Disco de Megadeth: “The World Needs a Hero [PA]”

The past few Megadeth discs have never hit me right away, and this one's no exception. At first listen it did nothing for me, but after a few more spins I have to say it's quite good. People fearing a repeat of 'Risk' have nothing to worry about (and personally, I thought it was cool that they took the chances they did on that album -- it may not have been their best, but there was some cool stuff on there, IMHO). This CD is a lot heavier, though still not as heavy as 'Rust In Peace' (and the band has yet to release an album as consistent as that one). '1000 Times Goodbye', 'Losing My Senses', 'Return To Hangar', and 'Moto Psycho' are standout cuts ('Moto Psycho' lacks the slow part at the end that the single featured -- I like the album version better, but that's just me.) New guitarist Al Pitrelli (formerly of Alice Cooper and Widowmaker among others) performs above and beyond in his premier outing with Megadeth (no surprises here), and the rest of the band is in top shape as well. The disc is strong lyrically and musically.

Bottom line: I'd recommend this one to old and new Megadeth fans alike, as well as to fans of the genre in general.

According to some critics, Megadeth "bottomed out" with "Risk" in 1999. So, after "bottoming out," Dave Mustaine and Co. returned two years later to try to recapture past thrash glories. Even though some songs on "The World Needs A Hero" fall flat (like "Racipe For Hate...Warhorse" and "When"), and Dave Mustaine's vocals aren't in top form here, this album was still a mostly successful attempt at returning to form. It may not be as good as, say, "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?," but "Hero" is a lot more aggressive, metallic, and thrashy than "Risk." The riffs are back, the alternative sound and ballads are mostly gone, and the song tempos are quite a bit faster. Marty Friedman's replacement, Al Pitrelli, makes himself right at home on this album. He's almost as good as Marty, and he and Mustaine combine to turn out crunchy riffs on songs like "Disconnect" and "Burning Bridges." Other highlights include the churning riffs and catchy refrain on "Moto Psycho;" track four, "1000 Times Goodbye," includes an extended guitar solo; the album's only ballad, "Promises," has light, textured guitar strings and (what sounds like) a violin; and the album's best guitar solo is featured on track nine, "Dread And The Fugitive Mind." And "Return to the Hangar" isn't as good as its namesake ("Hangar 18," which was released on "Rust In Peace" in 1990), but "Return to the Hangar" is still this album's fastest song and features six guitar solos (!) All in all, "The World Need A Hero" isn't a great album, but it's a good one. And it wasn't a complete return to form, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. Recommended for hardcore Megadeth fans.

After the truly dissappointing and heart breaking "Risk", Megadeth are back to the form on their latest. With a sound somewhere in between Countdown to Extinction and Rust in Peace, its refreshing to hear a band with great solos, jack hammer riffs and excellent fast drumming in this day and age. While the songs are no where near as accessible as the last three 'deth disks, there are some catchy tunes such as Moto Psycho, Promises and Recipe for Hate. If nu metal is your thing then dont bother with this one. But if you have a soft spot for classic virtuoso metal and hard rock, then you will truly love this one.

I can't believe some of the poor reviews this has had. OK - it does sound very heavy and 80s to some tastes (although I like it like that!) but it is a far superior album to Risk)

Firstly, it is their best effort yet in terms of melodies and catchiness. "Promises" sounds like "A Tout Le Monde" only better and although "Moto Psycho" and "TWNAH" sound like a deliberate self-parodies, they are annoyingly catchy (and also heavy.) Dread & the Fugitive Mind reminds me of "Sympyhony of Destruction" and when I first heard it (on "Capitol Punishment") I didn't realise Marty Friedman had left cos Pitrelli is very nearly as good.

The album also manages to mix their early thrashy sound (particularly on "Recipe for Hate...Warhorse") with what positives there were from the late 90s era, i.e the melodic edge.

OK, it is not quite as convincing as "Rust in Peace" because some of the material sounds rehashed (ie "When" seems very similar to Metallica's "Am I Evil") and some bits of songs have also appearted on their earlier albums ie ("Return to Hangar") but this is probably the best Megadeth album next to "Rust in Peace."

Ok, ignoring the other reviews of this cd i'm going to start fresh..from my own mind here.

At first I was hesistant of this whole cd, b/c of the fact that Marty Friedman is now gone and Nick Menza has been gone. So I didnt get around to trying to listen to this cd for almost a year after it was released.. heh... big mistake. I judged this cd unfairly. Even though it doesnt have the same guitarist and drummer in it as it's been for soo many of Megadeth's albums.. they hardly miss a beat. The key words here are -Great Songs-. They took a step upwards from Risk and made this album a rocker for sure. Definite highlights on this cd are Disconnect, Moto Psycho, Burning Bridges, Losing My Senses and Dread & the Fugitive Mind. They all display a genuine sense of musicianship and killer riffs and licks..typical and expected of Megadeth's work. They give off a definite killer vibe and should be given more than a few listens before giving up on it. In my opinion, ALL great music takes several listens to get into... and this album is like that.

There are however a couple, here & there moments that I havent warmed up to yet and perhaps won't. Doing a part 2 to Hangar 18 was a lame idea..but hey a lot of fans love it. I have to admit though 'Return To Hangar' is a killer tune and has a beautiful-to-the-ears twin guitar harmonic part.. which follows into some good ol thrashing.. and there are some slower parts on the cd that seem to dwindle the vibe somewhat. But regardless, the positive aspects of this cd outweigh the bad..

So if you're even a small Megadeth fan at all.. you should be able to get into most of this cd... and for the typical Megadeth fan it is no question! get this cd! It has some purely incredible moments that have left me wanting more... Great licks, beautiful harmonies and killer vocals.. make this disc a memorable swansong from a legendary group!