Megadeth – TH1RT3EN

Lucky Number 13

Since the day he left Metallica, Dave Mustaine has vowed to do one thing, and that’s to rock harder and louder than anybody else. While Metallica may have slowed their pace, Mustaine and his band Megadeth haven’t given up just yet. Their thirteenth studio album, appropriately titled TH1RT3EN, showcases a band that hasn’t lost a step in 30 years, and shows no sign of stopping.

Opener “Sudden Death” is a classic piece of Megadeth’s own brand of melodic thrash, anchored by the return of bassist Dave Ellefson and Mustaine’s unique nasal growl. “Public Enemy #1” is laced with pop sensibilities, featuring an upbeat gallop and a supremely catchy chorus. On “Guns, Drugs & Money,” the band returns to the machine-gun riffing of yesteryear, and keeps the pace going on “Never Dead”, allowing drummer Shawn Drover to shine.

“Wrecker” is a classic ‘driving down the highway with the top down’ song, complete with lyrics about an evil woman, while “Millennium Of The Blind” is ominous, sludgy, and epic. The record closes with “13,” an acoustic-driven rocker than tells the story of Mustaine, his life, and Megadeth itself.

TH1RT3EN is a solid record from Megadeth, and fans of the band will want to pick it up. Newcomers looking for a good starting point for the band may want to give this a spin as well, as the high-quality songwriting makes for a very comfortable listen. Put simply, Megadeth still knows how to make a great record, and if you haven’t heard TH1RT3EN yet, you need to get your ass in gear.