Megadeth

Not gonna lie, there's a special place in the bowels of my heart for a self-title last album. Fair warning though, Megadeth ended with Hidden Treasures in my brain, so I haven't heard any album since then. 

Lots of things to expect. Up until rather recently, Megadeth was Dave 1 and Dave 2; drummer and lead guitarist were up for grabs from the very beginning, so that doesn't matter, the issue is what are we actually snarling about?

Longtime readers will know that I don't have to believe you, I only have to believe you believe yourself, which has never not been undifficult with Dave 1. What i can't fault him for, however, is that he has always said that Megadeth is the people playing Megadeth songs at that particular moment in time. Then again, 75% of this Megadeth is totally unknown to me, so all I really have to go on is the fact that I expect it will sound like Dave Mustaine wrote it. That's why Ride The Lightening is on it, Metallica is just a fork in the trunk of that particular family tree. Bloodlust is here because Target paid for it, and that kind of questionable double-encore is an equally Dave Mustainy thing to my mind. 

What you'll never hear me say is that I hope it sounds like the good old days. He'll no, he better sound old, and he better sound like he's been real sick, and it sure as he'll better sound like it's in everyone's best interest that this is publicly and definitively the last. Finding out Blackstar was David Bowie's last album was real crappy, fully knowing but never daring to mention we all knew it was Ozzy's last album was abysmal, Megadeth if nothing else is the "rip the band-aid off" opposite of politely euphemising it. 

I don't need it to be BPM fast, I don't need it to sound like a drunk guy talking through his dick at a Sci-Fi convention, I don't even need it to be slightly misinformed in any particular geo-political direction, I just need it to sound like Vic Rattlehead is on fire and calmly adjusting his tie in my direction. Only one way to find out....

Hard to argue with Tipping Point, easy to argue with I Don't Care, absolutely bizarre to hear an on-off-on-off Jehovah's Witness turned voluntary born-again Christian question god about how lonely he feels. 

Side A's a real head scratcher. Either my sarcasm radar is busted, or these songs are just generically unintepretable on purpose.

Oh yeah, there's the old in his voice. I guess i forgot that this is a self-titled album; absolutely no reason it needs to be chronological, and no precedence whatsoever for a self-titled last album anyway. I mean, Youthanasia was a fictional "death album," but this one is supposed to be literal. 

I'll skip the tracks and jump to the bigger picture. It's 3 acts (4 if you have to count the 3 alternate endings as an act): Act 1 - i'm beyond the point of giving a crap anymore 'cause i'm just a dude with bigger question than anyone can answer, Act 2 - being a metal icon was just as much of a grind as any other day job, and 3) killing was my business, I am war after all, but i'm not even sure I made a dent.

"K, everybody, my retirement party is Marchtober 43rd., see you if you show up."

Ending 1) that sucked, but i meant it, sad as it is i'm officially retired."

But if you keep the camera rolling...

Ending 2) "Hey, wait, I said I was retiring, you don't have to actually electrocute me to deth!"

But if you keep the camera rolling...

Ending 3) "fuck, he was immortal, and now he's a flesh eating zombie of the never ending apocalypse. As god is my witness i thought he honestly wanted us to throw turkeys out of a helicopter [snap] i mean strap him in an actual electric chair. My bad, guys, my bad."

So, yeah, I mean, i got no argue. That's the lastest last Megadeth album since the firstest last Megadeth album, and it totally works. 

Cheers?