The album opens with "Kingmaker". A great riff powers the song, and it certainly sounds pretty good to me. Dave Mustaine's vocals have never been amazing in the traditional sense, but he sounds pretty good here, ragged from the years, with a mature intensity. Drummer Shawn Drover sounds great, and I can see why Megadeth has kept him around, having one of the longest runs in Megadeth drummer history, a great talent. The lyrics are fairly typical for Megadeth in terms of lyrical content, very focused on materialism, hedonism, and the current state of political and social decay. However, a great song, despite being somewhat "Megadeth by numbers". The title track, "Super Collider" is not typical for Megadeth. More accessible than a lot of their recent material, the song is actual fairly poppy for Megadeth. It is very nice to have original bassist "Dave Ellefson" back in the fold, an amazing bassist, and this song really shows off his talents on the four-string. The chorus is kind of repetitive, but I like the attempt at something new for the band, a clear attempt for Dave Mustaine to step back from the overtly political lyrics that have gotten him in some hot water recently. A good song, quite unique in their long discography.
"Burn!" brings back the heavy. After some shredding, Mustaine comes in with some scathing lyrics about wanton destruction and burning things. One of the most traditional rock songs I have ever heard from the band, like the title track, it is also quite unique in the Megadeth discography. The song seems to be told from the tale of an arsonist, with the words "burn" shouted hundreds of times throughout the song. I like the lead guitars, and the drumming is solid, but the song feels somewhat hollow. Mustaine seems tame here, almost afraid to push his lyrics to the proverbial limit. Not one of my favorite Megadeth songs. "Built For War" sounds like Slayer-lite, and easily the most traditional thrash song on the album. It is nice to see some major riffs coming back after the last two tame songs, but again, the lyrics seem repetitive, and honestly, superficial and held back. I like the eerie chanting that happens in the middle of the song, and the solo is top, but the lyrics keep me from totally loving this song.
"Off The Edge" is another Megadeth tale of mental break-down. Very reminiscent of mid-1990s Megadeth, it is one of the more traditionally Megadeth songs on the album. The riff is very thrash yet again, pretty heavy without being distracting. Mustaine sounds great, as creepy and angry as usual. Great leads top off a pretty good song, one of the highlights of the album. "Dance In The Rain" is another progressive song by the band, incorporating some cool new elements. I like the addition of a string section. The song is basically another warning by Mustaine, telling the tale of an individual broken down by corporations, government surveillance, and life in general. The song is however quite optimistic, telling people to make the most of the current state of social and political decay that most would agree we are in. I really like the song, easily my favorite Megadeth song in years. This is the Dave Mustaine I know and love, speaking his mind without concern. The Metallica like end section is the best part, super fast and heavy, an amazing song.
"Beginning Of Sorrow" seems to be about the conditions that dictate how our lives turn out. A pretty heavy song lyrically, and definitely classic Megadeth. Not exactly a heavy thrash tune, it reminds me again of the bands' 1990s output, more modern metal than traditional metal really. The highlights of the song however are Ellefson's bass introduction, a lovely sound for any metal-head, and very reminiscent of previous triumphs by the band. The acoustic guitars don't really do anything for me on this track, but don't really detract from it. A decent song, but not a true stand-out track for me. "The Blackest Crow" is a definite bold move for the band. A la Volbeat, the band combines American folk influences into a metal setting with banjos and fiddles in the mix. I appreciate the bold attempt by Mustaine, but not a great track for me. Too much a mish-mash of folk and metal, Volbeat honestly do this kind of thing much better in my opinion.
"Forget To Remember" is another step away from thrash and a giant step towards traditional rock. I really don't like the song, sounding somewhat like a 1990s brit-pop band with their amps turned up. Mustaine's gritty and almost spoken-word vocals are not suited to traditional rock songs, and this song is not exception. Easily the worst song on the album, avoid this one at all costs. The album closes with "Don't Turn Your Back". Opening with a bluesy jam, the song then kicks into a thundering metal pound-fest. After a very heavy verse, the song then kicks into a very punky chorus, an odd mix to say the least. I love the heavy thrash of the verses, but the contrast between the two styles is too much for me to take. A lot of potential and some very good drumming, but a very out of place chorus. A cover of the 1983 Thin Lizzy classic "Cold Sweat" is included. Yes, it is as back as you can imagine. Don't even bother if you, like me, love Thin Lizzy.
Super Collider has moments of brilliance. But some major stylistic shifts on some of the songs really don't work. A little too ambitious, it will certainly alienate some of Megadeth's traditional fan-base with a lot of traditional rock elements, banjos and fiddles, string-sections, and pop choruses. Nevertheless, I do appreciate Mustaine's attempt to broaden the horizons of the band, but most us just want to rock like it
Rating-7/10
I listened to it once and didn't like it. Found it to be very uninspired and none of the songs really stood out to me. Great review though!
ReplyDeleteOh and I noticed a typo in the 2nd last sentence of the 2nd last paragraph. You wrote back when you probably meant bad.