Vinrock666 | Megadeth's "United Abominations" is actually a Dave Mustaine solo album, but that's not a good thing when the result of this project reeks most like a knock off version of the name brand.
It's not that all of the other members of the band are bad : it's just that the music and lyrics are the sole creation of Mustaine and, therefore, their roles here have become categorically reduced to session musicians.
Lyrically, all of the political angst typically found in Megadeth themes are ever present, but some songs like "Washington Is Next", "United Abominations" and "Amerikhastan" go overboard to the point of cookie cutter. There are flashes of great soloing throughout, though… "Burnt Ice", for example, exhibits an awesome outro of blazing, high octane note playing, and the guitar solos are (of course) Mustaine's number one strengh - God bless him for still having that ability.
Most of the other songs, however, are simply contrived and packaged as if there were actual suits behind the mixing board whispering in Mustaine's ear, "Perfect, your fan base will definitely buy this !"
Again, this isn't to say that the tracks are bad
- "A Tout le Monde" (a song previously released) is quite the better version here and even features the voice talents of Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil.
- "Sleepwalker" is an excellent tone-setting first track
- the afforementioned "Burnt Ice" is probably the best track on the album due to it's classic Megadethian aggressiveness.
Artistically, though, none of the songs stand out ; they all sound the same, and no new elements of note appear anywhere. The overall feel of "United Abominations" seems most like a tribute to itself, and if you're cool with that, then I guess it's a good enough record to be enjoyed.
2008-07-08 00:00:00
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