Megadeth – TH1RT3EN (Roadrunner)

As a long-time Megadeth listener, I always marvel how much their guitars sound, well, metallic. There’s a really cold, almost machine-like tone. That is not to say that the music is just over-produced schlock. The guitar work itself is impressive as always. That being said, there are three main red flags with this album before the listening begins.

1. Th1rt3en represents the third and final album on the band’s deal with Roadrunner Records.
Mr. Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, has not been shy about the label’s perceived bad treatment of the band. I don’t know the ins and outs of that but being as he is the only original member to last through every album (original bassist Dave Ellefson returns after a decade of litigation), it seems that treating this band well hasn’t always been Mustaine’s priority. Needless to say, there is no incentive for the band to produce anything other than the fulfillment of their contract.

2. The heavy involvement of producer Johnny K in songwriting.
The last time a produced had this much impact on songwriting on a Megadeth album was 1999’s horrific Risk, which ultimately led to the band’s classic lineup’s dissolution. I generally don’t think that producers have a place meddling with this process with a few notable exceptions (Brian Eno, for instance).

3. The additions of two songs that are 15-plus years old.
There isn’t anything quite as sacrilegious as “Return To Hangar,” here. But there are two tracks that were demoed and released on the re-issue of 1994’s awesome Youthanasia. “New World Order,” has been heard in a Duke Nukem game. “Millenium Of The Blind,” has been re-worked, extended, and given lyrics. These are strong offerings but it probably would have been more impressive to deliver more great new tracks.

And there are some of those. And I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the superior new songs are all Mustaine solo compositions. Album opener “Sudden Death,” tries to set the stomping tone and succeeds. It’s not until the back to back assault of “Black Swan,” (another older track) and “Wrecker,” that things really pick up again. This is vintage, snarling Mustaine still showing his ability to sneer out a melody. On “13,” he muses that he has gone “to the well too many times”. The song could be an ode to his approach to this record. The sad thing is that, even without trying, Th1rt3en is a decent album. It certainly is a better listen to the other “Big 4” bands’ latest efforts (aside from Slayer‘s World Painted Blood, it’s on par with that). Mustaine has always delivered just when people were ready to write him off, so the hope is that he can regain his focus. Few in metal are as good as him when he’s on. So, take this for what it is: a great band dialing it in to fulfill a commitment.