Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead

7,712

5 Stars

The album cover design from Derek Riggs with his beautifully intricate work as ever. It’s so much nicer to buy an album if the artwork is good, especially if you buy the vinyl. Derek Riggs has also worked on the Iron Maiden artwork.

Audio CD (paid link)

Through troubled waters Dave Mustaine has brought the beast that is his band back to the forefront of rock music.

The “Sick, The Dying… And the Dead” is Megadeth’s first album since “Dystopia” six years ago. During this time, David Mustaine has beaten cancer, so it’s somewhat of a joyous release. Although the album was supposed to be released in 2019, through obvious and not-so-obvious complications, there has been delay after delay. But at last, on Friday, 2^nd September 2022, we got what we have all been waiting for, the chance to all rock out on some new Megadeth. Does the album disappoint after its long gestation period? Not for even a millisecond.

*David Mustaine in full flight with flying V where he excels on the live stage, out front leading his troops.*

The album opens with a tolling bell, then a street caller yelling for you to “Bring Out Your Dead.” After which, the Megadeth traditional dual riffing guitars take you into the title track, then the whole band break in at the one minute ten second mark. From here on, it’s chocks away—the band is flying.

David Mustaine commands central stage with his lead guitar slung low and the vocals set to growl. Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro has been with David Mustaine since 2015, so sounds confident, aggressive and in control. Dirk Verbeuren is featured in the Megadeth lineup in the recording studio for the first time, doing a wonderful job battering his way along, bringing to mind a flexible Animal from the Muppets. The drive and power he brings to Megadeth are awesome to experience.

*Back in the day when David Mustaine was an angry young man,*
*now he is an angry middle-aged rocker.*

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For the recording of this collection of songs, Steve Di Giorgio brought his wealth of experience in the bass guitar department to the Megadeth ranks. He is currently the bass player with Testament, but his CV is magnificent and long. However, James LoMenzo has returned to the Megadeth ranks since the recording of this album and will be with the band as they head out on the road.

This album is Megadeth’s sixteenth, released on David Mustaine’s Tradecraft Record Label. David Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw have produced the album, so it’s pretty much the complete head-banging package.

In all, you get battered by twelve hard rockin’ monster songs plus two sonic bonus tracks. David Mustaine either writes or co-writes all of the twelve numbers; the two bonus tracks are covers of the Dead Kennedy’s ‘Police Truck,’ during which Jello Biafra could never have imagined the heavy reckoning his song would get in Megadeth’s hands, the music being treated as a brutal weapon.

Delightfully, the other bonus track is a cover of Sammy Hagar’s flag bearer, ‘This Planet’s on Fire (Burn in Hell),’ with Sammy Hagar guesting on vocals. To be honest, the price of the CD is justified just for this wonderfully over-the-top version. The guitar solos from Mustaine and Loureiro will have many an air guitar ripped from its sheath.

*Steady girls. Kiko Loureiro has ruffled a few feathers amongst*
*Megadeth’s female fans.*

Amongst the other songs that stand out from all the other highlights, I have to include ‘Night Stalker’ with its electrifying riff and guest vocals from Ice T. “It’s about the 160^th Battalion with the US Army and its black-ops helicopters that go in at night.”

‘Killing Time’ is all about a former girlfriend of Mustaine’s. Listen to the lyrics and make your own mind up. I did, and I can think of some others it applies to.

‘Dogs of Chernobyl’ is not about the Ukraine War but merely a love song to the wonders of medical science that allowed Mustaine to make a rapid and complete recovery from throat cancer. Mustaine’s treating radiologist, Tony Cmelak, gets a lyric credit for his contributions of a couple of phrases and information about the radiation poisoning when everyone got sick at Chernobyl. Who said heavy metal could not be informative and compassionate?

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There are also a couple of pure burners on the album. ‘Celebutante’ and ‘We’ll Be Back’ will slay them on the live stage. Bring it on. These are not two-minute blitzkriegs but a prolonged battering to rock your body.

‘Mission to Mars’ is Megadeth’s clever dip into the realms of space rock, with excellent sound effects and clever lyrics. ‘Rusting in Peace’ with a touch of ‘Space Oddity,’ it still rocks like a mother, with Kirk Verbeuren on the drums excelling. This is going to be interesting live.