REVIEW – MEGADETH ‘SUPER COLLIDER’ There is always a certain trepidation when a band you love releases new material. Already in 2013 I’ve had albums that had given me a huge surge of relief upon hearing that certain groups have retained their songwriting gusto (Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, Volbeat) and in some cases blown me away completely (Enforcer, Airbourne – more on this one later!). Megadeth are one of the infamous ‘Big 4’. A band that since 2004 have released mostly top quality material but has been patchy in parts. 2004s ‘The System Has Failed’ was a delightful extravaganza of later period ‘Deth. 2007s ‘United Abominations’ contained the best first half of an album that Dave Mustaine had written in years before descending into drivel. ‘Endgame’ released in 2009 was simply stunning, while 2011s ‘Thirteen’ contained more than a few duds but had enough quality to render it a good album worthy of purchase. Which brings us to ‘Super Collider’. Apparently Dave and the boys couldn’t wait to get a new album out after ‘Thirteen’ (released a mere 18 months ago). Have Megadeth found a new spurt of creative passion that led to a great album? NO. Super Collider starts off well with ‘Kingmaker’, a mid-tempo straight forward number with a simple catchy chorus and hook laden main riff. The production is excellent, bass is low and clunky (in a good way) the drums are clear and punchy and the guitars are crisp and Mustaines vocals sound better than they have in years. Unfortunately, this opening promise doesn’t continue. Mustaine recently commented that title track ‘Super Collider’ reminded him of the AC/DC classic ‘Highway To Hell’. I’m all for opinions, but Mr. Mustaine…you are wrong. This song is a slow boring attempt at rock radio acceptability with nothing of merit. The chorus is so agonizingly bad that I found it hard to listen to without focusing on something else. Lyrically the song is utter garbage and the music while played competently is devoid of any lasting quality. The lyrical embarrassment continues on ‘Burn!’, which actually opens with a decent intro, but Mustaines dull main riff and cringey lines take all virtue out of the track. ‘Built For War’ is another cringefest with Dave asking us “What do you think your fists are for?”…really Dave? Things get worse with “Off The Edge’, the lines of “Crazy.. I’m going Crazy….This worlds gone Crazy” nearly made me change the track every single time I heard it and unfortunately it is only this annoying chorus that sticks in your head, these lyrics are from the same man who wrote ‘Hook In Mouth’ and ‘Holy Wars’?!?!? Things get slightly better with ‘Dance In The Rain’. Once again Daves lyrics make the song almost unlistenable but thankfully the song ups the tempo in the second half giving Super Collider one of its rare exciting moments. The speedy driving riff in the songs latter parts are over scored with vocals from guest David Draiman (who sounds fantastic). However, this section will only give rise to a few repeats before you tire of skipping most of the track to get to the good part. Some much needed quality is finally delivered in ‘Beginning of Sorrow’. A short intro from bassist Dave Ellefson leads into a slow hooky riff overladen with keyboards and Mustaines drawled out repeating of the songs title, which actually works quite well. The slow to mid-tempo feel of the album to date finally works on this song, it is focused and atmospheric. Nothing fantastic and surely never to see the light of day in a live setting but following on from the previous tracks it could be ‘My Last Words’. Things dip again with ‘The Blackest Crow’. Opening with a banjo it sounds different and promising but before long that mediocre mid tempo riffage and dull vocal delivery that has haunted the album returns and aside from the interesting intro the song is completely forgettable. ‘Forget To Remember’ delivers a decent song which is more heavy pop (if there is such a thing) than metal (the intro reminds me so much of the Lady Gaga song ‘I Like It Rough’ that more than once I’ve had to check that I was listening to the right song). Thankfully this experiment is pulled off with reasonable aplomb. Catchy, simple and melodic it’s a nice reprieve from the nothingness of the majority of the album. ‘Don’t Turn Your Back…’ is not terrible but not great by any standards and warrants only a few listens before all hooks are exhausted. Closing the album is a cover of the Thin Lizzy classic ‘Cold Sweat’. A pet peeve of mine is pointless covers, which is exactly what this is. It’s Megadeth playing ‘Cold Sweat’, nothing more nothing less. Played correctly, played well but if I want to hear this ill listen to the original version. So in conclusion? Super Collider is overall a huge stepdown in songwriting for Mustaine and friends. Most of the album is lost in mid-tempo drudgery with lyrics that make Justin Bieber look like William Shakespeare. There are no memorable solos at all on the album and when you have Chris Broderick in your band there SHOULD be good solos. Sonically, the album sounds wonderful but the songs for the most part are just not there. Id would say ‘Kingmaker’, ‘Beginning of Sorrow’ and ‘Forget To Remember’ are the only tracks worth your time at all but even these cannot compete with recent Megadeth belters such as ‘Washington Is Next!’, ‘Kick The Chair’, ‘Thirteen’ etc. Do not buy it, purchase the good tracks individually from iTunes and pretend the rest doesn’t exist. Final Word: Super Collider makes Death Magnetic sound like Master of Puppets.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:06:21 +0000
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