Mark’s Review:

The last two Megadeth albums have shown that Mustaine does his best work when there’s a Bush in the White House. While “The System Has Failed” and “United Abominations” weren’t on the same level with “Rust in Peace” and “Countdown to Extinction“, they certainly were a step in the right direction, and were light-years ahead of the radio-rock oriented “Risk” and “Youthanasia“. Mustaine has resurrected the mad riffing of the early days, and realized that he’s at his best when the speed is turned up and his nasal whine is high-pitched. Now we have the third offering from Dave and Co. since he took time off due to that nerve condition in his wrist, and although there are flashes that make it feel like 1990 again, “Endgame” features a bit too many mediocre moments to be considered a new classic.

Will you enjoy “Endgame“? Well, that depends on what type of Megadeth fan you are. Picture the album as a revised version of “So Far, So Good, So What” with way better production. It has lots of great moments, plus its fair share of clunky ones, but the detailed comparisons between the two albums is pretty shocking. For instance, like “So Far, So Good…“, “Endgame” starts with an instrumental (one that actually sounds a little bit like “Into the Lungs of Hell“). Not a big deal, since they’re both good tunes that both bleed into a classic Megadeth thrash song. On “Endgame“, that second song is the awesome “This Day We Fight!“, which I’m sure will become a live staple on par with “Wake Up Dead” and “Hangar 18“. “1,320” is pretty much a new version of “502“, as both songs lyrically revolve around driving fast cars and feature great riffs and sound bites of squealing tires. After that, there’s highlights in the form of “Endgame” and “Head Crusher” and low-lights with “How the Story Ends” and “44 Minutes“. I’m not even going to discuss the cringe-worthy ballad, “The Hardest Part of Letting Go…” because every Megadeth album can’t seem to avoid that one shitstorm of a song that forces you to make a face like you just inadvertently discovered the fart in the room.

Out of 11 songs on “Endgame“, I’d say half of them are very good and the rest aren’t really terrible (besides the aforementioned ballad), they’re just kinda bland. These are the songs that although they feature some buzzsaw riffs, screaming solos and Dave growling… remain aimless. Overall, “Endgame” will add some killer songs to Megadeth’s live setlist, but I’d avoid putting it into their Pantheon.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “A valid attempt from Dave, but if you’re going “old-school”, I could have used more songs about witches and demons.”

Justin’s Review:

I’m going to generalize a little here, but up until now, you could get a pretty good read as to the quality of any given Megadeth album by simply taking a quick glance at the cover. Rust in Peace… fucking awesome. Peace Sells… pretty damn cool. Youthanasia… uh… yeah. So anyways, it comes as a bit of surprise that “Endgame“, which gets my vote for most boring album cover in the history of metal, actually isn’t half bad. Wait… I take that back.  It IS half bad.  But it’s also half bad-ass.

As Mark mentions, Dave and Co. (really… does anyone even know who plays in Megadeth these days?) are making a valiant attempt to recapture what made them a great band 19+ years ago… and man… when they are on, they are on. “Endgame” features plenty of pummeling riffs and classic Mustaine solos scattered throughout (Dialectic Chaos, Head Crusher, and Endgame to name a few), as well as the standout track “This Day We Fight!” which could possibly be the best ‘deth song since Rust in Peace… Polaris (although Mark did recently play Sleepwalker from 2007’s “United Abominations” for me, and that song is certainly in the running).

On the flipside, “Endgame” is also rife with classic Mustaine cheese-dick lyrics (“When it’s dog eat dog, you are what you eat; just like the mad dog… that bites the had that feeds.“), half-assed filler tracks (44 Minutes, Bite the Hand, How the Story Ends) and a laughably bad modern-metal ballad (The Hardest Part of Letting Go… Sealed With a Kiss). Like I said… when they are on, they are on. When they aren’t… well… (and is it me, or does the chorus to Bodies sounds an awful lot like the chorus to a certain other Megadeth hit circa 1992?)

As I sit here and try to hash out a few more things to say about “Endgame“, the thought crosses my mind… (and this is certainly something I now plan to discuss in a future podcast) who’s the shittier lyricist… post-1990 Hetfield or post-1990 Mustaine? (eg: “I’ve got nothing left to lose… but my mind. I’ve got nothing left to choose… so I think I’ll go insane.“) Eesh.

Anyways… considering my feelings towards Megadeth’s output near the past two decades, I see “Endgame” as a welcome improvement, and a definite step in the right direction. With a little less cheese and a little more Ed Repka, Megadeth just might earn themselves a solid 4 next time around.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “I checked the Megadeth e-store for a Vic Rattlehead NASCAR Shirt and couldn’t find one… I know it’s gotta be there somewhere… oh wait.”

Have A Listen:

Megadeth – Head Crusher:

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