I love Megadeth.

There. Got that out of the way. I love Megadeth.

Megadeth released a new album, The Sick, the Dying…& the DEAD on September 2. I listened to each single as the band released them and honestly loved them all. Yes, even the one with the Ice-T cameo. Some people think that was a weird choice, but I dig it. Ice-T has his place in metal and I thought the cameo was a cool addition. I listened to it twice in full back to back and twice more over the course of the last week. I’m listening to it as I write this post.

I’ve seen some harsh critique of some of the lyrics, but to that I have to say it’s Megadeth. If you’re looking for poetry, you’re in the wrong place. They have their share of songs with strong meaningful lyrics and plenty with silly lyrics without much depth.

A good chunk of it is reminiscent of old Megadeth, which I love. As soon as I heard Dave whispering his version of a nursery rhyme, I knew my kid would love it as well. She loves all the ones where Dave has conversations with himself (hello me, it’s me again). I have shared my love of metal and Megadeth with my kid all her life. The first song I ever sang to her was Use the Man, a song that converts to lullaby with surprising ease. While Megadeth has been in my rotation for as long as I’ve been aware of their music, I was listening to a ton of Megadeth when the remasters were released while I was pregnant in 2004. Naturally, those were the only songs I could think of when I had the impulse to sing to my newborn in 2005. She grew up listening to my favorite music and regularly chooses Megadeth when we’re listening together in the car.

Is it the best Megadeth album? Nah. But it is really good. The Squid agreed with my assessment, but she thinks Dave sounds old (Happy birthday, Dave!). I thought he sounds damn good all things considered. Dude is 61, had throat cancer, went through chemo and all that and kicked cancer’s ass. If he doesn’t sound like he did 30 years ago, that’s okay. He still sounds like Dave Mustaine and Megadeth still sounds like Megadeth. Dave’s vocals are great and the riffage is amazing, as usual. CDs and vinyl sold everywhere, though I did look at my favorite Target because there’s bonus material in the Target version, but they didn’t have it in stock. This is the first time I’ve thought about buying a CD in ages. Anyway, if you like Megadeth, check it out. The entire album is on their YouTube channel.

Bring out your deeeee—aadddd!