If ever there was a man in need of a hefty reality check, it's Dave Mustaine. In the course of his lengthy career, he has been a titan of the thrash metal world. Yet despite legions of fans, arena tours and accolades a-plenty, Mustaine seems to have spent a significantly large proportion of his time whining about anything and everything, especially if it involves Metallica.
Indeed, to the casual observer, the past two decades seem to have largely consisted of him wandering around with a perpetual hangdog expression, going through bandmates faster than Spinal Tap go through drummers and ranting about how deeply unfair life is to anyone within earshot.
Megadeth: Metal Is Their Business
It's almost a pity therefore that when it comes to actually getting down to business and making music, Mustaine is not only good, he's exceptional. It'd be a lot easier to dismiss him as a miserable imbecile if he didn't have the likes of Peace Sells, Countdown To Extinction, United Abominations and the legendary Rust In Peace in his back catalogue. There have been missteps along the way certainly, but lord almighty if he hasn't just gone and done it again, because Endgame is a belter.
Opening with the instrumental Dialectic Chaos, the album gets off to a good start with a track that musically, is very reminiscent of the popular Wake Up Dead, one of the biggest hits from their early years. Mustaine and his new guitar partner Chris Broderick rip through some high speed soloing that lays down a challenge to all the pretenders coming up through the thrash ranks; if they want the throne, they're going to have to come and get it.
And Business Is Good
From here, the album kicks off properly with This Day We Fight! A blood-boiling onslaught of retro thrash that is one of the finest openers of the year, perfectly calculated to send listeners into a neck-snapping round of headbanging fury. Never one to rest on his laurels though, Mustaine keeps the pace on the increase and follows it up with the equally strong 44 Minutes, an anthemic ode to a bank robbery devolving into violence and 1'320, which is basically The Fast And The Furious turned into a thrash song.
Elsewhere, we get the melancholic crush of Endgame; the conspiracy laced title track that appears to have been heavily influenced by the questionable anti-terrorism laws of recent years. It sees Mustaine at his vitriolic best and it's political frustrations are counterbalanced by Head Crusher, a song about a medieval torture device that has one of the catchiest choruses the man has ever penned, not to mention a blindingly fast guitar onslaught at the beginning.
Endgame: The Verdict
Listening to Endgame is a bruising and deeply rewarding experience. Megadeth may have stopped being a proper band years ago, but the frontman's stubborn refusal to throw in the towel has given the world another excellent thrash metal album. When the final, climactic solo of The Right To Go Insane brings it all to a close, it's amazing to think that only five years ago it looked as though nerve damage might prevent him ever picking up a guitar again. This is more than a hark back to their glory days, it's one of the finest records they've ever made.
Now for heaven's sake, shut up about Metallica.
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