Megadeth

Essentially a Dave Mustaine solo album, the new Megadeth is finally the return to form we’ve all been waiting for far too long. With no other Mega-members in tow, except Chris Poland contributing guitar solos, Mustaine has nonetheless managed to create an album that sounds like the work of a well-gelled band. The thick production brings out the guitar and drums nicely, as the two dance around each other in true Rust in Peace-style fashion for much of the album. It never sounds forced or contrived like many bands returning to their roots, however; this disc is a cross between Countdown to Extinction and RiP — a nice mix of maturity and balls-out speedy technical thrash. Many of the songs seem a bit too long, but there’s no real clunkers on here; even the songs that start out sappy and keyboard-drenched end up more Peace Sells… than The World Needs A Hero, with the end result being a thrash album worthy of many listens, and, really, the victory over Metallica that Mustaine obviously needs to find some kind of peace. A mighty return to form that is sure to impress even the most cynical.