As the title indicates, this is the “unlucky” numbered studio offering from Megadeth, which sees the return of original bassist Dave Ellefson to the line-up.
The air of familiarity across the album is formulaic in essence. Opening track ‘Sudden Death’ establishes the pattern for the entire set; soaring guitar riffs and incessant drums form the intro, Dave Mustaine’s ever-brooding vocals drop in, then, repeat twelve times.
The counterpoint to the omnipresent riffs are token solo chords which are found on every other 80s hair-metal album; the outro to ‘We The People’, the bridges in ‘Millennium Of The Blind’ and the opening to ‘Never Dead’ are cases in point. There’s little on this album that evidences a break from Megadeth’s norm; this kind of album could have been recorded and released 25 years ago and barely sound any different.
Fundamentally, ‘TH1RT3EN’ is an album for those who enjoy classic-sounding heavy metal sound. If that’s you, you’ll find it a pleasing listen. If you aren’t, you won’t.
For more information visit the official Megadeth website.
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