It may seem hard to believe but Megadeth has recently released their thirteenth studio album, aptly titled, “Thirt3en.” Although never quite achieving the crossover commercial success of their rival bands, Megadeth has quietly been turning out terrific metal records for over two decades. Perhaps “Thirteen” will turn out to be truly lucky and give them the recognition outside of the metal community that they deserve.
Mired in controversy in the early years, Megadeth has suffered through numerous lineup changes. The core of the band, however, remains with lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. For this album, Dave has surrounded himself with the talents of drummer Shawn Drover, guitarist Chris Broderick and bass player, David Ellefson.
“Thirt3en” doesn’t break any new ground but instead delivers what Megadeth does best-bonecrushing metal and searing guitars. This formula works great on tracks “Wrecker,” “Guns, Drugs, & Money,” and “Fast Lane.” Dave and company mix it up a bit with the hauntingly beautiful “13” which begins with some awesome acoustic guitar work and ends in true power metal form. “Public Enemy No. 1,” the first single, was recently nominated for a Grammy and is sure to end up a crowd favorite.
“Thirt3en” is undoubtedly the strongest album Megadeth has released in years. If you are looking for some classic metal to bang your head to, this one is for you. After all, metal is their business…and business is good.
