Ok, I know that the heading of this review is a very bold statement, one that was made about the last album, United Abominations. While that album did deliver in terms of melodic metal, it was not a full return to full thrash roots, despite promises made by Mustaine to fans that it was. What's great about the run up to this new album, entitled Endgame, is that no promises of a return to the 80s have been made. The most Dave has said about this new album is, "This is the album I've been waiting to make since my career began".
Now this kind of quote is what gets me excited. It means that he's not too concerned about what fans want this time round. During United Abominations, you can tell he was trying to make something nostalgic, and subsequently failed in that goal. However, there have been no promises made, a new, and much more talented guitarist has been brought on board in the form of Chris Broderick and better yet, Dave Mustaine is allowing his other band members, who are all metal musicians (not whiny, experimental, pop musicians), to contribute to this new album. This track perfectly demonstrates what happens when you stop trying hard and just write what comes naturally to you.
Headcrusher is pretty much the polar opposite of everything Dave Mustaine has written and recorded in the last fifteen years. It doesn't start off with a bullshit build up intro like every song that Dave has written since Youthanasia and before. Instead it lives up to it's title and blasts right in with a very heavy and very fast riff under a tapped solo by Mustaine, backed up by excellent bass and drums. In come the vocals after the solo and they have improved. Not by an large degree, after all this is Mustaine and admittedly he's not an amazing singer, but they have improved.
The song continues into the chorus which is just made for the headbangers and chanters during a live show. The song has an awesome breakdown. Why is it good? Because Dave Mustaine thankfully doesn't seem to give a fuck about the metalcore bands that appeared on Gigantour over the years, and hence does not take the stupid laziness approach to breakdowns, and instead ends up sounding like Megadeth should, thrashy and progressive. Ok, there are vocal overdubs during this section, and this may put off some people. I don't see why people don't like them, but that is fair enough. Right after the breakdown we come to what I think Megadeth lovers and haters alike have been waiting for. Chris Broderick's solo. The man does not disappoint. Everyone, you can forget Marty Friedman, Broderick more or less pisses over everything that guy ever wrote in terms of solos, that is no lie. It starts off with a very strange scale before going into absolutely fast shred with weird rhythms and barely quarter second breaks. Seriously, if that's even everything that Broderick has to offer in terms of the kind of solos he'll be doing, I'll be worshipping him during Megadeth gigs.
The lyrics are dark and have a good mild gore content to them, which is a lyric subject I love. It's not full on gore like Black Friday, but it's still gore, however mild. Add to this the single cover, which is quite bloody and I'm happy, really happy with this track. Especially since I can play this, and put on Take No Prisoners afterwards, and the two tracks sound like they fit alongside each other and should be in the same album together, hence why I say we could be seeing Rust In Peace Part Two.
Now, I do have a doubt nagging inside my head as I listen to this track, and that's because it was written alongside Shawn Drover. Why is this a bad thing? Because the man is a huge Suffocation fan. I'm in doubt that this is what influenced most of this song, and that it'll be the only good track because of it, while the rest mainly consists of melody like United Abominations did, due to Dave mainly writing this album. However we still have to see what James Lomenzo and Chris Broderick have to bring to this album alongside Dave, so this should be a Megadeth album that will finally live up to it's hype... I hope.
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