Post Risk Megadeth releases can be effectively all classified as half tributes to the different eras of the classic material, mixed with their current attempts to marry older ideas with said past glories. Sometimes these collections fall flat or come off as simply acceptable. However, sometimes these attempts hit all the right notes; Endgame is one of those times. Endgame was expectedly dubbed as a return to form, as with most releases by the Megadeth, or the Big Four in general. Forwarded by claims that the album could be slotted right in there, between album X and album Y of the first 5 classics, or 6 depending on who was doing the talking. If you had been a fan of Megadeth long enough, you have heard the same claims about The World Needs A Hero, The System Has Failed, and the previous stab, United Abominations. To be fair, this was true in some form or another, that the material on those albums, is definitely better than the releases that saw Megadeth distance themselves from thrash, and on some occasions, heavy metal altogether.
As with all Megadeth releases, being the zealot that I am, I buy it the day it comes out, or even finding a leak if I can beforehand. I picked up the album from HMV, got back to the car, and threw it in. I think that because of the past albums never really living up to their claims, that the material entered my ears with a doubt filter installed. Anyway, after a few listens I was thoroughly impressed. But this was not Rust In Peace, and it was never going to be. It was Endgame that drove home the idea, that outside of Dave deciding to record only super tech songs, and chase an early 90’s production style; it was never going to be like Rust In Peace. There are, however, lots of shining moments that harken back to the classic albums, but they also found a way to pick the best parts of the new releases.
The album kicks off with ‘Dialectic Chaos’, an instrumental that conjures a likeness of Into The Lungs Of Hell. It's stuffed with thrash riffs and exceptional lead work from Mustaine and new guy, Chris Broderick. In fact, being a Mustaine fan, I was outright animated, that aside from a few songs on here, Mustaine and Broderick are trading shred for shred. ‘This Day We Fight’ doesn’t waste any time ripping into an amalgam of Rust In Peace like material, right down to a riff that is quite similar to one from Five Magics. ‘44 Minutes’ is a track that could have easily been written for United Abominations, with its Gears of War feel. Its recount of the 97’ North Hollywood shootout, using a narrative vocal style that Mustaine has been doing more and more as of late. ‘1320’, a song about drag racing, musically drums up a So Far, So Good’s 502 vibe. ‘Bite The Hand’ and ‘Bodies’, imprinting a United Abominations/World Needs A Hero aura respectively, are the only slight weak points of the record. They aren’t bad or even mediocre, but they do have a few lyrical and musical moments that don’t appeal to me. Though, I do enjoy ‘Bodies’ melodic approach more than ‘Bite The Hand’s’ disjointed riffing and lyrics.
The title track ‘Endgame’, could have been written for United Abominations, as it fits its character to a T. With its narrative/diatribe vocals, back and forth lead work, and those under-solo Hangar 18-esque riffs, it tears into American politics. This is another element to return that I have enjoyed with current Megadeth albums. Mustaine, never being shy about speaking his mind about current events, for a while those topics took a back seat to lyrics about his personal life. There is only so much about his past drug use and religion that one can appreciate. ‘The Hardest Part Of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss’ is a bit of a refugee on the album. It definitely has an A Worlds Needs A Hero vibe but it also has an almost European power metal feel, which I can only really attribute to Chris Broderick’s involvement in the song writing. ‘Head Crusher’ is as the title appears; it is the heaviest crushing track on the album, definitely at home among the So Far, So Good styled songs. A maverick of the album, it stands out in many ways, and most likely due to Drover writing the bulk of the music. ‘How The Story Ends’ is an infectious track, with a The System Has Failed/United Abominations feel, with even a few riffs that could have been lifted from The Disintegrators type material off of Cryptic Writings. This track is a personal favourite of mine, with killer catchy riffs, a cool acoustic solo by Dave, and a ripping lead from Broderick. Easily the one song I look forward to the most when spinning the disc. The album ends with ‘The Right To Go Insane’, and is very United Abominations in its feel. It is a good track, but not the one that should have closed out the album. If one was to switch around the last two tracks, that would have made a great ending to the disc.
Sonically the production on this album is stellar, thanks to returning producer Andy Sneap (Nevermore, Testament) at the helm. The sound is crisp, clear, and well mixed; like an updated Max Normal production. As usual, Megadeth is second to none when it comes to its execution, and Dave would accept nothing less. Mustaine’s vocals are great, his leads are some of the best he has done, and his rhythms are razor sharp. The aforementioned Ex Jag Panzer/Nevermore guitarist, Chris Broderick, completes the guitar duo. Skill-wise, Broderick is the closest Megadeth has found that matches Marty Friedman. His lead work is phenomenal but only time will tell if his leads will be as memorable as the classic Friedman or Chris Poland solos. Shawn Drover and Journeyman bassist, James LoMenzo, return on Endgame for their second outing. Both doing a great job, but they don’t stand out like Gar, Nick and David did.
How does the CD stack up to the classics? Well, I think it should be considered a modern classic. If you are a Megadeth fan, you are almost guaranteed to love this album. If you only like the first 4, you might not receive this album as well as I did. So if Rust In Peace is a perfect album like I think it is, and then this album is its younger brother that isn’t so serious all the time. I highly recommend that you add this to your collection.
Track List :1. Dialectic Chaos
2. This Day We Fight!
3. 44 Minutes
4. 1,320'
5. Bite the Hand
6. Bodies
7. Endgame
8. The Hardest Part of Letting Go... Sealed with a Kiss
9. Head Crusher
10. How the Story Ends
11. The Right to Go Insane
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