It’s no secret that Super
Collider is already becoming one of the most controversial releases in the
Megadeth discography. While the band has certainly pulled off more, since the
90s, but this album is coming out right after they spent a good ten years reclaiming
their thrash metal reputation. But while this album will never be worse in the
public eye than Risk, it does prove
to be a pretty rocky listen.
It is obvious that this album is different when compared to
the last few efforts before it, but it’s hard to tell just how it is different.
Unlike Risk or Cryptic Writings, there are no blatant sellouts or dance music
experimentations. If anything, you could say that it is just a dumbed version
of their signature melodic metal as the tempos are slower and the vocals return
to a more prominent position.
Of course, these changes do lead to a somewhat disjointed
band dynamic. While some training and honest effort led to fairly enjoyable
vocals during their last commercial period, Dave Mustaine’s voice just sounds
tired and almost bored in this day and age. Thankfully Chris Broderick gets
some good leads in when he can and Shawn Drover’s drumming has its moments, but
the limited writing means that the talent is more competent than it is
impressive. That’s not even going into the banjo on “The Blackest Crow” or the
David Draiman influence, though those elements aren’t as offensively prominent
as one would think.
Speaking of which, the writing also feels like a mixed bag
and seems to lack the hooks the band had gotten really good at putting
together. “Burn!” and “Built For War” would’ve been bigger highlights with
smoother transitions, “Dance In The Rain” and “Beginning Of Sorrow” have a few
pacing issues, and the title track is the kind of hard rock song that makes one
wonder why AC/DC couldn’t have gotten to use the title first…
Fortunately, there are still some good moments on here. The
opening “Kingmaker” and “Don’t Turn Your Back” make for solid metal tracks as
the former channels some Diamond Head influence and the latter features a
particularly tight drum performance. The cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Cold Sweat”
also makes for a decent closer and “Forget To Remember” actually has a few
hooks in there though it could’ve been even better in the hands of a more
melodic group.
While Super Collider
certainly isn’t at the Lulu level of
disaster, it is certainly the weakest Megadeth album since The World Needs A Hero. The best moments are when the band sticks
to what they’ve been doing since United
Abominations and even some of the other good ideas may have been better
with other bands performing them. Seriously, doesn’t the title Super Collider sound like it should’ve
been for the best AC/DC album in twenty years?
Current Highlights:
“Kingmaker”
“Built For War”
“Forget To Remember”
“Don’t Turn Your Back”
“Cold Sweat”
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