There were a number of signs prior to release that this might be lucky number th1rt3en for Megadeth. Their two previous outings, United Abominations and Endgame, while not quite a return to vintage form, were pleasingly robust albums that hinted at a rejuvenated band. The stars were aligning. Founding member Dave Ellefson returned to the fold, and thawing relations between the thrash giants saw band leader and only constant member Dave Mustaine share a stage with Metallica for the first time in 18 years. Th1rt3en (the band’s thirteenth studio album, in case you couldn’t work that out) had all the momentum to suggest a return to Megadeth’s unimpeachable former glories. The result, perhaps inevitably, falls short of such a high water mark, yet still showcases much of what propelled Megadeth to the summit of the thrash mountain all those years ago.
The album opens in typically barnstorming fashion. ‘Sudden Death’ sets a frenetic pace with muscular riffs driving the verses headlong into a melodic chorus, with fleet-fingered shredding never far behind. This barrels into lead single ‘Public Enemy No.1,’ where Mustaine’s trademark snarl, high in the mix and steely with conviction, is as pebble-dashed as ever before. Neither quite matches classic openers such as ‘Holy Wars... The Punishment Due’ or even Endgame’s one-two combo of ‘Dialectic Chaos’/‘This Day We Fight!’, but this is still the sound of Megadeth at its most vital.
It’s a shame then that Th1rt3en quickly eases off the gas. The chunky verses and hard-rock choruses remain, but too many songs are mid-paced, formulaic, and missing a crucial sense of fun. These are songs that Dave Mustaine could write while conditioning his hair. ‘You hate the way I wear my clothes/You hate my friends and where we go’ he whines on ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways)’ like a grounded teenager whose black nail varnish has been confiscated. There’s nothing particularly wrong with these songs. The album isn’t lacking confidence in what Megadeth does well. Any pause to lower your air guitar and wipe sweat from your brow is interrupted by another bout of shredding. The lyrics cover the usual bases, from the self-explanatory ‘Guns, Drugs & Money’ to the bonkers political conspiracies of ‘We The People,’ and are generally best ignored. But there’s a prevailing sense of reluctance to unleash the barbarian energy that at full stride is unmatched by any other band.
It’s glimpses of this reckless abandon that rescue Th1rt3en. The moody opening of ‘Never Dead’ explodes into a frenzied fret work-out that never relents, and the second half instrumental conflagration of ‘New World Order’ could sit proudly alongside anything on Rust in Peace. ‘Millenium of the Blind’ dares to change the pace, a delightful sense of menace building up to a layered Mustaine spitting the chorus with genuine venom before he delivers the only memorable solo of the album.
Th1rt3en then is something of a mixed bag. While it isn’t the rejuvenation for which many fans hoped, its sporadic flashes of aggression and flair indicate a band finally growing comfortable with its identity in the contemporary scene. It may not mark a new beginning in the Megadeth legacy, but stands as testament to the staying power of these giants of the thrash scene.
Th1rt3en is available now on Roadrunner Records.
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The album opens in typically barnstorming fashion. ‘Sudden Death’ sets a frenetic pace with muscular riffs driving the verses headlong into a melodic chorus, with fleet-fingered shredding never far behind. This barrels into lead single ‘Public Enemy No.1,’ where Mustaine’s trademark snarl, high in the mix and steely with conviction, is as pebble-dashed as ever before. Neither quite matches classic openers such as ‘Holy Wars... The Punishment Due’ or even Endgame’s one-two combo of ‘Dialectic Chaos’/‘This Day We Fight!’, but this is still the sound of Megadeth at its most vital.
