Megadeth haven't been able to astonish me since the classic 'Countdown to Extinction' (1992). They've had good songs on every following album, but none of these platters have embodied entireness, that surely is the principal claim of any good album. So, is the band's eleventh studio album, 'United Abominations', another patchy work or have the band managed, at last, to create a solid work? And more importantly, I guess, was this the promised return to thrash metal realms?
Well, the beginning is more than promising, as 'Sleepwalker' is an interesting song with some Megadeth trademarks, such as to-the-point riffing, energy, fantastic musicianship and that surprise element (= something different than that "usual" or "normal" song composition). About half of the songs include the same trademarks as the opener. 'Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms' reminds me heavily of 'Tornado of Souls', but is still miles away from the mightiness of that classic song. So, how about that return to thrash metal? Surely, there's bits of thrash metal heard, but it is clear that this was another empty promise about the return. The nucleus of the music here is heavy metal. NWOBHM rears its ugly head especially on 'Blessed Are the Dead'. This is the final truly good song on offer. WHY is the remake of 'À Tout le Monde' here? Simply for dollar$, that's why! Co-sung with Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia, it reeks of lust for money. It could and should have been used as a single's b-side, not because it's bad, but because it's an old fucking song! Quite a many songs feel like they are dragging (e.g. the title track and 'Amerikhastan'), and aforementioned surprise elements don't work every time, e.g. 'You're Dead's and 'Burnt Ice's song structures just aren't that good. My hat off to the band because they haven't jumped the nowadays' North American "metal music" bandwagon. The Japanese bonus track, the cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Out on the Tiles', is an okay achievement, as the song has turned pretty well into Megadeth mould (as a curiosity, rumour has it that late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's old drum kit was used to record this album).
Dave Mustaine has collected skilled guys around him: Glen Dover (Eidolon, ex-King Diamond) on second guitar, his brother Shawn Dover (also in Eidolon) behind the drum kit and bassist James Lomenzo known from several Zakk Wylde projects and White Lion. Rhythm section gets my both thumbs up! I love the drumming, which is pretty lively, nicely tricks abound. Bass is loud, creating a very solid foundation for good guitar work (great solos, nice guitar tricks etc.). Mr. Mustaine is in fine shape (he's not a good singer, but unique and powerful at best), spitting words with a surprising amount of venom at times. The lyrical style of Megadeth has always been, at least partly, sarcastic. So this time too, but of course with firm grip of reality, the themes circling around such problems as wars and societies (well, open your eyes, but not only to televised news...). The booklet artwork shows the United Nations building being blown to pieces. It reminds me more of a game than a metal music to tell the truth. While every element is very clear in the mix, and the Andy Sneap production job is loud and pretty organic, something is missing at times. Probably the bad song structures cause these more lame periods, I don't believe it's musicians' fault at all. It simply sounds like the band is feeling bored at times. There definitely isn't similar energy flow going on on this one, that can be recognised on Megadeth's another technically brilliant album mentioned at the beginning of this review.
However, even though 'United Abominations' have its weaker moments (I'm still confused why the remake of 'À Tout le Monde' has to appear here..?), the album seems to be a grower. I'm starting to bend about 'Burnt Ice', you see. Hmm, and 'You're Dead' is starting to show some awesome things... In a nutshell: 'United Abominations' is the band's most metal album since 1990 classic 'Rust In Peace'.
Rating: 7½ (out of 10)
Reviewed by Lane
11/14/2007 19:27
There, I've said it. 'United Abominations' is almost as good as 'Rust in Peace' (1990). I'm not saying that the two albums are similar and that 'United Abominations' is "Rust in Peace II". I'm simply saying that 'United Abominations' kicks just as much ass as 'Rust in Peace' does. The title of this review won't exactly endear me to the majority of metalheads, but I have my reasons. I've lived with this album for well over a year, I got it the day it was available in Pakistan, and it was also the first Megadeth album I had the pleasure of hearing. I bought 'Rust in Peace' on the same day as well, and I became addicted to both the albums - at times I found it hard to decide which album I liked more. Before I bought this album, I had a faint idea of what Megadeth sounded like. I had already heard 'Peace Sells' on "GTA: Vice City". I borrowed 'The System Has Failed' (2004) from a friend and listened to a couple of songs. But 'United Abominations' just blew me away. 'Rust in Peace' did too - it was my introduction to thrash metal - but 'United Abominations' introduced me to the harsher side of heavy metal. Had I listened to 'Rust in Peace' BEFORE 'United Abominations', I'm pretty damn sure I wouldn't have liked it as much.
But enough with the nostalgia. What makes this album so great in my eyes, other than the fact that it helped me get out of my Iron Maiden and Judas Priest phase? I couldn't pin-point it before because I didn't know a lot about metal. I feel that now I'm able to make a valid judgement, even though it might be biased. But hey, there's no such thing as an unbiased opinion.
The thing that caught my attention the first time I listened to it was the pure aggression displayed in this album, both from the vocals and the musicianship. Honestly speaking, I haven't the faintest idea why some of the reviewers on the Encyclopaedia Metallum think that the album is devoid of any energy whatsoever. If they can't notice the venom in Mustaine's voice when he sings "no one is safe/when I close my eyes/I come take your life" then they have no right to review this album. Mustaine is able to make three lines of laughable lyrics and turn them upside down with his hate filled vocals. When the vocal performance is compared to Megadeth's 80s work, it is definitely superior. The sad thing about Megadeth in the 90s was that while Mustaine's vocals continued to improve, the quality of their music began to decline. I am 100% sure that 'UA' features Mustaine's best ever vocal performance, and top top it off, the music is every bit as good as it once was.
Mustaine's vocals aren't the only thing in this album that is filled with energy. Mustaine's riffs are excellent and show a lot of variation. From the groovy riffs of 'Play For Blood' and 'Gears of War' to the speed metal assault of 'Washington Is Next', none of the riffs in this album are second rate. Every single one is made of 24-carat gold, with my personal favorite being the main riff of 'Sleepwalker'. Mustaine also does some great solos, but Glenn Drover's work tops Dave's work at times. 'Burnt Ice' is full of great solos - 10 of them, in fact! The solos contrast with the lead work at times, but also blend in perfectly. A unique combination.
The drum work is solid. Shawn Drover isn't a reincarnation of Gar Samuelson, but he doesn't need to be. He has his own style, and he manages to keep the drum work from getting stale and boring. His drum lines blend in with the Mustaine's and Glenn Drover's guitar work perfectly. Shawn has to be appreciated for making his drum work stand out while not taking any attention away from the riffs.
I don't have much to say about the bass except that it too is solid. It isn't nearly as audible as when it was in 'Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?' (1986) or 'Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!' (1985), which really is a pity. LoMenzo isn't the best bassist in the world but he manages to provide the glue between the guitars and the drums.
Mustaine has received a lot of criticism for his lyrics in this album. One of the people who reviewed this album stated that it shouldn't be a problem since Mustaine's vocals have always been slightly juvenile. The lyrics, like everything else, show variety as well. You have songs about Mustaine being pissed off at people ('Sleepwalker', 'You're Dead'), you have pseudo-political songs ('Washington Is Next', 'United Abominations', 'Amerikhastan', 'Gears of War'), songs about relationships ('À Tout Le Monde', 'Never Walk Alone'). The remaining songs 'Play for Blood',' Blessed Are the Dead' and 'Burnt Ice' are about online gaming, religion and drugs respectively.
So, what about the actual music? I've delved into the parts that make the music what it is but I haven't really said anything about the music itself. Well, the music is the same as its parts. It's varied, and it never gets boring. The first three tracks are all pounding heavy metal songs which at times tend to lean towards thrash and speed. The next five are more mid tempo and groove oriented, but still manage to kick ass. The final three songs are a bit more experimental and are filled with great solos.
Overall, it's a great album. Probably the best release of 2007 (barring 'Systematic Chaos' and 'Paradise Lost'). The album has a sense of unity, a sense of purpose and a determination that wasn't present on any Megadeth release after 'Youthanasia' (1994). Mustaine set out to make an album that would kick his detractor's teeth in, and although others may disagree, Mustaine did just that.
Stand-out tracks:
'Sleepwalker'
'Washington Is Next'
'Play for Blood'
'Burnt Ice'
'You're Dead'
'United Abominations'
Rating: 9.7 (out of 10) ratings explained
Reviewed by MegaHassan
11/13/2008 13:37
