(RockAndMetal.com) (08/06/04)

By Michael Bennett

NEW YORK, NY, USA - It appears MEGADETH are back to their old-school, non-nonsense ways on their upcoming new album, "The System Has Failed," set for a confirmed release September 14th on Sanctuary Records.

However, it wasn't very long ago in early 2002 that Megadeth mastermind Dave Mustaine suffered a debilitating nerve injury to his arm (literally after sleeping on it the wrong way), bringing his career -- and the nearly 20-year history of Megadeth -- to a grinding halt.

His prospects for playing guitar again uncertain, Mustaine retreated into seclusion, effectively ending the band and leaving behind a ten-album legacy as one of metal's most important, innovative, and intelligent acts.

But the story did not end there, and it seemed undeniable that the long, colorful, and dynamic history of such a relentless and groundbreaking act could be curtailed so abruptly.

Now in 2004, "The System Has Failed," the tenth studio album released under the Megadeth moniker, is set for release in about six weeks.

The forthcoming first single, 'Die Dead Enough,' features a stalking rhythm and urgent riff alongside an infectious chorus and a taste of strings, adding texture and depth.

Look for Megadeth to tour this Fall with returning drummer Nick Menza in support of the new album and their recently re-issued catalog of platinum and gold albums (released last Tuesday on Capitol Records), which has been impressively remixed, remastered, restored -- and in some cases reconstructed -- by Dave Mustaine, to bring the collection as close to his original vision as possible.

"The System Has Failed" is by all means pure, unfiltered, uncompromising Megadeth -- the album being a virtual compendium of everything that made and continues to make Megadeth one of the most unique entities ever in the history of heavy rock and metal music.

From the opener 'Blackmail The Universe,' with its classic, chugging riff, to the politically charged, turbulent 'Kick The Chair,' to the painfully personal 'Truth Be Told,' "The System Has Failed" is an album that could only have be written by a single person with one singular world view.

Mustaine selected nearly a dozen songs from some 150 that he had compiled over the years for the new effort, keeping them under wraps for the ideal opportunity.

With members of Megadeth's best-known lineup (which lasted from 1990's "Rust In Peace" to 1997's "Cryptic Writings") either unable to appear due to scheduling issues, or unwilling to meet the demands of Mustaine's vision for the record, the singer and guitarist cast away all preconceptions and recruited bassist Jimmie Sloas and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.

Co-producing with Jeff Balding, who had engineered "Cryptic Writings" and 1999's "Risk," Mustaine took an approach to recording that he found liberating.

"I took a real casual pace with this album. We started out working about three hours a night, four days a week."

"I know this is such a cliche, but it was like being reborn."

"I don't have three other guys that I'm gonna disappoint if I don't listen to their stuff."

"I was in there calling the shots and it was a lot like when (the band's first two albums) 'Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good!' and 'Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?' first came out."

"It was me making my music, I had guys in the band listening to me, and I was the boss."

One amazing surprise for longtime Megadeth fans would have to be the presence of original guitarist Chris Poland, who played on those first two albums and contributed lead work to nearly every cut on "The System Has Failed."

"It was so much fun having Chris come down and play," says Mustaine.

"He's a great person, and there's a reason why we took a fork in the road back then. When he came in and listened to this record, I didn't know what to expect from him."

"I didn't know if he was gonna listen and say, 'I'm not digging this,' or whatever, because he's all into his jazz-fusion stuff."

But he gave me a really great compliment, because he said somewhere, 'some of you guys are gonna have to break out your slide rulers, because this is definitely 'Rust In Peace'-type music.'"

1990's Rust In Peace, Megadeth's fourth album and possibly most successful after '92's 'Countdown To Extinction' (which charted at Number Two on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart), is held by many fans as the gold standard against which all Megadeth releases are judged, for its heaviness, intricacy, and tunefulness.

"Everybody's wanted me to make 'Rust In Peace 2,' and I don't think I did," says Mustaine with his usual candor. "But I think what I did was make an album that was a natural progression from Rust In Peace."

That progression is evident on "The System Has Failed."

'Back In The Day' delves into one of Mustaine's many influences, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, with its galloping guitar work and frenetic tempo.

Album closer 'My Kingdom Come,' meanwhile, sounds like no other band out there.

Its doom-laden, sinister beginning gives way to another vintage, crunchy Megadeth riff before descending into a haunting, almost Eastern finale.

Lyrically, Mustaine is back with some of his sharpest political and social commentary yet, cooking up a nightmare nuclear crisis in 'Blackmail The Universe,' tackling criminal justice in 'Kick The Chair,' and painting a picture of ticking international tensions in 'The Scorpion.'

It's Mustaine at his songwriting best, making electrifying, incisive new metal while refusing to stick to any single formula.

"I think that I've been able to transcend some of the pigeonholing that takes place with a hard rock or metal band," agrees Mustaine.

"The head of my record company said something to me that really lit a fire under my butt. He said, 'Back when you wrote Rust In Peace, you owned heavy metal. That flag was yours. It's time for you to go back and claim that flag.'"

"I'm excited that there really isn't anything out there that I believe can compete with this record. I think I really have a chance of making a statement," says Dave Mustaine.

That statement will be heard around the world on September 14th, when "The System Has Failed" arrives in stores, and after that, when Mustaine takes Megadeth out on the road for the first time in three years.

Fans can expect some surprises as well in the touring lineup.

"I can't wait to play again and have it be about fun," says Mustaine.

"Towards the end, the music became a lot about formula. It became so predictable."

"I'm looking forward to things being unpredictable, and things being fun and just going for it."

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