fans former fans.

Everything on this album represents a weaker, half-finished, and rushed version of many of their previous albums. Better than their previous album, but both this and Thirteen represent the worst stuff Megadeth has ever put out. Passionless metal produced by a man who clearly doesn't have it in him anymore. Take a break, Dave, you really need it.

Dependability has many faces, but it's easily identified based on an unmistakable pattern. It can be obviously said that a Slayer album will be fast regardless of how good or bad it is, that Anthrax will probably have a bright future playing covers and reliving a bygone past, that Metallica will not put out a decent album even if their life depends on it (the continual mob of brainless fans suggests this will never be the case anyway), and the list goes on. Megadeth is a bit less obvious insofar as patterns go, but if going by their record since the 1990s, it's a foregone conclusion that for every 2 or 3 solid albums they put out, there will be a mediocre one just around the bend. Thus the forgettable yet largely listenable "Super Collider" could be seen as a mathematical inevitability, though it probably shouldn't be that way given Dave Mustaine's proven track record during the 80s.

After getting an ear full of extremely bland, derivative 80s cock rock meets AC/DC in this album's lead off single and title song, optimism is not really possible, though in retrospect going by that song alone was a tad bit deceptive. Rather than a complete turd burglar in the mold of "Risk", the actual feel of this album is more along the line of "The World Needs A Hero", albeit with an updated, clear and pure as the wind driven snow production that, unfortuantely, does little to mask the flaws in this little collection of largely non-thrash songs. Granted, there are a few riff monsters like "Kingmaker", "Built For War" and "Off The Edge" that could pass for some of the better material heard off of the previous album. Likewise, the groovy rocker "Burn!" has a fair share of lead guitar gymnastics that does a little bit to sate any ears hungry for a more animated sound out of this band.

Nevertheless, along for the ride with a respectful collection of passable mid-tempo thrash anthems is a host of bizarre, mostly rock oriented nonsense that would have been more at home as a b-side to "Cryptic Writings". While a lot of people dug the banjo schtick put forth by Zakk Wylde on his short-lived southern metal venture Power And Glory, on "The Blackest Crowe" it just falls flat and sounds ridiculous, almost like a poor man's "In My Darkest Hour" minus any of the good points apart from some lead guitar brilliance. "Forget To Remember" gets even worse and listens like a lifeless rock anthem out of the HIM playbook but with Dave's grating growl clashing with the rest of the arrangement. It literally gets to the point that for every decent song on here there is another that just doesn't make sense and should have been dropped from the idea pool before getting to full song status.

It's difficult to tell why it is that Dave suddenly gets possessed by this irrational urge to hop to different styles of music when it's pretty obvious that he doesn't have the voice for it and generally doesn't write very well outside of his metallic comfort zone. Lyrically things are also a bit sketchy at times, as Dave seems intent on mixing in some ficticious relationship problems with his usual niche of fringe politics and personal struggle. It gets a little bit abrasive in the former department on "Dance In The Rain", which is one of his usual half-ballad soap box routines about how screwed up America is, a no-brainer for anyone with a functional one, but also one that suffers from lengthy narrative section overkill. This isn't something that should be bought flat out at full price, but about half the songs on here might be worth downloading from Itunes, or gone for at $6 if in CD format. Hopefully this is just a passing rut and not a signal of Megadeth's eventual end, because this isn't a good note to end on.

One more Megadeth release, one more mass realization that it's not Rust In Peace 2...let the hilarity begin! Now, where do I start with this one?

As an admittedly huge Megadeth fan, I get excited for any new release by the band. We've already covered how I actually really dig their more mid-paced, melodic stuff, so there's no reason to rehash that here. Suffice to say that what I was expecting probably wasn't what some other people was expecting. And for the first time in a while, Dave figured out how to disappoint all of us at the same time!

The first song we all heard was Super Collider. Now, I'll admit, it does kinda grow on you somehow. It's not anything complicated, and as a pre-album single it's not as good as Public Enemy No. 1, but is still far better than the god-awful Head Crusher. Megadeth has been all over the map with picking pre-album singles, and after Head Crusher I wasn't going to let a mediocre song dull my hopes for the actual album. Full disclosure: the last album I probably really dig from start to finish also happens to be my favorite Megadeth CD: Youthanasia. Everything since then is full of stuff that I either like, or stuff that will probably rarely if ever get replayed after the first few listens. So when Super Collider turned out to be a relatively weak song with what sounds like Dave forcing his vocal performance, it didn't distract me.

Skipping ahead a bit, the first thing I noticed about the CD was that the production appeared to be very, very well done. That isn't really surprising, given that Johnny K returned, and Th1rt3en had solid production as well. The problem is that great production can't hide the mediocrity of a lot of the music. That being said, let me throw this out there: how much better would Risk be if it had this tone and this production? Makes you think.

Back to the music, the biggest issue with the album is that a lot of the music is, well, boring. The interesting thing is that there are a lot of things in here that work very, very well by themselves, but have the unfortunate luck to be surrounded by boring music. The album kicks off with a great example, Kingmaker. Nothing special in the riff or lyrics department, but the layered vocals in the chorus work really well. For that matter, Dave's vocals are actually pretty damn good as far as Mustaine performances go on the bulk of the album. So, we get Kingmaker and Super Collider to open the album, nothing much to see here. Then we get just plain ugly with Burn! Which again, has some nice layering to the chorus, but the problem is the lyrics are a massive WTF moment, at least in the chorus. It sounds like Dave's waxing about some arsonist fantasy, but the chorus is enough to make you never want to hear the song again.

Fortunately, the fourth track appears to crap all over the first three. Built For War may be some sort of Crush 'Em throwback, but what the hell, it works for me. Same problem as the first three tracks with pretty banal lyrics, but at least here the music is starting to pick up. About two minutes in we get a pretty amusing ooOOooOoOOOooo thing by Dave, which again, actually manages to work. Then we're at Off The Edge, which is where I think the lyrics are actually starting to get a bit more interesting. The song is still pretty simple, but this is one that has definitely grown on me. I will fully admit to trying to see if I can blow the windows out of my house when this one comes on.

And then, we finally get to something bordering on epic. Dance in the Rain is one of the best songs Megadeth has done since Dave made the comeback with The System Has Failed. Plus, bonus points for the "three letter groups listening in on you" line in advance of Mr. Snowtarded's total ignorance of the concept of a freaking nondisclosure agreement. Whatever. This is the first time the album gets flat-out awesome. And you know what? David Draiman's vocals in the second half of the song, something I was skeptical about when I heard about it, fit in just fine as well. If there's a downside here, it's that the second half of the song could've been another minute or so longer.

And then, BLAM! Back to mediocre music for the most part. Beginning of Sorrow, once again, has a nice layered chorus, and this time the music is pretty good, but the lyrics are a turn-off. After a few listens, The Blackest Crow is starting to grow on me, as is Forget to Remember, but neither of them are what I'd call standouts at this point. Don't Turn Your Back is just another filler track, moving on. At least the regular album closes on another high note, with their cover of Thin Lizzy's Cold Sweat. This song is hilarious next to Super Collider; both of them feature Dave reaching to, let's call them "non-traditional" vocal stylings for him. Super Collider? Fail. Cold Sweat? Uh, yeah, nailed it. Although am I the only one noticing the inclusion of the intro lead bit from Am I Evil? Was that in the original? Whatever. Great cover, and would've made a ridiculous B-side on the Train of Consequences single.

Now, fanboy mode being in full effect, I had to get the bonus tracks version from Best Buy (yes, I am STILL buying CDs). All I Want is just awful. However, it's awful in a kinda funny way; it's like Mustaine decided to rewrite Mechanix! Not that it saves the song by any stretch, but what the hell. The real problem is that with crap like Don't Turn Your Back or Kingmaker showing up on the actual CD, another really damn good song got left off. A House Divided may be a bit like Dance in the Rain part 2, with the same basic political undertones, but it's really damn good. As good as Dance in the Rain is, this one is probably my favorite song on the whole CD. And clearly remaining in throwback mode, Dave threw what sounds like a few notes from No Remorse in there starting around 2:10. That little riff drove me nuts for a few days until I realized where the hell it came from.

So, what's the bottom line here? Good? Bad? Ugly? Well, some of all three, actually. It's not the worst CD I heard in June (and bought on the SAME DAY), but it's not as good as the one a week later that about blew me off my ass. The good stuff like Dance in the Rain and A House Divided is really, really good. Even the "simpler" but "good" stuff that I'm liking like Off The Edge is significantly replayable. The bad and the ugly are just too commonplace here, making this album a definite step backwards from the last few releases. That being said, there are still some positive takeaways. For one, Mustaine can still write badass political songs. If he decided to write an entirely political-themed album, I find no evidence that it wouldn't be ridiculously awesome. They can still write decent enough music, everyone is on their game musically, and even some of their weirder ideas like the entire intro of The Blackest Crow actually worked, and in most cases worked really, really well, at least from a conceptual standpoint. The underlying problem with the album, to me, is Dave's lyrics. Most of the time, if they're off the wall, weird, or whatever, they're usually at least interesting enough that they can co-exist with the music. Hell, I'm supposed to worship Rust In Peace, so go look back at Lucretia for a good example of what I mean. Maybe the problem is the all-over-the-place subject matter here just didn't lend itself to "Megadethy-enough" lyrics.

At the end of the day, if I'm going to be honest about it, this one is about a 60. True objectivity is not my job here so I'm probably inflating it a bit, but I'm perfectly fine with that given how good some of the songs are. And since the major issue with a lot of it is not the entire package but just the lyrical content in a lot of places, a 60 is probably actually right about right now that I think about it more. Which I probably should've done prior, but who cares. The good news? There are enough new ideas here, and enough bright spots, to suggest that another great album could be in their collective brains somewhere. But the lows, coupled with the lyrical issues, should temper any expectations for their next release.

All in all, an overall disappointing release, albeit one with a few standouts.

So this is the latest release from human enema Dave Mustaine, probably the least respectable person in rock this side of Geoff Tate. It’s always a conundrum with Megadeth’s works for me because some of his earlier stuff is good, like the obvious classics, but his voice is always horrible, and his lyrics are angry, paranoid tin-foil hat political yapping that mostly reminds me of a drunk, high college student at a shitty party. Not to mention his latest works have been spotty at best and complete ludicrous garbage at worst…with that said, this is Super Collider; it sucks shit through a straw.

Like the latest Firewind album this is very competent musically, and I even like it better – this has some pretty sweet riffs here and there. But really only every now and then. The production is squeaky clean and heavy as a brick, and every instrument has its place – a very modern sound, but a good production. “Kingmaker” and “Burn” aren’t really all that bad, and even though they’re pretty basic sleaze rock/metal tracks, it’s still listenable enough and even kind of enjoyable, in a retarded sort of way. But then you get the rest of the album…

These songs are dull and brainless, with as little thought put into them as possible. It’s really hard to describe how vapid and thoughtless “Off the Edge” or the title track is…just forgettable rockametal to the nth degree, without any hook or fire to the proceedings. “Built for War” kicks off some steam but then just goes nowhere – what a waste of a pretty cool riff. The rest of the songs aren’t just boring, they’re flat out terrible. Lots of whining about how life sucks, which I’m sure Dave is improving by singing about it in the manner of an angsty teenager, right? “Dance in the Rain” talks about the trappings of 9-to-5 work life in America, and honestly I don’t think the working man is proud to have Dave standing up for them. The song degenerates into a bunch of conspiracy theory garbage about devil-messiahs, the CIA and big business buying out politicians, how lovely; just when I was starting to have some faith in humanity again, this comes along. It’s like Dave just has tourettes or something, only his tic is inserting god-awful political nonsense into his lyrics. Half the time it doesn’t even make sense. One second it’s “9 to 5 jobs suck and trap you in cubicles,” and then the next it’s “the CIA and the devil team up to rob us of our freedom while Obama grows horns and sips chardonnay over the rotting corpses of children”? What planet am I on?

Oh and this track also features that worthless sack of shit from Disturbed on guest vocals…pretty loud, annoying and weak, just like his former band. “Blackest Crow” features a country western banjo in the opening and in the background, but the song is really, really dullard and features a weak-assed chorus…disappointing to say the least. This experiment could have been interesting, but it ended up the most confused song on the whole album. The riff is a groovy mess and the banjo lick isn’t melodic, catchy or interesting.

This album is not just unimpressive and boring – it’s flat out unpleasant to listen to. Far from the youthful vigor of 80s thrash, these songs are just mean spirited and irritable. Just listen to the petty, finger-pointing diatribe of “Beginning of Sorrow” – yeah, I really want to hear Dave talk about abortion; that sounds like a fucking good time. Yes Dave, please, enlighten us on your views on abortion! We’re all just waiting for your oh-so-exalted opinion! There’s a bunch of snide crap about wards of the state and broken families and cycles of violence, and…Dave, seriously. Yes, these issues are serious and need addressing, but – do I even have to say it? – Dave Mustaine, the human cyst, should NOT be talking about them! Jesus Christ on a cracker this is insipid. He has about as little tact with these lyrics as possible, and doesn't treat anything he's singing about with the dignity it deserves. Newsflash, douchebag: the answer to creating thought provoking lyrics ISN'T shitty wordplays and puns a fourth grader would think up! And it's certainly not raving and ranting like an insane person either. This is living proof that freedom of speech isn’t always a good thing. Doesn’t help that the song itself is musically worthless, fetid crap…

“Forget to Remember” is another piece of trash, with some banal lyrics about senility or something, and it’s just so pointlessly mean and banal. How is it fun to listen to this? It sure isn’t intelligent or meaningful, we’re far past that; but really I just don’t see a point in listening to something so in your face that it feels like it’s confronting you like some high school bully in the locker room. Music should be fun, and not just in the ‘party’ way – it should be something that you want to listen to because it fills you with power or shows you something you never thought about before, or just makes you happy in general. This album is lowbrow, petulant and just all around rotten. It’s not fun because the whole attitude and aesthetic of it is completely awful, negative paranoia and pent-up rage, so what’s to gain in listening to it? What’s enjoyable about that?

Nothing, that’s what.

I know I'm harping a lot on the lyrics and the messages behind all this, but that's because it's INESCAPABLE. You can't listen to this without the lyrics pushing their ways into your brain like an intrusive tumor. The music, while not always unlistenable, is terrible; don't get me wrong, but really the lyrics, infantile as they are, just scream so loud, begging for even one iota of attention, to the point where the whole thing is just unbearable and unforgivable. I can't remember the last time I heard something this blatantly, grotesquely mean.

Super Collider is just a waste of all the resources that went into it. It’s loud, it’s irritating, it’s just a piece of shit that gives metal a bad name with how immature it is. Do not buy this or support it at all…just let it die.

Megadeth's fourteenth album starts up pretty promising with Kingmaker, but when the title track with its crushing title, Super Collider, appears I expect a double barreled impact, but all I hear is some viscous and weary metal, on the contrary to the title that speaks of a particle accelerator based on high energy. This track immediately takes the edge off the album and from then on this release never really recovers from the damage done.

I wasn't a big fan of the band's last release and now they climb one step further on the downward spiral staircase, away from greatness and reliability. Similar to Th1rt3en, Super Collider has a bunch of tracks that seem to lack a great amount of fantasy in the songs' melodies and they just don't address me. Still there are many great, heavy, and fantastic riffs and truly solid overall guitar playing all throughout, but with the absence of skilled, breathtaking, and awesome songwriting, there's no chance in hell fans of Megadeth will take this release into their hearts and souls. Some will try and also succeed, but that will be more diehard behavior than rational thinking.

Most of the choruses feels forced and don't appeal to me. Let's just face the facts that most bands only have a couple of huge records in them and then they lose their youth's inspiration, their ideas, or just the knowledge of how to create awesome albums. What I want to hear is songs with a thrust that attack all the way through like Dance In The Rain and also perhaps Kingmaker and Don't Turn Your Back. Many of the other tracks have this certain drive occasionally, but they continuously also lose their momentum on and on. It would, however, be a great shame to accuse them for having created total crap, but I totally have to expect more from this veteran unit as well.

Originally written for www.metalcovenant.com

After the double platinum success of 1992’s Countdown to Extinction, it’s fair to say Megadeth entered into lengthy periods of creative blight during the dying years of the ‘90s and most of the decade that followed. But the release of 2009’s Endgame revealed a revitalized and focused Megadeth intent on showing the world why it was regarded as one of the four thrash metal pillars upon which the genre was built during the late ‘80s. It seemed as if Dave Mustaine had put all of the personal and professional drama behind him, and with original Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson rejoining the band in 2010, and drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick providing their expertise, Megadeth became truly relevant again. Musically, Endgame placed weight on the technicality and tenacity that made Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying and Rust in Peace thrash metal masterpieces. Working in conjunction with this came the song-writing sheen that made Countdown to Extinction, for better or worse, a massive commercial hit. It was a sigh of relief for Megadeth fans the world over who had to trudge through the five albums since 1994’s Youthanasia looking for hidden gems amongst the good, bad and mediocre.

Megadeth took its foot off the gas when it came to following up Endgame, as 2011’s Th1rt3en lacked the killer instinct and the band began reverting to bad habits. It sounded rushed, and the song-writing was limp in comparison, with some of the riffs and melodies leaning on old ideas and lacking that characteristic bite of Megadeth’s classic material. And as Mustaine has been slowly disintegrating publically through ill-measured insults and radically opinionated sound-bites in the time since its release, the future of Megadeth once again looks frail. With less than two years having passed, we now have another new Megadeth album upon us. It’s the band’s second album in a row with producer Johnny K (Machine Head, Black Tide), Super Collider. The warning signs flew red the moment a new album was announced. Surely it was too soon to have strong, new material compiled? And when the first single off Super Collider, the title track, was released, this initial concern was confounded. The title track off Super Collider is a ghastly attempt at writing an arena rock song that even Bon Jovi would have thought twice about releasing as a B-side. Mustaine’s vocals—which have always been Megadeth’s weakest link—have been pushed to the front and the technical riff wizardry has been diluted to service his vocals; it’s indicative of the band’s approach to the album as a whole. It is Countdown to Extinction taken to its most nightmarish conclusions, and when Mustaine lets out a “Huh!” half way through “Super Collider”, just before another nauseous spin through the song’s toothless chorus, you know things are not as they should be.

“Super Collider” follows the opening salvo “Kingmaker”, a song that is a false representation of what the rest of the album has in store, in that, it is actually a decent thrash metal song, even if it does unashamedly pillage Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” during its verses. But from “Super Collider” to the finale of “Cold Sweat”—a Thin Lizzy cover and the only other song besides “Kingmaker” that has some balls to it (too bad those balls belong to Phil Lynott)—the majority of the other tracks veer from cringe-worthy to make-it-stop-now. “Burn!” houses so many clichéd lines within its chugging sleaze metal, with its chorus, “Burn, baby, burn ‘cause it feels so good… Burn, baby, burn like I knew it would…,” riding high beside “Forget to Remember” in the hideous stakes. “Built for War” is a pathetic attempt at groove metal, and sounds more Five Finger Death Punch than Pantera. And it’s left to the last minute of “Dance in the Rain” to give us a quick glimpse of the Megadeth we all know and love, but the rest of the song is so heavy on melodrama that it sits awkwardly. However, not as awkward as the dark Americana of “The Blackest Crow”, a banjo-led song that has no place on a Megadeth record.

Sure, the riffs of “Don’t Turn Your Back…” do have some temerity, but after the tracks that fall before it, it’s like being starved and presented with a can of spam—you are going to wolf it down. The ironic thing about it all is that this album will probably sell extremely well, as it is aimed at the Neanderthal brain of a Nickelback fan. It sounds so contrived yet at the same time hastily assembled that claims of Mustaine suffering a middle-life crisis wouldn’t be too hard to believe. Some men buy a shiny new car and a leather jacket, Mustaine has given us this abomination; a contender for the worst metal album of 2013, and worst Megadeth album of the band’s near 30-year existence. With the thrash metal’s “Big 4” in various stages of disarray, now was the time for Megadeth to stride to the front and don the crown again. Instead Mustaine sings, “Crazy, I’m going crazy. This world’s gone crazy. I’ve fallen off the edge,” during “Off the Edge”, and with this sorry excuse of an album out there for all to hear, you have to agree with him for once.

Originally posted on http://www.popmatters.com/

This album sure isn’t ‘Rust In Peace,’ but, then again, it sure wasn’t intended to be. And I’ll tell you why- because R.I.P. has already been written! I don’t know why we have to insist that artists we love just keep making clones of their previous work. And yet, for whatever reason, every Megadeth album that gets released has to be evaluated on its similarity to Killing is My Business, Peace Sells, Rust In Peace, or Countdown to Extinction. Forget the musical quality of what’s produced- just tell me if it sounds like one of those albums. And tell me if its thrash. And so Dave didn’t set us up for disappointment: we set ourselves up by expecting him and the others to do what is literally impossible: to go back in time and re-create something that’s already here. So here’s a novel idea: why don’t we actually look at Super Collider for what it is – not for what it isn’t. So what is it?

The Germans have an expression for a song that sticks in your head long after you’ve heard it – an ‘earworm’. This album is infested with ear worms. I’m not joking. The thing was only released three days ago, and yet for three days now I have woken up in the morning with different songs from this disc playing in my head. Anyone whose love of Megadeth extends beyond this band’s first four albums knows that one of the things you love about Megadeth is not only the ripping thrash they are capable of providing, but the many songs they have delivered over the years that have stuck in your head because of catchy melodies, the sweet guitar harmonies, etc . . . This is an album will do that for you if you let it.

This album is also one that delivers some amazing musicianship. Mustaine and Broderick sound amazing together, trading off leads, harmonizing, and shredding. How can you not love that?! The drumming is excellent, and Mr. Drover definitely delivers for us! And David Ellefson’s bass work is very good, very solid, and very mature.

This album is diverse. We get melodic metal. Some people don’t like that there are a couple songs here that could be categorized as hard rock (like the title track, which is the weakest song). There are some thrashy moments (Kingmaker, Dance in the Rain, and most definitely A House Divided, which is a bonus track. By the way one of my irritations with this album is that A House Divided is only a bonus track on the deluxe edition – I’ve got no clue why this track was a bonus track. It’s a great thrasher, and it would have silenced some of the people who have been making whiny and unjustified comparisons to Risk.) And it has the Blackest Crow – one of the first metals songs I’ve heard that successfully incorporates banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. It’s just a killer tune, and the atmosphere it creates is very effective. And even though this album is diverse, the songs work well together. It’s cohesive.

So why are so many people disliking this album? I think there’s a couple reasons. One is the aforementioned disappointment that this is not a straight ahead thrash metal album. That’s what we all wanted. But we got something new. Even worse, we got a couple of hard rock tunes. Another reason is the lyrics. There are a couple of songs where the lyrics on the chorus run shallow (Super collider, Burn!, and Built for War are the offenders that immediately jump to mind.) These couple of songs give the impression, fair or not, that depth has been exchanged for radio accessibility. And some people are just bothered by Dave’s worldview. I find it an absurd irony when a metal reviewer complains that he finds the music insulting, and yet that is a charge I have heard frequently leveled against this album. And to such people, I say this: Buddy, if you don’t want to be insulted, don’t listen to metal, or else come to grips with your bias against Christian conservatives.

This is a great album in its own right, delivering a lot of great quality tunes that many people have been overlooking because they just can’t get over that this is not Rust In Peace.

I think I'm at the point now where I hold absolutely no expectations for whatever Dave Mustaine thinks up next, because for nearly two decades now, it's never been a question of 'will this be mediocre or will it suck?' but rather 'just how mediocre, JUST HOW SUCK.' Sure, Endgame was a great time, but only because he saw fit to return to the record that blew the ceiling off Megadeth's career (Rust in Peace) rather than forge off into a compelling new direction. This guy is hands down one of the worst decision makers in the medium, which is a pity, since you have to admit that he has no issue morphing the band's sound to fit whatever whimsy he's got this year or next. In the proper hands, that can be a positive and potent trait for a musical franchise, but in Mustaine's it has become a piece of cheap putty that rarely takes the shape anyone in the audience would enjoy. Cryptic Writings, Risk, The World Needs a Hero, The System Has Failed, United Abominations, Th1rt3en, and now Exhibit G of the Megadeth Trainwreck: Super Collider, an effort which is so creatively misguided that I had to dial 911 for a pair of EMTs to come and jump start my brain again with electrodes. And so pathetic that it makes its superstitious predecessor almost triumphant by comparison!

It's a little bit late to write this off as a midlife crisis ('everybody gets one'). No, this is just outright weak. The Dave Ellefson bass lines that set up "Kingmaker" gave me a few seconds of hope that I was about to get my ass kicked, and then it all falls apart, with a track that is more or less a series of dull swaggering chugs that had me fearing a "Sweating Bullets II", busting out into a chorus that is essentially a rehash of "Symphony of Destruction" with the descending melodic chords sped up. "Super Collider" is a rock song with Pearl Jam bass guitars, angsty filtered vocals and the one bright spot being the first few seconds of the lead. "Burn!" is boring, effortless chug reduction with bluesy wah wah leads. I had complained on the prior album about just how insipid and uninspired a lot of Mustaine's riffing choices have become, but this takes it to a whole other level of miserable, with songs that couldn't have taken the guy more than five minutes to assemble. This is the same person we used to venerate as a guitar god...for fuck's sake, just listen to his playing on Rust in Peace. Listen to how the songs were crafted, the techniques employed and embedded into even the rhythm playing. Super Collider is more like a sequel to Youthanasia, only with that record the catchy choruses were legion enough to compensate for the simplified, slower pacing and rock structure of the songwriting. Not so much this time, where you'll almost never hear a surprise melody or vocal hook worth repeating.

One could definitely characterize Super Collider as a mix of Dave's hard rock influences (felt through a lot of the groovy picking progressions on tunes like the bridge of "Dance in the Rain" or "Built for War" (the latter having a slightly modern Metallica feel) with the 'bare minimum' of what makes a Megadeth metal track. They're not about to throw in the towel entirely, and remind us through the leads and occasionally a riff of the sleek and dextrous playing that built the band's following. But it's all for show...I never came away thinking it was integral for any particular song, and even when you've got a middling, inoffensive piece like "Off the Edge", Dave will go and cock it up with some generic layman lyrics that disintegrate any potential interest. A pity, because there are actually a handful of positive things I can say for the disc. The bass-playing, while not strong in its note choices, sounds voluminous and really helps round out the overall balance of instruments, so we know at least one of the members is 'performing', he merely needs better songs to work with. I would also laud the complete production of the record...it's modern, but fresh, in more ways than one an update to Youthanasia's concentrated layers of depth, rhythmic punch and brightness. Good guitar tones, lead effects, good vocal mix, and anything Shawn Drover applies a stick or foot to is clear as day, though he too is quite restricted by a lot of the predictable rock beats.

I'm also not going to write off the record strictly on the whole 'guest vocalist' debacle, with David Draiman of Disturbed appearing deeper into "Dance in the Rain", because: A) Who gives a shit!? I might not like his mainstay band either, but the guy genuinely digs metal and Megadeth, and was happy to be a part of this; and B) because the explosion at the end of that song, with Dave and David shouting vocals in uniform, is set to the best pure Megadeth riff anywhere on this thing. If there were a dozen or even a half-dozen more instances of this throughout Super Collider, it would have been a more pleasurable experience. But therein lies the issue: a moment of intensity and passion like this one serves only to cripple and leaden the rest of the record. At best, you're going to get a semi-catchy piece like "Beginning of Sorrow", the strongest overall use of riffing and melody with the nice male/female backing choir chorus, and a structure that reminded me of what I enjoyed off the Countdown to Extinction/Youthanasia era. On the other end, you'll get "The Blackest Crow", where the idea is to dress up some very boring, basic crunch riffs with a fiddle intro and outro to create a 'country Megadeth'. Gosh, man, you are so eclectic and open minded that it tickles me! The cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" is passable, I suppose, but I just wish most of the originals were actually heavier than this...

In another, just world, records like Risk and Super Collider would have been branded as Dave Mustaine solo efforts, dicking around with mainstream rock and hard rock music, blues or whatever he felt like and not polluting the joy that was once Megadeth. Granted, I am not now or ever opposed to a band experimenting with its sound for any reason if the end result is good music, but Mustaine has yet to prove to me that he can pull it off with any lineup. You might 'outgrow' thrash and speed metal, sir, but you'll not surpass it with the likes of this unmemorable tripe. Super Collider is a bargain bin effort before you've even hit the cover tune, with often middling lyrics and even more unimaginative music that simply can't be ignored because he threw a cello here, or a fiddle there. It's also, unfortunately, the worst Megadeth record in 14 years, second only to Risk in serving as rock bottom for their entire career. The twist is that there are a good 5-7 minutes of ideas here that serve as a painful reminder to just what we're all missing out on when this man is not on his game. Vic turned his back on us the last time, and now he's nowhere to be found. Frowny face. I might not be holding my breath for another masterful record like Peace Sells... or Rust in Peace, but some part of me still believes in your musical ability, Mr. Mustaine. We don't need "Holy War 2" (you already did that), but for the love of whatever God or philosophy you're following this week, stop fucking around and KILL US WITH RIFFS.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Usually when I talk about Megadave, I typically talk about how they're Metallica Jr, how bewilderingly overrated Endgame is, how damn close to perfect Rust in Peace is, things of that sort. I have the same few sticking points that I seem to harp on whenever the band is brought up, it's a definite flaw that I certainly acknowledge. So what am I going to harp on today? Why, how clear it is that Dave Mustaine has lost his goddamn mind, of course.

The series of events leading up to this has been nothing short of a surreal, yet hysterically apt look into the mind of Dave Mustaine. We all know about how strong his political beliefs are and how staunchly libertarian he is, but that's not what makes him crazy. There are plenty of normally well adjusted people who believe in their political leanings so strongly that they're willing to say crazy shit to make a point. I mean, I don't doubt that Dave probably believes that Obama harnessed the power of the Weather Machine from Red Alert 2 to stage the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma, but that doesn't necessarily make him a bad guitarist or songwriter. No no no, shit like "Super Collider" makes him a bad songwriter. Yeah, the title track here was released about a month or so ago, and everybody who heard it promptly shit their pants in awe of how transcendentally crappy it was. A riffless mid-90s radio rock song with tired melodies and the worst vocal performance of Dave's entire career? Oh yeah, you bet your sweet little tushie this is going to be a comical trainwreck! I couldn't wait simply for the sheer schadenfreude. And before then, Dave announced that David Draiman, the hilariously wimpy frontman of Disturbed, was going to be featured and also help co-write a couple tracks. Fans lost their shit over this prospect. I'll admit Disturbed released two alright modern hard rock albums back with Believe and Ten Thousand Fists, but they're largely uninspiring and Draiman himself is a hilarious wussburger of a human being. The cover art was incredibly funny to me as well, it's one of the most well known stock photos of the Large Hadron Collider with just an added lens flare and a Megadeth logo slapped on to it. It's so preposterously lazy, they may as well have just released an album with that stock photo of the girl with the striped shirt and mega cleavage that everybody on the internet has seen twelve gorillion times already and named the album Boober Collider for all the effort this took.

The day finally came where the album was made available to those of us who are leeches upon the underbelly of the music business, and well... it's bad, but it's not hilarious like I was hoping. I made the choice to avoid Thirteen (pHU(|< 7|-|@ $7UP1D L337 $P34|< p0PP'/(0(|<) based on how little I've liked practically anything the band has done since 1994, but from what I've gathered, Super Collider isn't all that different. It plays like a collection of b-sides from the mid 90s for the most part, with boring hard rock songs and boring kinda-vaguely-thrashy songs that they've been shilling since The System has Failed. It's more just really boring and uninteresting as opposed to outright offensively bad. I mean, there are some decent things here; I think "Kingmaker" is cool hearkening back to the sound of Countdown to Extinction (which I have now dubbed "speed rock"), and "Built for War" goes along those same lines. And no matter how bitter I am about Broderick potentially damning Nevermore to jump ship for the sinking S.S. Megadeth, there's no denying that he and Mustaine play off each other extremely well, and the leadwork has been pretty consistently great ever since he joined the fold. But apart from the leadwork, there isn't really any consistent positive from beginning to end on Super Collider. It pretty solidly flip flops between bad and boring with a few bright spots here and there.

To get the positives out of the way first, the aforementioned appearance of David Draiman is actually probably the best moment of the album. Say what you will about his voice or the insane Alex Jonesian lyrics he's forced to sing (the word "Al-CIA-da" is seriously used (ya rly)), but at least he sounds youthful and energetic. Mustaine's already technically awful singing voice has been long shot, and so he just kind of grumbles and snarls his way through the entire album like a tired old man trying to still sound as vicious as he did when he was a smack addicted young adult. The music does occasionally ramp up the aggression, but the vocals just have no chance of matching up to the energy and pace when it does pick up. And as I've previously mentioned, the speed rock numbers like "Kingmaker", pieces of "Don't Turn Your Back" and the end of "Dance in the Rain" are pretty good (especially that last song, the double bass passages and Draiman's exuberant performance are the clear highlight of the album for me), and the more mid paced stuff can sometimes groove along pretty well at times. The horridly titled "Burn!" is a pretty good example of such, even if the song is utterly forgettable if not for the dumb chorus.

But really, that's really all the album has going for it. Consistently impressive guitar solos over the top of mostly boring speed rock and intended radio singles with the occasional bright spot and vaguely thrashy moment. Nobody really expects Megadeth to churn out dozens of classic songs and riffs like they used to, but I don't think we fans are asking too much to ask for a little bit more effort on their part. The title track is still worth all the hate it received upon release, with it's utterly boring progression, pointless lyrics, and hideous vocals. We know that Megadeth can pull off this style relatively well, Youthanasia was full of decent songs like this, and I maintain that "Countdown to Extinction" is one of the better kinda-ballads in the band's repertoire, but "Super Collider" here is an exercise in half hearted ideas being shat forth with no passion from their creator. The song just kind of stumbles around on a really bland vocal melody and a complete dearth of anything resembling a real riff. Granted, it's clearly not meant to be a riff based song, but when the vocals are so hilariously botched and the melodies so uninteresting, something like an interesting riff in the bridge or something would have been most welcome.

And... good God this man's lyrics just need to be addressed. We all know they suck, we all know that his increasingly extreme political views have been seeping into his music for a while now, but they manage to be both funny and confusing on Super Collider. Take "Beginning of Sorrow" (which, to my dismay, is not actually a Suffocation cover) for example, which at first seems like a pretty straightforward take on the hot-button issue of abortion. But as the song goes on, the narrative just gets super fucking bizarre. A quick summation is this: "Teenage girl meets 'Mr. Right', Mr. Right turns out to be a jackwagon and rapes her, she is given the choice to abort, chooses not to, spits out baby in an alleyway, kid grows up in shitty foster homes, grows up twisted and bitter, becomes rapist himself, the end". So wait, what the fuck am I supposed to glean from that? Abortion should be legal because... otherwise there'd be more rapists in the world? Or... is it trying to make a statement about the fucked up state of foster care? Or... rape... is bad? I just don't get it. And then one song I keep mentioning as being one of the better ones, "Dance in the Rain", starts off with a goddamn "God Alone" dissonant banging while Dave rambles some spoken word crap about how da gubbermint has your car bugged and how they're just the worst thing ever and anarchy and antichrist and whatever I'm not The Sex Pistols I'm not very good at this get off my back! And then we have a personal favorite of mine, "Don't Turn Your Back". Favorite why? Because I'm almost sure this is yet another Chris Poland diss track. Motherfucker you wrote this already twenty five years ago. I'm not even kidding, the lyrics even directly reference getting his stuff stolen. Goddammit Dave, stop being such a booger.

Despite being boring on the whole, there are some strange musical choices here as well. The aforementioned awkward spoken word intro of "Dance in the Rain" is a big one, along with the banjo rendition of the opening of "My Last Words" (srsly) in "The Blackest Crow". Most impressively though, is "Forget to Remember". Honestly, this one is actually probably my favorite because it just so perfectly encapsulates the ever dwindling coherence of our glorious leader here. First off, it seems like a fairly typical farewell song. Could be a breakup, could be a death, whatever, it's a sad song, that's the point. That is until we reach the bridge, where (and I'm so happy that what I'm about to describe is a real thing) we get a spoken word section where a groveling Dave Mustaine begs to some woman to just please let him talk to her while she tells him to piss off because she has no idea who he is. The female voice in this exchange is played by his fifteen year old daughter. And then there's one last verse about how vaccines are evil shoehorned into the end because why the fuck not? What is going on in this man's head? I implore you, make sense of this insanity. Albums like City or Obscura sound like the musical manifestation of insanity to you? Well you simply just haven't spent enough time with Super Collider. Between the not-bad-but-kinda-half-hearted speed rock and the really terrible radio half-ballads, the layers peel away to reveal a man who hasn't been in full control of his brain ever since he learned how to burn the bottom half of a spoon. And it's odd because he still manages to surround himself with great musicians, and Broderick here is no exception, and he still manages to shine through when given the opportunity.

But clearly, this is very much a "Dave" project, and the band really has been ever since day one. This used to work out fine when other guitarists were able to inject their style into the still great songs Dave was writing. But now that he's an old, decrepit, lip-flapping lunatic, somebody needs to pull the reins and sit the man down, shake him violently and just yell in his face "NOBODY WANTS THREE RADIO ROCK SONGS ABOUT THE BARACKALYPSE. Goddammit man, we get it, you don't trust the government and personal freedom is being eradicated yak yak yak. Lots of people agree with you, but you are fucking awful at making this point eloquently. You're not a very good lyricist, you just kind of hamfist stupid scaremongering buzzwords into an awkward cadence and then run with it without editing your work at all. Nobody wants this shit. You know what they do want? Fast, violent, ripping music with lyrics that have fuck all to do with your increasingly pushy political views. Look back at 'This Day We Fight', that song was so goddamn good that most people seem to forget that the rest of Endgame sucks. Just... do that again. We know you can do it, you just did it flawlessly nary two albums ago. Why instead do you churn out crap like 'Off the Edge' and 'Forget to Remember'? Take your pills, man. Pick up the pace, let Shawn double bass and let Chris shred even more, maybe even give him an opportunity to start writing some riffs. The pieces are in place, but we have a raving madman at the helm who can't focus or make a good decision anymore. Get your head in the game, dammit."

That's all there really is to say about Super Collider. It's boring more than it is outright bad, but even with that being true, it still manages to make some bafflingly strange decisions. Is it worth checking out? Ehh, not really. "Kingmaker" is okay and the second half of "Dance in the Rain" is really good, but otherwise it's one of those things you shouldn't go out of your way for. Not the trainwreck we were all expecting (un)fortunately, but it's still boring and yet another pointless addition to the ever growing pile of pointless Megadeth albums since Youthanasia. The band's biggest problem is pretty solidly the band's own leader, and it's sad to say (especially since Rust in Peace is one of my all time favorites), but it's best to just ignore Megadeth at this point.

PS - The Thin Lizzy cover is pretty solid too, though they don't do anything special with it.


Originally written (with an added visual aid!) for Lair of the Bastard