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So I was looking at my sources website for an album to review this week and I was going to do the new Panic At The Disco album. It was ok, but then I checked one last time and found out that Megadeth's Dystopia had just leaked. Now, I figured, it had been awhile since I heard one of their albums and it would be nice to hear something from them. The last album I heard from them had the song "Crush Em" on it and it turned me off so much that I haven't listened to anything until now. THIS album was EXTREMELY hard to get my hands on, but as always, I GOT IT! So here we go... I present to you, Megadeth's, "Dystopia".
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Track 1 - The Threat Is Real
My first impression of this album, comes from the cover artwork. IT IS AWESOME! That aside, the first track starts of with what appears to be an arabian woman singing. That is immediately followed by sheer awesomeness! You can definitely hear that Mr. Mustaine has aged. That doesn't however take anything away from how great he is as a musician. There is lots of shredding on this track and it sets a great tone for what should be a great album from an all-time great band! I haven't heard anything this good from them in a long time. Needless to say, I am excited!
4/5
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Track 2 - Dystopia
This is easily my favorite track so far. The intro almost sounds like a heavy metal version of something from an old NES game like "Ninja Gaiden". It has a super pumpy, driving kinda feel to it. This is setting up to be an epic album. His lyrics thus far have been great at complementing the album's name. He really has a great grasp on what is going on in the world today. There is a ton of shredding on this album! The outro for this song is AMAZING! I would say they sound a LOT like "Avenged Sevenfold" but it actually is the other way around. Fans of them will absolutely LOVE this album. It has been great so far!
4/5
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Track 3 - Fatal Illusion
This is the first song that i'm somewhat disappointed in. It just feels different than the other songs. The bass line towards the beginning is fucking awesome though! Other than that though, this song isn't near as good as the first 2 songs were. I'm not as impressed. This is the kind of song that made me quit listening to them in the first place. This one sounds like it was rushed. Not horrible, but not as good.
2.5/5
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Track 4 - Death From Within
The intro is interesting so far. This song sounds a little better than the previous but it seems like this album could take a turn for the worst quickly. It's too much of the same and the background vocals on the chorus just don't do it for me. The guitar solo however, saves this song from being another sub-par track. The guitars on this album have been wonderful so far.
3/5
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Track 5 - Bullet To The Brain
This song starts with a very relaxing acoustic guitar riff. That is very short-lived though. When the song comes thundering in, it demands attention and brings them back on track! I am happy this one doesn't suck. After the last 2 tracks, I was really starting to doubt them again. This song is pretty good and like Meatloaf said, 3/5 ain't bad, or was that another fraction?
3.5/5
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Track 6 - Post American World
This song took a couple of listens to completely absorb just how amazingly epic it is. This almost sounds like something from COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION!!! This song really made me happy. This is easily the BEST track so far on this album! Just the lyric, "If you don't like where we're going, then you won't like what's coming next". Says something about the world we're living in today and the road that all of us are going down without even knowing it. THIS SONG IS AMAZING! THE BEST SONG OF 2016 SO FAR! PERIOD.
5/5
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Track 7 - Poisonous Shadows
Another acoustic laced intro that is short lived. This song is pretty damn good. It's not the last track, but it holds it's own just fine. The guitar work on this album has been simply beautiful! The chorus on this track is great! I really am beginning to love this album. Aside from the two dud songs this album has been as EPIC as I expected it to be.
4/5
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Track 8 - Conquer Or Die
OMFG. THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE MEGADETH SONG. It makes me feel like i'm ten years old all over again and playing Castlevania 2 on the NES with my brother blaring Megadeth in the other room! This is one of the most EPIC instrumental songs i've ever heard! It has a very strong tinge of "Simon Belmont" to it and if you know what i'm talking about then you deserve a, "hell yeah"! This album is quickly rivaling, "Countdown To Extinction". Yeah, I said it.
5/5
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Track 9 - Lying In State
This album is easily going to get 4 out of 5 star reviews across the board. I have really enjoyed listening to and reviewing it so far. This song is no exception. "Hell is turning itself inside out, to lead his path of the fears and we deliberately take a step, one foot closer to the grave". Dave's lyrics on this album have really chimed in to what is going on in the world today. He really hit the nail on the head this time.
4/5
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Track 10 - The Emperor
This song has a loud, thumping intro. They really outdid themselves on this album. They should call it quits after this cause it's going to be hard to match the success they should achieve with this album. If this is their "swan song" album than they have left us with a clear cut warning to get ready for the inevitable. This album fucking ROCKS.
4/5
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Track 11 - Foreign Policy (Fear Cover)
The last song they put on this album was a cover from a band called, "Fear". I have never heard of them so momentarily I am listening to their version before I check out Megadeth's version so I have a basis for comparison. It's not bad, very early 80's punk. Now onto the Megadeth cover of it... Definitely wayyyyy heavier than Fears version of it. Not nearly as punk. But equally as good! A good choice for them to close out an EPIC album with. This album falls just a hair under "Countdown To Extinction" as my favorite Megadeth album.
4/5
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Overall - 43/55
So far, this is EASILY the best album i've reviewed this year. An INSTANT classic, this will be a contender for rock album of the year. It's dark and gloomy with a side of thrash. I loved it! Willowbee out.
Hey! Welcome back! This is my second installment of my top 100 favorite albums of all time and right on time! Now we will take a look at albums 81-90. This is where it started to get tricky. With so many GREAT albums out there, how do you even narrow it down to 100? I'm sure there's some I missed and i'm also sure that in 10 years this list will be drastically different. Musics cool like that. You may be into one band a lot now, but years from now they change and so do you. Perfect example... Incubus. They started out as a funk metal band and now... well... if you listen to them a lot like me, you'll know what i'm talking about. Anyways, to narrow it down to 100 you have to start with your absolute favorites and go from there asking yourself... "do I like this album more than the previous?". It's daunting and here I am still making slight edits as I go along. I did have Audioslaves debut album in my top 100, but it got pushed out when I realized I had forgotten a couple of my favorites. With all of that said, let's take a look at 81-90. Oh and if you didn't read 91-100, start there first!
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#90 - Team Sleep - Team Sleep (2005)
This was one of those cd's that took awhile to embrace for me. My friend Jimmy used to play the shit out of the demos for it and it slowly but surely grew on me. 10 years later after the official release of the album and i'm still hooked. There's just something about the surreal feel to it that relaxes me everytime. They truly picked a great name for themselves to go by. It was refreshing to hear Chino stepping out of his comfort realm and trying something completely different. If you ever want to chill to a cool night time cd, this is one to do it with.
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#2 - Ever (Foreign Flag))
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#89 - Tracy Lawrence - I See It Now (1994)
Tracy Lawrence scored big in 1994 with this album. He did something very cool around 93-96, where he "leaped" through time in each of his music videos connecting them together. It was very "Quantum Leap". I loved it. I have never been into country much but for some reason around 1995 I lived for it. His videos were on CMT all the time and I can remember just having to hear a few notes to know it was on and I would come flying in to watch it. If you like country and even if you don't, this is a classic album to check out. I even got to meet the guy cause I was in his fan club. I was just too young to appreciate it. Don't believe me... Here's a little something extra for ya. Haha.
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#6 - As Any Fool Can See)
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#88 - Korn - Follow The Leader (1998)
The first thing I think about when I think about this album is the artwork. It was drawn by famed comic artist, Todd McFarlane. He created Spawn by the way. The second thing I remember is how the first 12 tracks were nothing but silence. I can remember everyone thinking their disc was broken. I worked at media play and everyone was always wanting to return it till I showed them it started on track 13. (Funny side note... I actually just read the wiki on it and it seems that early versions had the 12 silent tracks after the music. The silent tracks were a memorial of sorts to young a fan named "Justin" who tragically died of intestinal cancer. His last wish was to meet and hang out with Korn. I don't know if he ever did but they named a song after him on the album and the 12 silent tracks formed a minute of silence for him. So next time you go to skip those tracks remember that. VERY KOOL.
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#8 - All In The Family (Featuring Fred Durst))
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#87 - 311 - The Blue Album (1995)
My first introduction to this album was from a teacher of mine named Mr. LeBlanc. We were in music class one day and he asked the class if anyone wanted to buy it for 5 bucks. I knew the song "Down" and was the only kid who was eager to check it out. So I bought it from my hard rocking, Kings-X loving guitar playing teacher for 5 bucks. It turned out to be my first official introduction to a band that would lead to me discovering Incubus, Hoobastank and many others. I loved it then and I still to this day, 20 years alter, love it now. You can thank them, Run DMC and Faith No More for anyone who ever has or will rap over rock music.
SUGGESTED LISTENING - (#1 & 2 - We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions)
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#86 - Counting Crows - August And Everything After (1993)
This was one of those albums that transcended genres. I liked it, my dad liked it, my brother liked it, my MOM liked it, everyone did. "Mr. Jones" was and is still to this day one of the most recognizable songs ever written. There was just something magical about it. The first track, "Round Here", definitely didn't get as much play but was a much, much better song. Haunting is the best word I can describe it with. It was definitely a "heavy" song for an 11 year old kid to grasp. But it always made sense to me. And that's mainly why this record is number 86.
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#1 - Round Here)
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#85 - Breaking Benjamin - Phobia (2006)
Breaking Benjamins, "Phobia" was an album I really sat down and listened to when it came out. It's the kind of album where it was easy to quickly pick out your favorites. To me, there was just something about the guitar riff in the beginning of "Until The End", that quickly hooked me in. The coolest thing about the album in general however, may be the intro track of the airport. It was a "hidden" reference to singer, "Ben Burnley"s fear of flying, hence the name of the album... "Phobia".
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#6 - Until The End)
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#84 - 10 Years - Feeding The Wolves (2010)
This album is very special to me. It came out around the first time I tried to start a music review blog and I listened to it over and over again for the next year. I met my future wife while listening to this cd. We both love the time it represents and it's always great to play it again every once in awhile. By far, this is their best work to date and will have you singing along in no time. My personal favorite is, "Waking Up The Ghost". Whether you're already a 10 Years fan or not, this is where you should start.
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#9 - Waking Up The Ghost)
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#83 - Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare (2010)
This album picked up where Metallica left off with their "Black Album". The first time I really listened to them was with this album. I was driving a U-Haul when the song, "Welcome To The Family" came on our local radio station. MAN... I remember hearing, "Bat Country" and it was cool and all. But this song did it for me. I instantly bought it and jammed out to every track for a week straight. I can remember one song standing tall above the rest though... "Save Me". It was an epic track lasting 10:57. Pretty long track nowadays. Especially in this ADD society we live in now. For those who listen, it will reward you. Check it out!
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#11 - Save Me)
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#82 - The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death (1997)
This album is easily recognized as one of the top 5 rap albums ever recorded. LOADED with great songs, this album brought Biggie mainstream success. Originally this album was supposed to be released in 1996 on Halloween. It got pushed back to March of 1997 and ironically Biggie was shot 2 weeks before it was released. Consistently considered a 4-5 star album, it was with this album Biggie gained the most fame of his career. It's just a shame shit get's crazy in the rap game cause it would be great to hear where he would have went with his career. No, instead were left with Jay-Z and NAS.
SUGGESTED LISTENING (DISC 2 - #8 - Sky's The Limit (Featuring 112))
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#81 - Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction (1992)
This cd is probably the cd my brother would call a top ten. I heard it through him by going through his room and taking his cassette while he was gone. There was just something about Dave Mustaine. He almost seemed like an anti-rock star. The title track on this album is just simply amazing. I'm sooooooo happy he didn't last in Metallica. We would not have had this and Last Action Heroes, "Angry Again". had they kept him around. "Symphony Of Destruction", was another great song from it. Definitely their shining moment, this album was an instant classic for thrash heads everywhere!
SUGGESTED LISTENING (#7 - Countdown To Extinction)
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So 20 albums into it and 80 to go. Is it Christmas yet?!?? I love sharing my memories and favorites with all 5 of you reading. Hopefully as I write more and more... more and more of you show up! Well, till next time...
