Customer Reviews

Endgame

5 star:		(138)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, both are names that are commonplace in the Metal Community and for good reason as Dave has been releasing quality Metal since the Mid-Eighties and that is no easy feat considering most of the bands that Megadeth grew with conformed to more mainstream styles or broke up. Mustaine and Megadeth continue to be constant idols for new and old fans of Rock and Metal to look up to. Mustaine's most recent offering Endgame is possibly one of my favorite releases by the group in years.

Endgame kicks off with 2:25 of Mustaine and Co. ripping up some amazing riffs as the first track 'Dialectic Chaos' is Instrumental and a great start to an amazing album. Mustaine's trademark quality soloing hasn't lost any of it potency and you can tell right from this short track that this album will be one to enjoy for quite some time. The instrumental leads into 'This Day We Fight!', a very upbeat track with to-the-point lyrics and some impressive soloing.

'44 Minutes' starts out with some tranquil leads and the eerie recordings of 911 tapes. This would be one of the tracks where Dave gives us something to think about as the lyrics discuss the general violence in the world today and more particularly tells the story of being amidst a fire fight. '1,320' is a romp of riffing, bombastic drumming and roaring leads that towards the end erupts into one of the best solo's on the album.

Four tracks into the album and I find myself still extremely intrigued as to what will come next. Something that I honestly haven't felt for a Megadeth album in some time. I would not consider the album groundbreaking by this point, however I would say it ranks up there with some of Mustaine's best works such as Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, Rust in Peace and my personal favorite Youthanasia. So far Dave has tackled the most prominent problem in our world today violence and has done it with style rather then preaching.

Later in the album we get what I can only describe as a modern classic and the title track 'Endgame'. Easily a massive stand out track on the album with a barrage of pummeling aggressive riffs, epic solo's and one of the catchiest chorus' on the album. This track alone is sure to be aired all over Metal radio for some time to come and is a personal favorite. As a contrast Dave then slows things down with the tranquil 'The Hardest Part of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss' that halfway through twists into a mid pace ballad and ends with the same melodic opening.

My favorite track on the album 'Head Crusher' erupts with a barrage of soloing and Thrashy riffs. I think I enjoyed the simplicity of the lyrics that took a back seat to the roaring fast paced Thrash riffs. Towards the end of the track comes a classic head bang riff with some nice gritty leads and the track closes just as fast paced as it opened with one of the fastest solos on the album. 'How The Story Ends' is straight forward Megadeth and yet like the previous track has some head bang worthy riffing toward the end and as with most of the album has some excellent soloing.

The album finishes with 'The Right to Go Insane' which starts out as a rather bland and ordinary Megadeth track ends with nearly two minutes of soloing and intense riffing. After all is said and done I wasn't in complete awe, nor can I honestly call this Megadeth's masterpiece however I can say this is a quality album from a musician who still sticks to the roots of the genre and most if not all Megadeth Fans will enjoy this most especialy if you are a fan of the solos as nearly every song has at least one.

A great album and sure to be on all the Best Of 2009 lists is a must for Metal fans and especially Deth Heads like myself. I hope you enjoyed the review and that it encourages you to look into Endgame and ultimately purchase the album. If so please click 'Yes' below and support a supporter of the Metal Community. Thanks for reading.

-A Loyal Megadeth Fan

I will start by simply stating the fact that no matter what you are doing, if you play this CD you will immediately start head-banging uncontrollably.
So I write this to give fair warning. For example:

[situation]... > ... [Result]
Running on a treadmill... Headbanging
Unconscious in the street... Headbanging
Making love to your wife... Headbanging
Riding the bus... Headbanging, possibly against the seat in front of you.

The reason Dave is pictured making that snarling face on the back of the album is because he was listening to it when the pic was taken and it's physically impossible not to make that face for the CD's entire duration. (again if you sneak earphones to class and then listen to ENDGAME you will inadvertently make that face towards your teacher and she will probably call security). Trust me if you happen to come across a mirror while listening to this album, you will notice you are making the exact same face.

Good luck, because Endgame is so good you will probably run into these situations despite my warnings.

To be concise, this album is good because:

- Great production
- Extreme technically - fast shredding guitars, elite technical guitar playing, lots of solos, varying tempo changes
- Varied song structures keep the songs interesting
- Good melodies
- Dave is angry, his subject matter is ok at worst and great at best
- Bodies is a great throwback to megadeth's old material
- A quality drummer (i dont need to make the comparison)
- Plenty of songs that will blow you away live

Welcome back Dave.

If you are a Megadeth fan, and you ever trusted a review, trust this one. This is the heaviest and most p***-off album in Dave's career.

If this is what a mid-life crisis does for your testosterone level, then I'm looking foreward to mine. It starts out with a short, instrumental rave-up, guitar leads flying at top speed, and then charges straight into "This day we fight". A Fast to mid-tempo smoker. "Bite the hand" track 5 is absolutely vicious, as is "Headcrusher", a kind-of a sequel to "Skin of my Teeth". This album does something that neither Megadeth, or too many others have been able to accomplish lately, every song has a nasty bite to it, but the songwriting is there.

It sounds exectly like vintage thrash Megadeth, only heavier, via beefed-up modern production. It's funny, but I never really thought of Megadeth as a thrash band. Their music was never really that fast, no "polka beats" as it were, and stylistically closer to Iron Maiden than Slayer, which was ok by me, but on Endgame, to me, they really sound like a thrash band...and one that will take some time to catch. If this is a trend for the band, getting heavier with age, I can't wait until he's 60. Oh heck, nevermind, that would make me....

I'm embarrassed to admit that I was completely unaware of this album until literally the day it came out. I'm not worthy, Dave!! Though I supposed I at least managed to spare myself the months of agonizing anticipation. Anyway, let's get to it. Contrary to what another reviewer wrote, Mustaine has been moving the band in this direction since The World Needs a Hero back in 2001, and he certainly wasn't following Metallica's lead in releasing this album (though the comparisons between the Black Album and Countdown are right on the money). United Abominations was promised to be a complete return to form after not quite getting there with Hero and The System Has Failed. While there's a lot to like on UA, there are also a lot of very average tracks and some that, while containing great moments, completely lack any kind of structure or direction (You're Dead and Burnt Ice come to mind).

So 2 1/2 after being somewhat disappointed by Abominations, I found myself trying to find the release date for Slayer's next album, only to discover that (GASP!!) Megadeth was releasing a new album that very day!!! And the reviews were stellar!! During my two hour commute home from work, I had plenty of time to wonder if Megadeth would finally deliver. Within the first 30 seconds of Dialectic Chaos, I knew that this album was a whole other animal than anything that had been released after Rust In Peace. By the end of 1320, I had a big smile that didn't leave my face for two days. This is the album that Dave Mustaine has been trying to make for nearly a decade now. There are songs that shred like it's 1985 (This Day We Fight!!, 1320, Endgame, Head Crusher), there are mid-tempo rockers that top anything they did in that vein during the 90s (44 Minutes Bodies, How the Story Ends), there's even a track that wouldn't feel too out of place on Youthanasia (The Hardest Part of Letting Go), the band's best non-thrash record, in my opinion. Is it perfect? No, I'm not too big on Bite the Hand and I'm still not sure what I think of Right to go Insane, but there's no such thing as a flawless Megadeth record.

The band may be little more than Dave and his revolving door of hired guns these days, but if there's one thing that can be counted on, it's that he'll give it 110%. This time, he nailed it. Rejoice and rattle your god damn head!!

This idiot gives and awesome cd one star because he has it in for Dave Mustaine. What an assclown. Amazon should delete his review. I don't like the reviews that rip on Metallica either, because I enjoy listening to both bands. Both bands have had their ups and downs. But at least both are back to true form. Besides it is tasteless to put down someone elses creativity and artistic views. Cheers Megadeth- Thanks for another fantastic release!!

METALFAN

For years, Megadeth fans have always fought between Peace Sells and Rust In Peace as being Megadeth's best album. Now with Endgame, fans now have to argue among 3 albums. Endgame's guitars explode like howitzers just as ideal trash albums should. The shredding going on here physically makes you tired. The technical skill shown here is unmatched. Any metal fan should pick this this up without delay.

I have been a Megadeth fan from the start. For me ENDGAME is the best Megadeth since Countdown to Extinction! Superb song writing, superb guitar work, and superb lineup! If you thought Megadeth would never reach the musicianship they had with Marty, Nick and Jr. you better take a listen to ENDGAME. This is a refreshing new slab of good ol' Megadeth!! Often times you buy a CD and you get 2 or 3 good songs and the rest are filler. Not here, every track on ENDGAME is solid gold! If your question is whether ENDGAME is worth buying or not, the answer is WORTH EVERY PENNY!! ENDGAME will go down in history as one of Megadeth's definitive albums along side RIP and CTE!

This album is pure thrash metal ownage. Megadeth and Dave Mustaine have shown once again why Megadeth are an amazing band and a way better metal band then Metallica. Listen to this album and listen to Death Magnetic you will see which band still has the edge. Just play headcrusher and watch Death magnetic shrivel up and die. Megadeth are back and so is metal, this album is amazing with blistering riffs, awesome inspired lyrics and crazy musicianship (something metallica doesn't have) this is by far the best album since Countdown and one of the best ever.

MEGADETH \M/\M/

This album rocks from start to finish. The drums hit hard as well as all the bass and crunching guitars. Dave hit the mark with this one and it's their best since Cryptic Wrightings. Keep the faith and spend the money. You won't be disappointed.