Megadeth – The World Needs A Hero

Sanctuary

2001

On May 15th 2001, Megadeth released their ninth studio album to mixed reviews. After the fan and critical backlash to 1999’s dire Risk frontman Dave Mustaine was determined to return to a more traditional Megadeth sound after the bands foray into the rock/pop arena had resulted in mixed returns. This would, of course, be the first Megadeth record to not feature guitarist Marty Friedman, instead replaced by Trans Siberian Orchestra and The Simpsons fan Al Pitrelli and Mustaine writing in his 2010 autobiography wrote of Friedman that the guitarist was “…burned out on heavy metal, both the lifestyle and the music, left the band in the middle of a tour in 2000”. Pitrelli would prove to be a musically sound replacement and this record would also be the last to feature longtime bassist David Ellefson; the Megadave era was just around the corner, something alluded by Mustaine himself in his autobiography; “Almost every word and note on The World Needs A Hero was written by me, a fact that pleased the label but did nothing to encourage camaraderie among the band members. It was a lineup that simply wasn’t built to endure. And it didn’t.” The record was recorded throughout much of 2000 at Henson recording studios in Hollywood California and produced by Dave Mustaine and engineer Bill Kennedy.

The World Needs A Hero kicks things off with “Disconnect” a surprisingly subdued opener to a Megadeth record, with a pensive main riff and grooving bass leading to an almost cranky sounding chorus section. The track features an interesting enough middle section with Ellefson’s bass anchoring proceedings and Pitrelli’s solo is enjoyable but “Disconnect” is an odd sounding track and Mustaine’s vocal delivery at times leaves a lot to be desired. A pretty uncertain start. The, quite frankly, bizarre title track is next and to this day I still don’t know what to make of it; neither a bad track nor a particularly good one, musically the song is interesting enough with gallopy drums and guitar and one seriously overworked secretary and it’s pretty different to what the band had done before but the lyrics are just dreadful (” Dave, the White House is calling, they want to talk to me?, tell them I can’t be bought, tell them I’m not free). “The World Needs A Hero” is nothing if not damn catchy but in all honesty this track and so far this record is not a high point for the band. The much much better “Moto Psycho” is next and it is an honest old school rocker straight from the NWOBHM train of thought; the track is a fun one and musically interesting with a cold- as- ice main riff from Mustaine and driving drums and bass. It’s no stretch to say this track could have found a home on Killing Is My Business… back in the day and it is more of the “return to roots” the band promised at the time of the albums release.

Next up is “1000 Times Goodbye” which starts off promisingly with another heavy icy riff whilst working in tandem with dynamic drums from drummer Jimmy deGrasso which transitions into a snakey verse riff. The main problem with this track is not the music, rather the lyrics; the chorus is fine, evocative even, but the majority of the overwrought lyrics here are laughable with a horrible acting out between Mustaine and a female actor which makes me wince even to this day (“you suck!”). It’s a shame because the music itself is pretty good with another excellent solo from Petreilli. “Burning Bridges” is next up with a suitably atmospheric sinister sounding intro and that’s pretty much as good as it gets. Mustaine over enunciates completely in the awkward chorus section and the track is pretty throwaway in spite of yet another excellent guitar solo. “Promises” follows, a fairly remarkable sounding Megadeth track in that it features strings and is basically Mustaine doing an Axl Rose. The track is fine, perhaps a bit overblown in the strings section but it’s an interesting enough listen for what it is. “Recipe For Hate…Warhorse” is another experimental track; the nylon strings in the chorus section is a nice touch and the track is an interesting listen especially when the song turns on a dime in tempo halfway through the track and launches into full on metal mode with guitar solos being traded and driving drums.”Recipe For Hate” is a fairly inoffensive track which reminds the listener that Megadeth can and will still thrash, it’s just that the band are, seemingly, still stuck in the experimental mode of the previous two records. “Losing My Senses” is another experimental track with a washed out main riff and as such features a slightly off kilter vocal from Mustaine which has more in common with grunge bands of the 90s then a supposed return to thrash metal roots. “Losing My Senses” is a decent interesting sounding track and again it is a song which could have easily found a home on, say, Cryptic Writings. The excellent “Dread and the Fugitive Mind” is next and this track should have been the album opener; the sequencing of this record is all wrong. Beginning with a syncopated guitar and drums which then leads into a 4/4 section before transitioning into a catchy memorable chorus and a devastating middle section with guitars and drums locked into rhythm which leads to call back guitars and a blistering guitar solo and call back guitars. A definite highlight of the record.

“Silent Scorn” is a brief military style instrumental which is used by the band to this day to close out their live performances and segues nicely into what is a reprise of “Hanger 18” with “Return to Hanger”. There’s really not much to say about this track except that it’s a fraction as innovative as the original but I guess that’s not really the point with this version. The music is pretty decent but it feels more like a jam than any real cohesive stand alone track with a satisfying thrashy section in the songs second half. The World Needs A Hero ends with “When” another creepy sounding experimental track that probably addresses that band (Call of Ktulu anyone?).The track is atmospheric enough with sinister guitar and pounding drums and pretty heavy to boot with the song changing tempo at the 4′ minute mark and basically becomes a tribute of sorts to Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil” (according to Mustaine, intentionally) before returning to the standard Megadeth template. However the best track on The World Needs A Hero isn’t even to be found on the record. “Kill The King” was recorded by this lineup but Capitol, the bands former record label, insisted that the track be included instead in that record company’s contractually obligated greatest hits collective titled Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years. Beginning with an excellent razor-sharp riff joined in unison by deGrasso’s double kick pattern the track is a veritable tour de force from start to finish with an interesting pulsating middle section with excellent guitar work from both Mustaine and Pitrelli and easily one of the best tracks the band had written since Youthanisia.

The World Needs A Hero is certainly a flawed piece of work. There are some good moments here, but it is obvious that the band were still stuck in the experimental phase of the previous couple of years despite protestations from the band to the contrary. The record as a whole lacks direction and feels like a half completed work. However, I am still fond of this record and era of the band; this is the era of Megadeth that I started listening to via the Rude Awakening live DVD, so these songs were my very first introduction to the band. Of course Megadeth have recorded far better albums than this, but the record maintains a certain charm to this day. This is, however, not an album that has dated very well and gave into some of the tackiness associated with rock/metal releases of the early 2000s and in the discography of the band it is a largely forgotten piece of work. For those who missed out originally when this album was released, check it out, if nothing else it is a fascinating curiosity piece in the Megadeth canon and the full stop between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Megadeth.

Works Cited:

Joe Layden with Dave Mustaine, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memior, Harper Collins, London, 2010.