Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, both are names that are commonplace in the Metal Community and for good reason as Dave has been releasing quality Metal since the Mid-Eighties and that is no easy feat considering most of the bands that Megadeth grew with conformed to more mainstream styles or broke up. Mustaine and Megadeth continue to be constant idols for new and old fans of Rock and Metal to look up to. Mustaine's most recent offering Endgame is possibly one of my favorite releases by the group in years.

Endgame kicks off with 2:25 of Mustaine and Co. ripping up some amazing riffs as the first track 'Dialectic Chaos' is Instrumental and a great start to an amazing album. Mustaine's trademark quality soloing hasn't lost any of it potency and you can tell right from this short track that this album will be one to enjoy for quite some time. The instrumental leads into 'This Day We Fight!', a very upbeat track with to-the-point lyrics and some impressive soloing.

'44 Minutes' starts out with some tranquil leads and the eerie recordings of 911 tapes. This would be one of the tracks where Dave gives us something to think about as the lyrics discuss the general violence in the world today and more particularly tells the story of being amidst a fire fight. '1,320' is a romp of riffing, bombastic drumming and roaring leads that towards the end erupts into one of the best solo's on the album.

Four tracks into the album and I find myself still extremely intrigued as to what will come next. Something that I honestly haven't felt for a Megadeth album in some time. I would not consider the album groundbreaking by this point, however I would say it ranks up there with some of Mustaine's best works such as Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, Rust in Peace and my personal favorite Youthanasia. So far Dave has tackled the most prominent problem in our world today violence and has done it with style rather then preaching.

Later in the album we get what I can only describe as a modern classic and the title track 'Endgame'. Easily a massive stand out track on the album with a barrage of pummeling aggressive riffs, epic solo's and one of the catchiest chorus' on the album. This track alone is sure to be aired all over Metal radio for some time to come and is a personal favorite. As a contrast Dave then slows things down with the tranquil 'The Hardest Part of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss' that halfway through twists into a mid pace ballad and ends with the same melodic opening.

My favorite track on the album 'Head Crusher' erupts with a barrage of soloing and Thrashy riffs. I think I enjoyed the simplicity of the lyrics that took a back seat to the roaring fast paced Thrash riffs. Towards the end of the track comes a classic head bang riff with some nice gritty leads and the track closes just as fast paced as it opened with one of the fastest solos on the album. 'How The Story Ends' is straight forward Megadeth and yet like the previous track has some head bang worthy riffing toward the end and as with most of the album has some excellent soloing.

The album finishes with 'The Right to Go Insane' which starts out as a rather bland and ordinary Megadeth track ends with nearly two minutes of soloing and intense riffing. After all is said and done I wasn't in complete awe, nor can I honestly call this Megadeth's masterpiece however I can say this is a quality album from a musician who still sticks to the roots of the genre and most if not all Megadeth Fans will enjoy this most especialy if you are a fan of the solos as nearly every song has at least one.

A great album and sure to be on all the Best Of 2009 lists is a must for Metal fans and especially Deth Heads like myself. I hope you enjoyed the review and that it encourages you to look into Endgame and ultimately purchase the album. If so please click 'Yes' below and support a supporter of the Metal Community. Thanks for reading.

-A Loyal Megadeth Fan