Megadeth - Th1rt3en
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Yes Th1rt3en is Megadeth's thirteenth album and it may be lucky 13 for them for a couple of reasons. The first is that there is plenty of renewed interest in the band thanks to all the hoopla surrounding the recent Big 4 shows with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Megadeth had kind of slipped into the realm of a legacy group but the exciting events of the past couple years have made them vital once again. And then there's the fact that David Ellefson, the bass guitar master who anchored Megadeth's low end from 1983-2002, has returned to the fold. And it is Ellefson's work that brings the thunder to Th1rt3en, evident immediately as the album's lead track, "Sudden Death," begins with a pummeling bass and drum intro. Dave Mustaine's guitar playing and his growling are as strong as ever; second guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover display excellent musicianship throughout too. If there's anything to complain about it's that Mustaine doesn't seem to want to take any chances with the Megadeth sound and that results in a predictable set of tunes. But then again, if it ain't broke
So Dave and company have included a few fast and thrashy numbers like "Never Dead" to satisfy long time fans but most of the album is melodic metal geared towards radio airplay. Mustaine is getting better and better at dialing it in for radio and the heavy and hooky "Public Enemy No. 1" is perhaps the pinnacle of these efforts so far. Th1rt3en doesn't contain any surprises; just the good old reliable Megadeth that's exactly what the band needs right now.CD
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Megadeth - Th1rt3en
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