Final curtain call I see

Does the mighty Megadeth go out with a bang or a whimper?

I intended to write this review a week or so ago, but mother nature decided that I needed six days of frigid darkness with no electricity to reflect a little more before offering up my thoughts on Megadeth’s final studio album.

But now I have power, my fingers have warmed up enough to type again, and I’m ready to talk about the self-titled last chapter of a band that I’ve been banging my head to for nearly 40 years.

I really hoped that Dave Mustaine and Co. would approach this with a vengeance and deliver a blistering, searing, aggressive record that would send Megadeth out at their peak. I feared that it would be an uninspired, flat effort that served as an excuse for a farewell tour. The truth is that it’s neither of those things.

Megadeth brings us 11 tracks (and a whole bunch of bonuses depending on which version of the album you get) that range from outstanding to kind of boring. It’s a very good album, better than anything that they’ve done in years, in my opinion, but it’s not nearly on the level of their masterpiece, Rust in Peace.

The early singles from the record got a mixed reaction, particularly in terms of lyrics, and yes, the lyrics weren’t great. But a lot of people were acting as if Mustaine’s previous stuff was Shakespeare. He’s had moments of brilliance over the years, but he’s never been a master lyricist. I mean, listen to “Mechanix,” for God’s sake and tell me it’s any better than these songs. They were great songs musically, loaded with shreddy guitars, and that’s really what I’m looking for in a Megadeth album.

I’ll do a quick run-through with some thoughts on each song.

“Tipping Point” — A solid opening track for the album. Nice riffing, plenty of nice noodly solos. The chorus is a bit repetitive, but it’s got my head banging right out of the gate.

“I Don’t Care” — This one seemed to get the most hate of the early songs due to the lyrics, but to quote Dave, I don’t care. It’s a banger that would feel right at home on Countdown to Extinction.

“Hey God?!” — My least favorite track on the album, I think. I’m not a big fan of Mustaine’s vocal delivery, and it’s a little bouncy for my tastes.

“Let There Be Shred” — My favorite of the early singles. Yeah, the lyrics are kind of silly, but nothing else is. It has classic Megadeth riffing and leads that live up to the title. I get some Killing is My Business vibes off of it.

“Puppet Parade” — Another really strong tune on the band’s more melodic side. It reminds me a lot of Cryptic Writings, which I personally think is one of the band’s most underrated albums. This one is a strong contender for best on the record.

“Another Bad Day” — I don’t hate this song. I don’t love it either. That’s a recurring theme in the last half of the album. It’s just kind of there and another song where the chorus is essentially Dave singing the title over and over.

“Made to Kill” — Maybe the thrashiest song on the album. It definitely gives Rust in Peace vibes, especially in the faster sections, though it would certainly be the weakest tune on that album.

“Obey the Call” — This song feels a bit like a blend between Countdown and Cryptic Writings. I like the verse but find the chorus a little weak. Decent song, but forgettable. I like it more after it speeds up in the solo.

“I Am War” — Much like “Another Bad Day” and “Obey the Call,” I don’t dislike this one, but I also don’t think it’s going to be one that I’ll still be listening to 10 years from now either. It’s OK.

“The Last Note” — If I had been building the track list for the album, I would have put the version of “Ride the Lightning” somewhere in the middle instead of making it a bonus track. The ending of this song should be the last thing that we hear on the last Megadeth album. This is a nice goodbye note from Mustaine to the fans who have supported the band these past 40 years, and the soft closing where Dave does kind of a spoken word verse is the perfect cap on the band’s career. I know no one really thinks in terms of albums anymore but us old folks, but this is really where it should have ended.

“Ride the Lightning” — Another reason I would have put this in the middle somewhere is because there’s just nothing special about it. I get bringing things full circle to where he started, and I appreciate that. I also don’t hate his version of the song, but I had hoped that he’d do something interesting with it. Instead, it’s pretty much a note-for-note remake of the original with Mustaine’s vocals.

So, what’s my final take on Megadeth’s final album? It’s better than I thought it would be, but not as awesome as I’d hoped. It’s a good record that may well be my favorite since Cryptic Writings, and “The Last Note” serves as a very fitting farewell.