CD Review: Megadeth - Th1rt3en

Written by Ray Dunkle Thursday, 15 December 2011 16:32

Artist: Megadeth
Title: Th1rt3en
Genre: Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal
Release Date: 1st November 2011
Label: Roadrunner Records

Album Review

‘Th1rt3en’ is the 13th album of MEGADETH, a number as tradition demands has brought some bad luck to the band during the recording. According to Dave Mustaine the car didn’t start and some stuff kept on disappearing. Apart from the encirclement of the band by evil spirits and the fun of it, the area of music was always the strong point of MEGADETH. Heavy and fast riffs, catchy tunes and a feeling of keeping the pace with modern Metal aspects, if not at times leading them. And yet, on the other hand, you have exactly what you might expect from MEGADETH songs. Nothing will challenge you, in terms of music; the album is quite mainstream metal.

The opening ‘Sudden Death’ is the most brilliant song of the album, with the solos, the vocals and everything in it collaborating to create one of the best MEGADETH songs ever. ‘Public Enemy No.1’ is undoubtedly the big “hit” of the album. Though it is more mainstream than the previous song, nevertheless it is a song destined to be performed in big arenas and clubs. Its theme was inspired by Al Capone and the official video should be titled “Al Capone on the Planet of the Apes during the Prohibition”. But I am afraid this is pretty much all; the rest of the album sounds like a repetition of old themes, some catchier than others, to the point they can become tiresome. As if that wasn’t enough the lyrics have a declining quality.

Near the ending of the CD you have the feeling that they resound as the emotional animus of conspiracy freaks. Illuminati, Antichrist, a “secret bureaucracy”, the “blind follow; blind lead” and all these niceties are fighting and plotting to bring down the civilisation as we know it. In their attempt they didn’t notice that Jesus and Dave are around to spoil the sinister plans for world dominion. It seems that the band has lost quite few pounds of humour so much needed when you deal with such topics. Though politics always were one of the band’s most favoured topics the comparison with the past shows that they used to have a by far more serious approach of their themes.

They also lack the emotional depth, the one that once upon a time led them to writing ‘In My Darkest Hour’. ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ which is the most “personal” song of this CD looks like teenager-ish rejection of the world. Overall what you got in ‘Th1rt3en’ is a series of pompous bravados some with apocalyptical millenarian undertones. If you aren’t into that conspirational mode of thinking I doubt that you’ll enjoy this release in its totality. There’s almost nothing you can relate to. Though it might lead you to read Richard Hofstadter’s “The Paranoid Style In American Politics”. I am thinking he should have written something about the music as well.


Tracklist

01. Sudden Death – 5:07
02. Public Enemy No.1 – 4:15
03. Whose Life (Is It Anyways) – 3:50
04. We The People – 4:33
05. Guns, Drugs, & Money – 4:19
06. Never Dead – 4:32
07. New World Order – 3:56
08. Fast Lane – 4:04
09. Black Swan – 4:10
10. Wrecker – 3:51
11. Millennium Of The Blind – 4:15
12. Deadly Nightshade – 4:55
13. 13 – 5:49


Line-up

Dave Mustaine – Lead vocals, guitar
Dave Ellefson – Bass, backing vocals
Chris Broderick – Guitar, backing vocals
Shawn Drover – Drums, percussion


Websites

http://www.megadeth.com / https://www.facebook.com/Megadeth


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 5
Sound: 8
Total: 6.5 / 10