Megadeth

MEGADETH recently crafted "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" a record with a visceral energy, heaviness, and sometimes paranormal pace that few would expect from such a seasoned band with so little to prove. The album melds the ultra-frenetic  riffing, fiercely intricate guitar solos, and adventurous spirit of the quartet’s groundbreaking early output with the musicality and melodicism of its ‘90s songwriting, all laced with signature virtuosity and precision – plus, of course, Mustaine’s singular vocal snarl and wry, take-no-shit lyrical vitriol.

Both defying Mustaine’s recent battle with throat cancer and celebrating his defeat of the disease, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" counterintuitively thrived on delays and cancelled tours resulting from both his illness and the worldwide pandemic. “The fact that we had so much time to work on it benefitted the songs in the end, because they kept evolving,” notes drummer Dirk Verbeuren. “Parts kept being refined; the ‘ear candy’ and the little details just kept getting better.”

Featuring some of Mustaine’s strongest-ever songwriting, including collabs with bandmates, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" brings together everything that’s exhilarating and distinctive about MEGADETH. From the blistering throwback fury of “Night Stalkers” (featuring the iconic Ice-T) and first single “We’ll Be Back,” to the more mid- tempo and melodic “Soldier On!” and the very personal title track, with its enthralling twists and turns.

As always with MEGADETH, every riff is meticulously fashioned to constantly crescendo, with new harmonic elements endlessly manifesting and every detail structured for maximum musical and emotional effect. Yet, through all of the album’s moods and movements, MEGADETH never loses the crucial groove that binds the band members to one another and the foursome to its audience.

"The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" is a relentlessly caffeinated, riff-fueled romp of a record in its technical prowess, ambitious arrangements, staggering guitar solos, and nihilistic yet eloquent lyricism. Acoustic intros and interludes, a sense of progressive adventure, and Mustaine’s trademark socio-political commentary round-out the record.

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