A lot of what’s considered new in today’s metal is the same as the metal I listened to as a kid, so it’s exciting to hear Megadeth experimenting with different sounds and trying new things on Super Collider
Megadeth review of Super Collider by Russell Eldridge
By Russell Eldridge
Megadeth has made it past the sometimes unlucky number 13 with its 14th album Super Collider. The truth is, it’s typically the second album that’s bad luck for most bands. Some believe that Megadeth’s second release, Peaces Sells… But Who’s Buying, is one of the band’s best, so that superstition has been crushed. There have already been some naysayers about the musical direction for Super Collider, but I would bet that this was expected by the band and maybe even desired.
As for me, I would be hard pressed to have anything truly negative to say about Megadeth. Maybe it’s because I can see what Megadeth has done for metal music. I was watching an interview with Dave Mustaine on YouTube the other day. The interviewer asked Mustaine to tell the people who he was. In my world that was extremely funny. That would be like someone in a Darth Vader outfit having to explain to someone who he or she was dressed up as.
With that said, I think Mustaine’s musical compass for Super Collider may very well be directing him to his past influences. The spirit or essence of Alice Cooper vibe appears on songs like “Off The Edge” and the title track “Super Collider.” The tune that seems to follow Megadeth’s formula for thrash metal the closest is “Built For War.”
The song “Burn” starts off with a Paul Gilbert sounding solo that one might speculate is shred monster Chris Broderick.
“Beginning Of Sorrow” is very reminiscent of songs from the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, which David Draiman sang on the track “Forsaken.” I knew beforehand that Draiman was going to have a guest appearance on Super Collider and I expected to hear his voice during “Beginning Of Sorrow,” but the song “Dance in the Rain” was the track Draiman ended up appearing on.
“The Blackest Crow” starts off with a eerie sounding banjo. This will probably send some Megadeth fans through the roof. A younger version of me might have been caught off guard, but the current model of my musical thought thrives on hearing something different. A lot of what’s considered new in today’s metal is the same as the metal I listened to as a kid, so it’s exciting when a band experiments with different sounds and tries new things.
The first solo in “Built For War” sticks out as a highlight. It’s short, but extremely melodic and well written. This leads me to my only criticism for Super Collider, which is that, after listening to the album on several systems, it appears that the guitars were mixed lower than one might expect on a Megadeth record. I guess that means I will just have to turn everything up louder.
Watch our 2011 interview with Dave Ellefson here: