Album Review: Megadeth - Megadeth
Reviewed by Rich Oliver
”And now it’s time for me to say the long goodbye”.
A sad time in the heavy metal world as the time has come to bid farewell to Megadeth with one final album from one of the biggest and most influential metal bands of all time. It’s hard to imagine how heavy metal would sound without Dave Mustaine and Megadeth. Their influence can be heard in the vast majority of metal bands these days and Megadeth have released some of the most defining albums in heavy metal history from “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?” to “Rust In Peace” and “Countdown To Extinction”. With the self-titled seventeenth album, Megadeth decide to bow out but this is not a band who are past their prime but deciding to this whilst still at the height of their powers. And it is fitting that “Megadeth” is an excellent finale for one of the biggest names in metal.
Megadeth, like most long-running metal bands, have seen some stylistic changes through their tenure but have remained unmistakably Megadeth. The band returned to harder and faster sounds on their latest releases and that remains the case here - bowing out with a snarl rather than a whimper. With the line-up of guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Dirk Verbeuren, Megadeth unleash a final album that pays homage to former glories whilst being a definitive statement on who Megadeth are in 2026 and do it in a short sharp fashion with ten songs and a succinct running time of around 40 minutes.
The thrash and speed metal roots of the band can be heard in furious album opener ‘Tipping Point’, the fretboard gymnastics of ‘Let There Be Shred’ and ‘the speedy ‘Made To Kill’ whilst chunky and catchy mid paced numbers such as ‘Puppet Parade’, ‘Another Bad Day’ and ‘I Am War’ sound like they hark from the band’s mid 90’s period. The album closes with the reflective and anthemic ‘The Last Note’ which sees Dave dwell on his long and storied in an absolutely glorious song. There is also a bonus song which will definitely raise some eyebrows which is a cover of the old school Metallica thrasher ‘Ride The Lightning’ which Dave co-wrote back in the day. Some may see this as one last swipe at Metallica but Dave has explained that “the decision to include ‘Ride The Lightning,’ a song I co-wrote with James, Lars, and Cliff, was to pay my respects to where my career first started”.
As you would expect with Megadeth, the album is performed exceptionally. Dave has always surrounded himself with exemplary musicians and this line-up is no exception. The guitar playing from Dave and Teemu is stunning and those solos will make any self-respecting metalhead whip out their air guitar. James provides the low end with his thunderous bass whilst Dirk seriously destroys those drums. Dave’s vocals are sounding slightly worn but the guy is 64 and though he sounds older, his snarl is still very much unmistakable. The album itself also sounds wonderful with a killer mix and mastering ensuring the sounds sound punchy and in your face.
Megadeth were one of the very first metal bands that I fell in love with and they truly made a lasting impression on my fifteen year old self. It’s safe to say that without Megadeth and my deep dive into the world of thrash metal that I would be a very different person now. So it’s bittersweet to write this review and see off a band that has very much shaped my love of heavy metal music. With such a long career, there are bound to be various opinions on “Megadeth” but this album is no half arsed farewell but a definitive statement. This is Megadeth bowing out on a high and a fantastic final album which is unmistakably Dave Mustaine and 100% Megadeth.
