Its hard to believe it but Dave Mustain's Megadeth have been at it for over thirty years now. Once of Metallica, Dave was dismissed by the band in bad circumstances that left him soar and on quest of retribution to out Metal the giants of the genre. In the late 80s and early 90s the group saw a commercial peak with a string of well received records. In recent years Dave has been touring and pumping out record after record every two to three years. "Dystopia" is the groups fifteenth and I only decided to check it out due to requests to do so. I'm glad I did, its a solid, enjoyable Megadeth record that shows little sign of the group tiring however this meant the record had little new to offer.
If your familiar with Megadeth's sound its distinctive as ever on a tightly produced record. The distortion guitars have flair and speed, electric blazing lead tones and the rhythm sounds a touch Djenty and maybe over compressed. They sound fantastic when synchronizing with the sturdy bass kick drums which thud away mechanically with precision force. The bass guitar for the most part hides under the guitar, a common disappointment with records that don't utilize its potential. Dave's voice is often a turn off for potential fans and their is no break from his nazel tone. The age can be heard in his voice which can still be adventurous but the limits in his range and occasional gruffer vocals are apparent in moments where he sounds a step behind the instrumental intensity.
For the songs and music its typically metal, attitude and aggression circling around wild and excitable riffs, often busting out into lightning paced guitar leads. The record is held together with themes of societal disillusion, paranoia and government conspiracy. There is really little to fault and some of the opening songs would fit in well between the classics in a live show. On a personal level I don't feel like I'm getting any new spice or flavor which probably reflects my current apatite for new sounds as opposed to the monstrous amounts of Metal Ive consumed over the years. Solid record, wish I had been more in the mood to enjoy it.
Rating: 6/10