Archive for Dave Mustaine

Megadeth lose half their line-up

Posted in Music, News with tags , , , , , , , on November 26, 2014 by Tickets There

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A very strange morning for MegadetH fans as news has come through that both drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick have handed in their notice, reducing the group to founding members, Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson. The real reasons behind the split will no doubt emerge in time but for now Shawn is chalking it up to his own interest in pursuing other music avenues, while Chris has blamed “artistic and musical differences“.

Both members released statements in the past few hours confirming their own departure with no comments appearing from the remaining members.

Megadeth have been in the studio for the past few months working on the follow up to 2013’s Super Collider. It is not known what impact the lad’s departure will have the new record.

In the meantime, as MegadetH fans – Tickets There would like to wish Shawn and Chris well. Ye’ve been brilliant whenever we saw ye live and you’ve helped create some seriously savage Megadeth albums. All the best in the future.

Statements from both members can be found below.

Shawn Drover Quits MEGADETH
Chris Broderick – I am leaving Megadeth

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Review: Megadeth – Live @ The Marquee, Cork (June 14th, 2010)

Posted in Gig Review, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , on July 4, 2010 by Tickets There


Just one year after their incredible performance with Judas Priest in Dublin, the Deth are back and this time, founding member Dave ‘Junior’ Ellefson is with them. Megadeth may not be the most popular of the early eighties thrash metallers but they’re by far Tickets There’s favorites. Dave Mustaine and co’s rapid fire riffs, snarling vocals and mind devouring metal colossus are bench marks few in the metal industry can equal, let along top. Even now, nearly thirty years after they formed, Megadeth can write and perform aggressive, angry metal like no-one else. Their latest album Endgame is a record that’s power is sure to grow with time but tonight, Megadeth are willing to forgo promotion in favor of treating their Irish fans to an overwhelmingly impressive array of their classics.

Opening act Sirocco are onstage by the time Tickets There reaches the venue. After coming across them before during the MySpace Review series, we actually made an effort to catch their show and we’re glad we did. Not only have they got the songs to justify supporting the mighty Megadeth, they also have the performance ability to pull it off. Unfortunately the crowd tonight aren’t exactly swarming but Sirocco manage to entice those present to wedge around the front of the stage for a great set of Irish brand metal. Memorable and a perfect opener for the American metal heavyweights.

The lights go dim, air-raid sirens rev up and Megadeth arrive on stage one by one with Mustaine the last to appear. The show explodes open with a blistering version of Dialectic Chaos from Endgame and the sher force, might and power of their newer material is instantly conveyed to the crowd before the band lead into Wake Up Dead from their classic Peace Sells Album. Dave Mustaine’s vocals come out a little muffled during Wake Up Dead but seconds into the bands new single, Headcrusher, he comes to life, giving the song a power no producer can capture.

Rather than going the Iron Maiden route of forcing fans to sit through an hour of new material, Megadeth dip into their back catalogue and show the brutal force of In My Darkest Hour before delighting the crowd with a full performance of 1990’s Rust In Peace album to celebrate the records 20th anniversary.

Holy Wars starts with a beefed up sound that sees band and fans alike put heads down and prepare for the war to come. The force of the performance is memorizing and grows stronger with each song. Hanger 18 enhances the feeling as Mustaine and Chris Broderick plough through the song’s four hundred and eighty six solos. Take No Prisoners and Five Magics are a thrill to finally hear live together before the face belting (not melting) Lucretia unveils its many layers of destructive powers. Tornado of Souls quickly becomes one of the nights highlights with the band’s unrelenting power showing no sings of surrendering.

The opening notes of Trust signal the end of an amazing performance of RIP that many fans would have been happy enough to pay for on it’s own before the realization that The Deth ain’t finished yet. A Tout Le Monde brings the band to a higher level before an invasive performance of Sweating Bullets delivers some of the finest riffs n lyrics metal has to offer. The band closes the main set with a full on, no holes barred, grander the grand onslaught of Symphony of Destruction before returning to the stage for an extended performance of Peace Sells that annihilates all those left standing and trumpets the bands ascent to the thrones they so truly deserve.

Mustaine might be generally thought off as the metal world’s trouble maker, but there’s no denying that his ability as a song writer, singer and performer makes him one of metal’s top caliber elites. After three decades his snarling mannerisms haven’t changed much but, neither has his power to deliver one of the finest metal shows you’re ever likely to see and tonight, the good people of Cork can attest to this. Hopefully it won’t be long before Megadeth return and do it all again.

Set-List
1. Dialectic Chaos
2. Wake Up Dead
3. Headcrusher
4. In My Darkest Hour
5. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
6. Hangar 18
7. Take No Prisoners
8. Five Magics
9. Poison Was the Cure
10. Lucretia
11. Tornado of Souls
12. Dawn Patrol
13. Rust in Peace… Polaris
14. Trust
15. A Tout Le Monde
16. Sweating Bullets
17. Symphony Of Destruction
Encore:
18. Peace Sells

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Review: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax – Live @ Sonisphere (Warsaw, Poland – June 14th, 2010)

Posted in Gig Review, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 19, 2010 by Tickets There

Almost all Photo’s from Warsawa Gazeta

After nearly thirty long years of calls, prayers, pleads and begging from the metal community, thrash metal’s ‘Big Four’ have finally done it. On June 14th, all four bands appeared on one stage to play together and Tickets There, along with 80,998 other metal maniacs were fortunate enough to witness an event that will go down as one of metals most historical concerts.

The scene in Warsaw was insane. Never before have we witnessed such an incredibly massive gathering of fans from the metal community and we’re unlikely to ever see anything like it again. People had flown in from all over the world for the show, with flags representing every corner of the earth held high amongst the sea of black and denim. People converged on every space of free land for at least a mile around the venue. Bars, restaurants, roads, grassy Knolls, shopping centers, pavements and flower beds were swarmed with all four bands fans, waiting for the tasty cheap and plentiful Polish beers to dry up before beginning the adrenaline filled walk into the airstrip where the show was held.

Honestly we found the buzz a little strange because we didn’t know which band to get excited about in the flood of possible songs and scenarios that might arise during the day. Whatever happened we knew one thing, Anthrax were first and we’d have to sit through them.

Anthrax

 

We were never Anthrax fans and actually went about avoiding them for as long as possible. We won’t pretend we saw much of them, only enough to say we saw them. They sounded good for what they did but not our thing. Hopefully similar tours could call out Testament or Exodus to fill the gap between Anthrax’s draw and the other three bands. Saying that, Anthrax fans said the set was great we just never got the band. Maybe one day we’ll regret not showing more of an interest.

Megadeth

Just two days after their face melting show at Cork’s Marquee festival, Tickets There was once again fired up to see our personal nominees for Thrash metal’s premier group, Megadeth. The sight of 81,000 fans seemed to reignite Dave Mustaine and co. as they launched straight into Holy Wars, following it with a full performance of their classic Rust In Peace album. Hanger 18, Take No Prisoners, Five Magic’s and Tornado of Souls blew the air strip to pieces as pits erupted all around the stage with Mustaine acting as the chaotic ring master, barley stopping the assault of music to view the spectacle in front of the stage.

After Rust In Peace, the band threw out their latest single, Head-Crusher from last years End Game album, a song that deserves more attention than almost any other release today’s bands have recorded in the past decade. Obviously appreciative of the roaringly positive reaction from the crowd, Megadeth ploughed through Sweating Bullets and the iconic Symphony of Destruction before closing the set with an extended rendition of the  anthematic Peace Sell. Delighted with the crowd’s response, Megadeth took a long bow to soak up the fans screams and applause before thanking everyone and wishing us a great day.

Slayer

Anyone who’s ever been to a Slayer show knows one thing, Slayer take the crowd and fuck them up. Despite a blazing sun, the outdoor setting and Tom Araya’s bright red top, Slayers performance is like experiencing a well oiled war, ferociously laying waste to Warsaw (it’s all in the name)

Opening with the title track from their latest album, War Painted Blood, the band ripped through a set that left the crowd tearfully begging for more. New material like Hate World Wide, Beauty Through Order and Jihad stood the test of standing shoulder to shoulder with the bands classics such as War Ensemble, Dead skin Mask, Angel of Death, Mandatory Suicide, Chemical Warfare and South of Heaven before ending their set with one of thrash metals top outputs, Raining Blood.

Despite previous reports about Tom having vocal problems and the obvious concern over his recent back injury, he was able to stand toe to toe with Kerry, Jeff and Dave to deliver as good a set Slayer have preformed in their entire career. Unfortunately there was no room for Seasons in the Abyss but, if they had cranked that out on top of everything else, the necks wouldn’t have been able to take the night’s final act.

Metallica

Like many metal heads, Tickets There’s love for Metallica’s has waned over the past ten years. All the rubbish with St. Anger and Some Kind of Monster really damaged the lads and the promise of great things from Death Magnetic never really delivered and before long the album really proved a tad devoid of life. Still, no metal head can deny the band has produced some of the genres finest albums and for that, they will always be respected.

Taking the stage as the sun started to set over the air-strip, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo arrive in Metallica’s typical grandiose fashion, launching straight into Creeping Death from 1984’s Ride The Lightening and all the bad feelings, past disappointments and negativity immediately vanish. Metallica fire on all cylinders delivering the song with incredible force. No time wasting in this show, they follow with the ear bleeding For Whom the Bell Tolls before tearing the crowd apart with an pyro packed rendition of Fuel.

James, beaming with excitement welcomes the crowd to ‘the greatest metal show on earth’ before harking back to Kill Em All to deliver The Four Horseman, followed by Fade to Black.

While many pondered if this ‘Big Four’ tour would result in all the bands churning out just classics, it seems all are intent to stay away from the ‘Heritage’ section for the foreseeable future and Metallica are no different. New songs That Was Just Your Life and Cyanide may not generate the same reaction as their earlier material but visual aides help make them more acceptable.

Taking a break to reflect on the day, James proudly announces that today’s show is history and how fortunate enough all four bands are to still be together, making the music they love. Oddly enough, he went on to dedicate Sad But True to the other bands but given the good relations we’re hearing so much about, we’ll assume it was all for fun.

The show stopping Sanitarium (Welcome Home) followed, sounding as intense as it did in 1986 before All Nightmare Long reminds fans the new material can’t all be written off. Jaw dropping deliveries of One, Master of Puppets and Blackened bring the main set near its close before the usual Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman end the main set.

With the fireworks out and next day workers and sleepy heads on their home, Metallica return to close the day with a blistering cover of Queen’s Stone Cold Crazy before delivering the final thrash assault of Hit The Lights and Seek & Destroy leaving 81,000 dedicated metal heads feeling annihilated, obliterated and completely satisfied.

To many, this was a show that could never happen even if the bitter feuds that have divided these bands over the past thirty years could be worked out. It was just one of those ‘dream line-ups’ that have rarely come together but on June 14th, 2010 four heavy metal bands proved that childish fights and age old rivalries can be put aside for the sake of their fans and it worked better than anyone could have imagined. Tickets There is sure this won’t be the last we’ll hear of these four bands partnering up and hopefully they’ll make it to Irish shores on the next jaunt.

Anthrax

01. Caught in a Mosh
02. Got the Time (JOE JACKSON cover)
03. Indians
04. Heaven and Hell (BLACK SABBATH cover)
05. Antisocial (TRUST cover)
06. Madhouse
07. Only
08. Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
09. I Am The Law

Megadeth

01. Holy Wars
02. Hangar 18
03. Take No Prisoners
04. Five Magics
05. Poison Was the Cure
06. Lucretia
07. Tornado of Souls
08. Dawn Patrol
09. Rust in Peace… Polaris
10. Head Crusher
11. Sweating Bullets
12. Symphony Of Destruction
13. Peace Sells

Slayer

01. World Painted Blood
02. Jihad
03. War Ensemble
04. Hate Worldwide
05. Dead skin Mask
06. Angel of Death
07. Beauty through order
08. Disciple
09. Mandatory Suicide
10. Chemical Warfare
11. South of Heaven
12. Raining Blood

Metallica

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. The Four Horsemen
05. Fade To Black
06. That Was Just Your Life
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
– – – – – – – –
16. Stone Cold Crazy
17. Hit The Lights
18. Seek and Destroy

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Megadeth: Dave Ellefson Returns!

Posted in Music, News with tags , , , , , , on February 9, 2010 by Tickets There


Well it seems Dave Mustaine must have the power to forgive and forget afterall. Today Megadeth announced the return of founding member, David Ellefson who left the group in 2002 citing personal and musical differences.

The last few years have seen the Deth’s main man, Mustaine and Ellefson wage a war of words against each other but it seems things have finallyworked out for the best.

Read more on Blabbermouth!

Don’t forget the Megadeth play the Live At The Marquee Festival on June 14th. Tickets on sale now!

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MEGADETH DOUBLE REVIEW – SO FAR, SO GOOD, SO WHAT / THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO

Posted in Album Review, Music with tags , , , , , , , , on September 19, 2009 by Tickets There

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I think Megadeth are about to become the only band on this site with more albums reviewed than Def Leppard. Feck it, why not. About time fans of the boys got to read some shit about them. It’s just a pity many people aren’t reading them. Ah well, they’re keeping me amused although I haven’t a clue how I’m going to top the last ones. Oh I know, by writing about So Fucking Far, So Fucking Good, So Fucking What!!! And their excellent come back album, 2001’s The World Needs A Hero. Let us begin, let us taste metals divine loveliness.

Megadeth – So Far, So Good, So What

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If there is one album that’s underrated, it has to be 1988’s So Far, So Good… So Wha!t. It’s short, loud, obnoxious and a fucking pain killer styled opus. Openaing track, Into the Lungs of Hell is 3 minutes and 29 seconds of screaming guitars, bleeding drums drenched in pain and a bass so heavy it’ll drop kick you into the fourth quarter. Noting bad to say, no way to flaw it.

Although the rolling opening beats of Set The World Afire goes along way in belting it’s point across. Dave’s aggressive youthful manner is still dominant here and the overly loud overdubs during the chorus only help harness the songs dark powers. There’s little melody, there’s little hope. This is a steel cage match for all things metal and Megadeth have no bother crushing every last living thing in site. God its so mouth wateringly good, it even drove away the painful memories of revisiting Cryptic Writings earlier. Next up is a classic Thrash Metal cover track. Megadeth, covering the almighty Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the UK. I wont go into this one in too much detail. It’s a great cover of an all mighty beast of a track.

Mary Jane brings us to the half way mark. A futuristic kind of intro, some savage guitars and a song about a very loving mistress. MJ will always be there to sooth your wows and heal you sadness. Megadeth will always be there to hold Stomp Fest annually on your grave and rob your soul of it’s quintessential essence. Ah, I’m just turning this beats up every five seconds it’s getting ridiculous. This is one of those tunes that shows what girls nu-metal and emo kids are. Korn, PaPa Roach, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and all those little pussys. Get fucked get Megadeth and hurry your mind to catch up. Sher aggression that only the almighty Slayer can rival. Their guitars are made with the bones of humans, their drum’s are fashioned from the finest moral skin and their power, their power was electrocuted into them when Angus Young and the devil shook hands.

502’s another bloody mentalist track. Fast, aggressive and loud. Car crashes, laws being broken left right and centre and then there’s yer man with all the guitars, it’s mad!. It’s just fucking great. AWWWHHHH, next we have the stand out classic for the top ten songs you need to hear…period!. In My Darkest Hour…….head bangers get ready. The swoops, the spirals, the exploding, fiery demon riffage of the gods. Dave’s growling vocals rasp their way through this power house of an anthem, Written in memory of Metallicas bereaved bass player, Cliff Burton. Poor Cliff was killed in a bus crash while Metallica were touring their incredible Master of Puppets. One of metals most tragic losses, now honoured by Mustaine and Ellefson in one of his finest writing moments.

The hard hitting, metal grinding Liar and Hook in my Mouth finish of one of the Death’s best records. It may be short, it may not be packed with hits but it’s 100% metal. If you’re and a fan and you haven’t heard this one TT advises smacking yourself. If you’re not a fan, stick with Cryptic Writings before attempting this one.

Megadeth – The World Needs a Hero

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This is the album that sealed the deal on me being a fan of the Death. After hearing Cryptic Writings and being a little bemused but interested, I got my hands on the greatest hits and  record and realized Megadeth had a lot more to offer than slow riffs and violins. When this record came out, it shows Dave and the boys were determined to prove they could still rock the wallet chains and hair dye out of the younger Nu-metal groups. Did they achieve this? Hell yeah they did. The World Needs A Hero saw Vic return to the sleeve and the venom return to Megadeth in blazing glory. Ever since they’ve pushed more and more to get their old sound back and forget the days of Risk. The System Has Failed, United Abominations and Endgame are all direct results of the effort shown on this record.

Disconnect may take a wee while to get your feet moving but once that first guitar solo gets going you’ll be tapping along. It’ not the strongest on the record and it wont convince you Megadeth were on their way back to their old sound but just be patient, it’s a good song. The World Needs A Hero’s title track will however help those worries. Based on that Sweating Bullets / Peace Sells kind of structure. It still doesn’t deliver that full on thrash Megadeth and its riffs are closer to rock n roll than Armageddon but again, it’s a pretty decent track and the solo is fairly wicked.

The albums lead single, Moto Psycho is a belter. A solid, fast, thrash riff and some furious drums to boot. Dave’s voice is back on this one and now you’ll start to see where this record wants to go. Lots of solo’s, riffs n metal up the ass. Now the next one may sound like a ballad but fortunately it’s not. 1,000 Times Goodbye is a god’s honest metal love song…kind of. Intro is a slow, bruising little belter and once that snare hits in you’ll hear the old sound creeping in.  Theme is about a total bitch but hey, that’s rock n roll for ya. Burning Bridges is next and this is a little slower and more similar to the bands late nineties sound. Want to move on? Ok, lets do that.

Promises is a ballad kind of track but it’s probably one of the bands best. Great bridge, great chorus and a great use of the string section. This is way up there with songs like A Tout Le Monde and shows they can do ballads properly. Although, these ballad songs look so weak compared to the thrash outputs like So Far, So Good. Really, a band called Megadeth shouldn’t be attempting any of this stuff and should stick to destroying the world with every breath. Ah well, C’est la vie! Recipe For Hate…Warhorse. Now you’re talking, metal, metal, metal. There’s some great building riffs here. Nothing too classic but heavy at least so don’t complain. I’m gonna rush along, I’m suffering from the same thing as yesterday, shouldn’t have listened to So Far first but it ain’t as bad today. Losing Senses is a pretty decent effort. I don’t like the opening but it ain’t the worst.

Dread The Fugitive Mind is finally the Deth back in blazing glory. This is their classic sound clawing it’s way back to the surface. Even the title screams set list and it’s well earned. Very similar to Sweating Bullets in many way and not as good but one of the stand outs on this record. Silent Scorn’s a strange one, strange one indeed. Sounds like an ode to the fallen but it makes way for Return to Hangar…yes, it’s the sequel and one of the albums major tracks. Personally I prefer the live recording from Rude wakening but it’s a cracker. Final song, When is like a Doomsday track. Heavy, slow n thumping!! Nice atmospheric way to finish the record.

So that’s it. Three double reviews of Megadeth at their finest, their fairly decent and there, well I see where you’re going but why don’t ya stick to what your best at. You’ve read about the best, I’ve left out the worst and soon you’ll see Killing is my Business, The System Has Failed, United Abominations and Youthanasia. There you’ll hear about some of Megadeth’s best moments and more about what lead to their latest release, EndGame.

But really you’ll hear about some Irish bands, that’s enough international for awhile, they’ve had their fun. MySpace Review time!!!!!

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MEGADETH – PEACE SELLS…BUT WHO’S BUYING? / CRYPTIC WRITINGS (DOUBLE REVIEW)

Posted in Album Review, Music with tags , , , , , , on September 18, 2009 by Tickets There

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OK, same drill as yesterday, a double review feature of classic Megadeth in celebration of their new album, Endgame being a pretty decent record. Now some of you may wonder why I choose Cryptic Writings instead of Killing Is My Business and Business is Good or So far, So Good, So What. Well I plan on Doing So Far tomorrow along with another newish Deth album, The World Needs a Hero and maybe do Killing Is My Business in a double thrash metal review with Metallica’s Kill Em All. Clash of the titan’s debut albums and such like. In truth I don’t actually have a copy of Killing in Dublin so I’ll track one down and get back to ye about it.

Anyways, on with today’s review.

Megadeth – Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?

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One of the bands three greatest albums, Megadeth really proved what they were capable of on this album. It’s one of those defining mid-eighties thrash records that really shows how metal should be done. Fuck killing, Metal is Mustaines business and with peace Sells, business is good!.

Wake Up Dead is suck a dirty piece of naughtiness it should be R-rated and standing inside a window on a sleazy street in Amsterdam. It’s just too much god like genius for any band to handle and it’s about a guy worried about waking his wife because she’ll yell at him. No way any moral man can get this much Armageddon styled playing onto a track about that. Then again, Mustaine isn’t moral, he’s the lovechild of Bitterness and Hate with a doctorate in being pissed…off. That riff’s and solos in this monster are fused together and so tight and delivered with such precession I imagine they were welded by the Irish in the early 1900’s and sent off to the Marines for arrangement. This song makes this album a classic all by its self and it’s more the capable of bearing the load.

Fortunately The Conjuring does its share in the lifting. A dark, blistering piece of amazing metal. Another dirty little tramp trying to sell Snow White hand grenades disguised as apples and then stomping on her charred carcass. Too graphic? Then you haven’t heard Megadeth, that’s the Politically Correct, family Friendly way of describing their sound and this song. Just wait until you hear this baby pick up speed and take flight. Full volume fully recommended, tourniquet optional. Ah, how can they keep doing this. What’s next you ask? It’s only the holiest of Holy Megadeth tracks (except all those others I mentioned yesterday), Peace Sells!! A blistering few minutes of solo’s, riffs, anger, sarcasm and ‘Dave Mustaine humor’. Remember I said Megadeth knows no humor (think I did anyway) well occasionally they do and this is it!. Seriously though, this song is so tough it would come out of the CD and beat the shit out of you for looking at it funny. Take Tickets There’s advise and bang you head, nod, don’t smile and rock out. Save yourself a major whipping further down the line.

However tough Peace Sells is, Devils Island does a good job of competing. Devils Island was a nasty little place in case you hadn’t heard and if they had had this song on the real Island it would have made things much crueler. Incredible anthem styled metal that shows Megadeth at their full on, stampeding best. Good Morning / Black Friday’s next and it’s much more of an atmospheric piece than any of the other tracks so far. I suppose this track would almost be the early Megadeth version of a ballad, despite the walls, mountains and piles of solo’s and general guitar malarkey. Not to mention the onslaught of drums, Dave’s voice and the Deth!! Another classic anyways. Bad Omen’s next and surprise, surprise, it’s another frickin’ sweet moment of metal. Another drawn out guitar n drum intro before Dave brings the noise and makes his mark. Piss on it? Nah, Dave sets fire to it and laughs while baby hamsters scream for help. He’s not a nice guy, I told you this!

I Ain’t Superstitious and My Last Words finish off one of the best metal records of all time. Little beat from reviewing four albums by the one band in the last two days so that’s enough of this one. Just buy it, what’s your problem? Fraid The Deth will reach out, smack your face and call you names? Well they’ll do it anyways so just buy the album and justify it!

Megadeth – Cryptic Writings

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Now this is interesting. Cryptic Writings is certainly different from Endgame, Rust In Peace, Countdown to Extinction and Peace Sell’s. It could be called the bands Re-Load (while Risk would be there St. Anger…except better than St. Anger obviously). This was the first Megadeth record I ever owned and boy was I surprised. I was pretty sure a band with as much street cred and a name like Megadeth would be ever so slightly harsher than this. Turns out they had been ten years beforehand (five even L) but it didn’t take too long to warm up top this one.

This was released around the time bands like Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica were all drifting further and further away from the Thrash sound they had helped create, shape, perfect and bring to the masses. The nineties had shifted music heads all over the place and every band that had been big in the eighties either packed it in, disappeared or changed styles in an attempt to keep up with younger people. Megadeth was one such band and Cryptic Writings was a very obvious attempt at this. Instead of the hate, the scorching hot lyrics and wave after wave of ear drum shattering solos and riffs so strong, Chuck Norris couldn’t handle them (sad – Ed), (go fuck yourself Ed – TT), you got ‘radio friendly Megadeth’. Such a thing couldn’t have been imagined in the eighties, but here you are. The Deth on 2FM thanks to songs like Trust.

Trust may be a tame, shy little kitten compared to the rabies infected jackals their previous albums had been but it’s certainly not the worst Megadeth song out there. Those looking for the rush of real Megadeth won’t find it here but those looking for melody, talent and a good tune, look no further. In comparison, Almost Honest follows the same sort of pattern expect it’s a little more full on. Not much more full on anything here and I’m feeling a little distant after the pure adrenalin of the other records. Almost Honest is a decent song. Normally I like it a lot more but I did just listen to Peace Sell’s so, ya know?.

Use the Man is always a good way to get this record rolling and the distant sound of The Searchers classic, Needles and Pins sets the right tone. I suppose the themes on this album tie in a lot Dave’s drug problems. Around this time he was kicking away his demons and becoming the well disciplined, born again Christian (who’ll still bitch slap ya) he is today. Nice, slow moving but filled with enough little melodies to keep ya happy. Mastermind finally introduces so much needed guitars onto this sucker. Good heavy but slow riffs and Dave’s raspy voice finally throwing its self into the match.

The Disintegrators is much faster and heavier again. Great chorus but still retains that melodic sound that dominates this record. Ya know the way older Megadeth is a stampede of hopelessness and despair. Well this record sounds like reworked versions of Nickleback. I’ll Get Even brings the tone back down to quiet non-Megadeth levels again and it’s a good kind of Metal rockfish track. One of those choruses you can bop along to but I imagine a lot of Deth heads were sitting back scratching their heads as to why some other band are allowed to call themselves Megadeth when it first came out. Ah, it’s not a bad song, just not a classic and I’m worried my enthusiasm has dropped to low to keep this review interesting. Sin is another one of those that’s closest to older Megadeth but still lacks the speed and aggression of the old sound. Dave’s voice sounds good though, really suits this type of tune. Who’d have thought?

And so on. The remaining tracks are decent but I’ve lost the buzz I’m afraid. On a normal day, Cryptic Writings can be best described as a Megadeth album for people who don’t like Megadeth. Today however, it’s shows up poorly.

Oh, not one mention about Marty Friedman in these reviews, I just realized that. Marty rocks the biotches to the core as does Dave E.

Read Reviews of Rust In Peace & Countdown to Extinction by clicking HERE.

Click HERE to read a review of Megadeth’s newest album Endgame.

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MEGADETH – RUST IN PEACE / COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION Double Review:

Posted in Album Review, Music with tags , , , , , , , , on September 17, 2009 by Tickets There

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In celebration of Megadeth’s latest album, Endgame being a fairly decent output, Tickets There has decided to do a double review feature of two of their strongest albums, Rust In Peace and Countdown to Extinction. I’ll also probably do another double review including Peace Sells and Cryptic Writings tomorrow.

Megadeth – Rust In Peace (1990)

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So let’s start in chronological order today. Rust In Peace is probably the bands defining record. Although Peace Sells had been a massive, massive hit for the band, it was only when RIP came out that they were truly elevated to the gods of metal status they enjoy today. It marked a shift from their classic Thrash metal roots while still retaining an aggressive, onslaught styled sound. In comparison to Dave Mustaines previous band Metallica, RIP is Megadeth’s ‘Black Album’ and it probably would have brought them much more fame than it did if Metallica hadn’t released the aforementioned metal devoid opus just a year after RIP came out. (ok, so it had Sad But True, Holier Than Thou, Don’t Thread on Me, Of Wolf and Man, The Struggle Within..ok enough, it’s a good album).

Kicking things off is Holy Wars…The Punishment Due. Very little you can say about this song except….it’s fucking crazy mental metal madness. How could you not pull your back out doing those massive head banging moments during the bridges. Amazing stuff from Mustaine and the boys. Next up, the equally incredible Hangar 18. Now, if by any chance you’re reading this and you’re a metal fan but you’ve never heard of Hangar 18, that just means you are a total douche!. Hangar 18 is metal. Like one of those songs that comes out and instantly owns a genre. I couldn’t be bothered looking up the net but I think there’s something like 18 solo’s on this one song. It’s a total Romper Stomper of a tune that would be very difficult for any band to match on follow up records. Full on drums, full on guitars, full on vocals n aggression, full on every mother fucking thing. This is Megadeth, welcome!!

How the hell can anyone top two tracks like that? Well they can’t fully, but Take No Prisoners gives it a damn good try. Full on Thrash metal riffs, thrash metal drums, thrash metal everything up the wazoo. I’m sitting down listening to this on head phones and you have no idea how hard it is resisting the temptation of throwing my computer out the window and setting off on a mayhem fuelled rampage. Maybe if I do, I could arrange a TT presents job of it and Take No Prisoners will be our theme song. Five Magic’s is another classic track (yes, this is just one of those albums). Slowed down intro, but things don’t take long to kick into gear. The pounding of the drums and guitars picking up pace leads the listener to think ‘ah, here we go’ but don’t get too excited., it’s not happening yet and then….out of nowhere Dave’s snarling, hate filled vocals rasp their way in destroying all the songs goodness and purity. In short, it becomes Megadeth 😀 Sound sad? Yeah, well you’re faceJ

Poison Was the Cure is yet another classic from this album. Not played too often live but it’s a damn fine wee number. I won’t ramble on too much because I have to finish Rust In Peace and move onto Countdown next. Great song, just listen to it. Same with Lucretia which sounds much happier than most Megadeth stuff until you get down to the full depth of it off course. Megadeth knows no humor. They’re like Radiohead, but ya know, not gay. Now, this next song is the one I’ve been driving towards. Tornado of Souls. I know, before you ask ‘How can a song called Tornado of Souls not get you arrested, beat up your wife and steal your car?’ well honestly, it does all of that and even insults your mother while it’s at it. This is Megadeth baby, what else did you expect?

Dawn patrol and Rust In Peace are fine songs. Good clean cut, sell your children to Turkish importers clean songs. If you don’t have this album, if you’re just starting to like Heavy metal, if you’re a human being I implore you to go buy this record. It will show you exactly how f**king amazing Megadeth were, are and always have been.

Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction (1992)

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So you think most metal bands that were big in the eighties fizzled out and faded away under Metallica’s growing dominance over the scene after their black album? Unfortunately for any Met heads out there and possibly the band themselves, Megadeth released one of their finest recorded moments just a year after the Met had conquered all with their Black Album (and only two years after the incredible Rust in Peace). Why waste time with an intro when Skin O’ My Teeth is blaring through the headphones?

First of all, Skin O’ My Teeth does not sound in anyway Irish, don’t be fooled by the O’ (bad joke there TT – Ed)…..(Up yours Ed and stop interrupting my posts Biotch! – TT). Skin O’ My Teeth is without a single doubt one of the ten best songs Megadeth ever recorded in TT’s books. I mean this baby live is like a monster screaming at you from Mordor! Go find the find Frodo and don’t let Dave catch ya. Yes he’s that scary, haven’t you heard? I know he’s a born again Christian and all but that’s like Marilyn Manson becoming a born again….Christian….just shut up. But no matter how good SOMT is, no matter how much we love it, we love the next one even more. My girlfriend’s brother asked me once, ‘what’s the definitive Megadeth song?’ and there is only one answer when someone asks you that question, Symphony of Destruction. This is the song you play when anyone asks you what Megadeth are like. No, it’s not their heaviest and no, it’s not their lightest, this is 100%, full metal jacket Megadeth. A snarling, spitting beast of a track with guitars so militant they’ll drag your ass through boot camp before they hang, draw and quarter you. On par with anything else they’ve ever released and probably one of the greatest riffs/songs in heavy metal history.

Now that those two are out of the way, let’s move onto the other songs that make Countdown to Extinction so loveable and well, so damn good. Architecture of Aggression could be compared to Metallica’s One with its war styled intro but two seconds later it explodes into everything the title promises. War driven fury that Megadeth do best. Foreclosure of a Dream is one I never really liked the first few times I heard this record but god, give this baby a few listens and it’s some job. Now, I don’t mean to be rude to FOAD but the next song deserves urgent attention (partially because I got distracted and heard FOAD about 6 times on repeat and I want to move on). Sweating Bullets is a Megadeth standard. Can you imagine how kick ass this track is? No, you can’t. Not unless you’ve heard it. I’ll admit it’s no Hanger 18, Symphony of Destruction or Holy Wars but it’s bloody mental all the same. One of the Deth tracks you have to see live.

This Was My Life is much similar to a Megadeth album track that most of the others I’ve discussed today but when it comes to an album of this quality, that’s a good thing. The albums’ title track is another thriller of a piece, real full on one again. More melody than a lot of earlier Megadeth but hey, this was the nineties babe (hence why I’m saying babe every three seconds).  There’s such a great flow to this tune and it shows the Deth can write more than Thrash. Also, the chorus sounds like it could have been netter produced but it’s still catchy as hell. High Speed Dirt is another album track of the highest order, I mean, what does that even mean? Who cares, if Dave said it, it’s gotta mean something. Great, fast, energetic and vicious! Psychotron is more like an older Megadeth song. Hard, fast, dirty and brutally brutal for brutals sake…to put it simply. Captive Honour has more in common with their In My Darkest Hour style (well actually more like Risk and Cryptic Writings) and final track Ashes in Your Mouth is an okish finisher.

So that’s it. Two of Megadeths greatest albums done and dusted. Now I’ll leave you fine people to head out and grab these babies form the official Tickets There reviews send a shit storm HMV’s way. More than likely sales of the band will pick up 50% over the next three days. The band will pass this off as sales of the new album but we’ll all know better, wont we J.

Click Here to read Tickets There’s review of Megadeth’s new album Endgame

All the best,
T.T.

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Megadeth – Endgame (Review)

Posted in Album Review, Music, News with tags , , , , , , , , on September 15, 2009 by Tickets There

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It’s late, I’m still in pretty bad shape from a furious session on Saturday and not eating right all week but the allure of Megadeths new album, End Game just sting there on their MySpace is far too tempting to leave alone so Tickets There is going to attempt a very, very, very hastily written review of what some people are calling Dave Mustaine’s best album in almost two decades.

Ok, we’ll do this MySpace Review style. Things kick off with Dialectic Chaos, which I actually heard the other night and all I can say is FUCKING BRILLIANT!. Two minutes of chaotic riffs, riveting, powerful solo’s and intense drums. There are no lyrics, it needs no lyrics. This song is pure fucking metal to the core and an incredible strong intro, especially for a modern Megadeth album. This Day We Fight! is next and it wastes little time starting it’s aggressive mission to send the memory of Death Magnetic into it’s grave. Dave’s voice sounds harder and grittier than normal and it swells in sporadic, plunging solos. This is a track that will send mosh puts around the world into a haze of maddened frenzy’s and ensure no fan will be able to touch there neck for weeks after a gig. 44 Minutes is next and it starts off a little tamer than the previous numbers. A police radio scrambles in over machine gun like riffs. The bass stands out like a tourist in a mosque and the Deth take a stab at delivering one of those slower numbers they’ve tried more recently. Not really as piercing or as powerful as the previous two but not bad all the same. The drums and bass make up for the songs slightly mundane structure…and the solo is pretty fucking rockin’!. When the final chorus comes in you find the whole song growing on you a little bit more. Seems to fall together and become interesting. Another savage solo and the respect increases.

1,320 is next and it kicks off with a Judas Priest style bike revving before the guitar and drums kick in, in classic Megadeth, Punk styled fury. This is thrash metal for those of you who haven’t heard it, notice the difference? The riff is fast, Dave belts out angry forceful lyrics with a vengeance as the instruments break away together to allow some incredible shredding from Dave and…what ever the new guitarist is called. Not bad to say the least. Two and a half minutes in, the guitars explode in a duelling battle that, in the words of Dylan Moran “would melt your face”. This is the kind of thing that causes tinnitus when you hear it live. The true sound of energy filled, unyielding talent that strives to out do itself with every note. Bite the Hand has the least number of plays so I’m a little weary but it starts of pretty well. The drums style keeps changing and it’s brilliant. Another full on metal track with sneering, guitars but much deeper, crunchy, bellowing riffs. Dave sings about the current economy (please note Dave has always done this, it’s not just a fad) as the band that spill their guts to keep up with him. I cannot get over the amount of solo’s on this album. Isn’t this the band that release Risk and Cryptic Writings a few years ago? Cause there’s no signs of those albums left. Don’t know why it’s the least played, it fucking rocks. Bodies jumps in straight away and crunchy bass makes a welcome return. Maybe it’s always been there and I just need decent headphones. This isn’t a bad number but possibly best described as an album track….so far, I’m only a minute in. It’s defiantly not one of their future classics but it’s decent. Great solo at the end but I wont say I wasn’t waiting for the albums title track before the end.

Endgame has the traits of a true metal blitz in the making. Not bad. Gets better and better as it continues. Pretty savage riffs, Dave’s lyrics awkwardly fall together but only hang on loosely before breaking again. Unlike Peace Sells, which was clever, Endgames lyrics sound very forced. Maybe Dave really isn’t that angry anymore? Nah, no-one happy person can play like that. Ah, not bad but I need to be in bed in 15/20 mins so lets check out The Hardest Part of Letting Go. Hmmm, acoustic guitars, violins and Chellos. Ah, this is where Cryptic Writings got to, I knew it must be around somewhere. It’s not terrible or anything but no something Megadeth need to keep in their repertoire. They already have A Tour Le Monde and that’s enough for any band. Oh Wait, two minutes in there’s an apocalyptic kind of knock on the head. Good, galloping riffs appear from no where as the lead pushed it’s self further and further into the spotlight. There’s even a few duelling moments. Tickets There is once again turned around.

The album first single, Head Crusher is next and the third last track of the album. I don’t know if any of you out there know what a Head Crusher was but its all there’s in the name really. They used this nasty little device during the Spanish Inquisitions and it could be made to last for hours, days and even weeks. The first thing that would happen is your jaws would crush together, shattering your teeth inside your skull. Then you eye sockets would buckle and they would literally pop out. Some of the devices had little metal plates, resembling small ice cream scoops to catch the eyes as they popped out. Then it got painful. May not sound as horrendously violent as the public sawings that they used to do or treatment from the Spanish tickler but pretty shocking to say the least. Oh the song, sorry. The song is FUCKING AWESOME!! NUFF SAID. Second last track How The Story Ends is thankfully not another ballad. It’s not my favourite, possibly the one I like least, though it has some of the best machine gun styled drum and guitars interaction on the whole record. Final song, The Right to Go Insane is thankfully heavy one. No soppy ballad to send us to bed, just another kick in the skull from Mustaine. Chorus sounds kind of grungy in it’s delivery but it works, works pretty well in fact. Some nice, distance between the chords in the bridge that adds some tension as you wait for everything to tear back. This is a very respectable Megadeth track and a welcome return finally to a fairly impressive album.

So, that’s it. Honestly, I was expecting more but I thought the same thing about Death Magnetic when I first heard that so you can be sure Tickets There is going to give it another few drillings before making our final decision. Might sound alot better when our minds aren’t clouded with the worry of how late we’re staying up, getting spellings correct while writing so quickly and all that nonsense. It still lacks Dave’s full on aggression though. The rage and bitterness that inspired and drove so much of the bands earlier work seems a little distant and forced on Endgame. It’s still more appealing than The System Has Failed and United Abominations but is doesn’t quite deliver the classics we know from albums like Rust In Peace, Countdown to Extinction or Peace Sells. Still well worth a go.

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