CD Review
This review was originally written by Jose Bernardo for www.theweeklyriff.com between 2008 and 2010.
These were Jose’s first impressions of the songs and were not written after multiple spins.
Artist : Megadeth
Album : Endgame (2009 Roadrunner)
Tracks : 11
Artist website : http://www.megadeth.com/
OVERVIEW
This is the 12th album from legendary American heavy metal band, Megadeth. Right off the bat, I feet like everything was super compressed and muddy. I felt that the last two albums sounded better than this one.
The compositions are good. All the performances are good. If this album had more clarity in the final mix, this would have been a definite runner for one of the top albums of 2009.
HIGHLIGHTS :
Dialectic Chaos, Bodies, Track 8, How The Story Ends
PLAY BY PLAY
Track 1 – Dialectic Chaos
Nice groove in this one. It’s a surprising album opener as it is an instrumental track.
Track 2 – This Day We Fight
Awesome energy. Mustain’s vocals can barely be heard as everything is overpowering it. Too much compression makes this song sound super muddy.
Track 3 – 44 Mintues
I can hear Mustain’s voice better on this track. But this track is still super muddy.
Track 4 – 1,320
Good energy. Again, I felt Mustain’s vocals are kind of lost behind a wall of sound.
Track 5 – Bite The Hand
Pretty cool track. Lots of really good ideas.
Track 6 – Bodies
I liked this track. It’s not as busy as the other tracks so far.
Track 7 – Endgame
Aside from track 1, this is the only other track so far that doesn’t sound so overly compressed. This track is pretty good. But not a highlight. I wonder why this is the title track of the album.
Track 8 – The Hardest Part of Letting Go…Sealed With a Kiss
Beautiful!
Track 9 – Head Crusher
Too much “wall of sound” thing happening here. Good energy though.
Track 10 – How The Story Ends
Cool track. Mustain’s vocals are quite clear on this track. I could see this being a single. It has a catchy chorus and has an easy to remember riffs.
Track 11 – The Right To Go Inasane
I like the melody in the chorus a lot. Good way to close out the album.