Hear Megadeth's Final Studio Album
(SRO) Six months after announcing its release, Megadeth's self-titled final studio album has arrived, and the initial critical acclaim is one befitting the Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum metal titans. Meanwhile, on Thursday night (January 22), Megadeth's cinematic legacy event Megadeth: Behind The Mask via Trafalgar Releasing debuted on screens worldwide. Watch the trailer here.
Leading up to the new album (out via Dave Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label), Megadeth-Mustaine, Teemu Mantysaari (Lead, Rhythm, and Acoustic Guitars), James LoMenzo (Bass Guitar) and Dirk Verbeuren (Drums)-have released four singles: "Puppet Parade," "Let There Be Shred!", "I Don't Care," and "Tipping Point."
Megadeth also announced a very special bonus track from the album: a reimagined version of "Ride The Lightning," which Mustaine co-wrote with Metallica's James Hetfield, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich and was the title track from the group's 1984 album.
Here's some initial critical acclaim on the album: "After more than 40 guitar-shredding years, Megadeth is going out on their own thunderous terms. The Grammy-winning thrash metal pioneers' self-titled 17th and final studio album, out Friday, quickly establishes that this is no sappy farewell...oozes classic Megadeth with blistering guitar solos, crunchy riffs and some mile-a-second double-bass...Megadeth sends Mustaine and Co. out with one of their lengthy catalog's best all-around releases." --ASSOCIATED PRESS, 1/20
"Megadeth Sign Off With Final Last Blast Of Undeniable Riffs & Shredding On Eponymous Album...Joined by Teemu Mantysaari on guitar, James LoMenzo on bass, and Dirk Verbeuren on drums, Mustaine unleashes one last onslaught of aggressive thrash. If Dupuytren's contracture is already affecting Mustaine's playing, it's not apparent on Megadeth. Mustaine and Mantysaari tear through complex, heavy riffs and blistering solos with speed and precision...The final Megadeth album delivers those last notes. One last collection of metal aggression. One last testament to fretboard mastery. One last chance to appreciate one of metal's greatest guitarists." --GLIDE MAGAZINE, 1/21
"Whether the song hits fast and ferocious or mid-paced and menacing, this eponymous audio book in 11 chapters is peppered with intricate elements at almost every point...The album's pacing feels like a nostalgic back-and-forth: fast thrash blowouts, chunky mid-tempo crushers, then another burst that drags you back into the pit. And the standout moments keep stacking up...For a band that has announced that the end of the trail is well within sight, Mustaine and company have definitely opted to go out with a bang...if this truly is the end, it's hard to imagine a better send-off." --SONIC PERSPECTIVES, 1/21
"...it definitely is a great modern nod to what Megadeth is still excellent at. Starting with the tune 'Tipping Point,' it tells fans how impressive it is that each guitar solo and arrangement can be as intricate and different as they are after seventeen studio albums...a bunch of quality Megadeth songs that send the band out with a bang." --CRYPTIC ROCK, 1/19
"From start to finish it's undeniably unapologetic...The rhythm playing is more than up to snuff as Mustaine is laser focused to write his last array of devastating chugging rhythms. Something vital to bring up is the delivery & sound of Dave's voice. He might sound better than he did on the masterful Dystopia. Mustaine is in complete control & it shows...It would appear that Mustaine visited the fountain of youth for inspiration. His guitar rhythms on the album display nimbleness (there are plenty of single notes mixed with palm-muting), thunderous chugging, and slick key changes at will...Megadeth will go out with a bang." --THE METAL PIT, 1/20
Up next for Megadeth, they'll kick off their farewell tour in North America with a cross-country headlining tour of Canada launching February 15 in Victoria, BC and include stops in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ottawa before wrapping March 6 in Quebec City, QC.
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