Issue #31 Vol. 35, September 8th, 2009
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Arts & Entertainment

End your summer with Endgame

By Angela Espinoza

Just when I was beginning to think that high school would never come to a much needed end, hope came as a ray of light shining through the blinds of the tainted, murky, windows that had imprisoned me for five long years. Well, actually, it was the sunlight reflecting off my friend’s pale skin. But it was profound, nonetheless. For he had a message: Megadeth was coming.

On the day of the concert I arrived three hours early at GM Place, bouncing off the concrete walls until the doors opened. My date with Megadeth was within reach. Then, finally, having waited for an agonizing three long months the moment came—and then it ended.

Megadeth is a thrash metal band that was formed back in 1983 when founder Dave Mustaine, Metallica’s then lead guitarist, was abruptly removed from the band. For what you may ask? For being too hardcore: he partied harder, played harder, and for Metallica singer James Hetfield’s ego this was just unacceptable. So what is the most logical step after being kicked out of a band? Start your own!

Fast forward to the beginning of a new semester—on September 15 Megadeth’s new album, Endgame, will be hitting store shelves. For the better part of summer, all we had to go by were the descriptions of the tracks by Mustaine and album producer Andy Sneap claiming the album was “certainly old-school Megadeth.” Along with a brief message by current guitarist Chris Broderick explaining that the album was finished there was clearly still not enough for Mega-fans.

To date, six tracks from the album have been made available to the public via performances, radio play and, of course, track leaking (I’ve only managed to get my hands on five of them). The opening track, “Dialectic Chaos” is a two-minute instrumental piece that would probably work better as a solo to a separate song rather than its own tune. Nevertheless, this brief track is definitely classic Megadeth, and it’d make a great opening for any show.

Then there’s “44 Minutes” which is nothing out of the ordinary for the band, pretty much your basic Megadeth thrash thrash shred shred. The only reason it stands out in my mind is because this was the same amount of time the band was on stage back in June. Moreover, I have mixed feelings about the song “1,320.” The sound is fantastic but the lyrics seem like an ad for “nitro fuel funny cars,” clearly one of Mustaine’s acquired tastes. But that’s my opinion; you be the judge.

The title track, “Endgame” is stable Megadeth bursting with Mustaine’s angry political lyrics—a treat for all us Droogies. The lead single, “Head Crusher” is a fun, pointless mosh song even noobies to the band will enjoy. It’s fast pace lives up to its namesake, not as a torture device but as a head crushing experience for all head bangers.

It’s safe to say my entire summer started and ended with the power that is Megadeth. So what can we expect from the new album? In the words of Dave Mustaine, “so far, so good… so what?”

All I know is that I’ll be first in line for my copy.