The System Has Failed is the tenth studio album by the American thrash/heavy metal band, Megadeth. The album lasts a duration of 48:24. It was released on September 14, 2004 by Sanctuary Records.

Lineup:

Dave Mustaine – lead and rhythm guitars, lead vocals

Session Musicians:

Chris Poland – lead guitar on all tracks except "I Know Jack", "Truth Be Told" and "The Scorpion"

Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass

Vinnie Colaiuta – drums

Additional Performers:

Tim Akers – keyboards

Darien Bennett – voice of the General on "Blackmail the Universe"

Eric Darken – percussion

Michael Davis – sound effects

Lance Dean – additional vocals

Scott Harrison – additional vocals

Charlie Judge – keyboards

Celeste Amber Montague – voice of the Reporter on "Blackmail the Universe"

Justis Mustaine – background spoken part

Ralph Patlan – voice of the Politician on "Blackmail the Universe", additional vocals

Chris Rodriguez – background vocals

Robert Venable – additional vocals

Jonathan Yudkin – strings, banjo

Production:

Produced and recorded by Jeff Balding and Dave Mustaine

Mixed by Jeff Balding

Assisted by David Bryant, Ralph Patlan, Scott Kidd, Jesse Amend, Lance Dean, and Jed Hackett

Additional recording by David Bryant, Jed Hackett, and John Saylor

Mastered by Adam Ayan

Digital editing by Mark Hagen and Jed Hackett

Production coordination by Mike "Frog" Griffith

Cover art by Mike Learn, based on a concept by Dave Mustaine

Design by t42design

Background:

In 2002, lead singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine announced that he was disbanding Megadeth due to an arm injury that had caused him to be unable to play guitar. In a statement published on April 3, 2002, Mustaine stated that doctors expected that it would take about a year before he would recover from the injury. However, the doctors were uncertain if he would ever be able to play guitar again. He did make a full recovery thanks to months of physical therapy.

Originally intended to be a solo album by Mustaine, The System Has Failed was re-branded with the Megadeth name as a result of contractual obligations owed to Mustaine's publishing company. Mustaine contacted bassist and founding member David Ellefson about resuming bass guitar duties for the band, but Ellefson claimed that Mustaine was not financially willing to pick up "where it was when [the band] broke up" and did not return to Megadeth. As a result, this is the lone album that has Mustaine as the sole member of Megadeth.

Mustaine stated that recording the album had been "liberating", due to having more control over the record than he had had since the first two Megadeth records. This resulted in a record that was easily Megadeth's most thrash heavy record since Rust in Peace. The music is definitely a major improvement over the last few Megadeth records and represents a return to form for the band. The album's cover reminds me of Megadeth's early covers and is my favorite album cover in their entire catalog.

The System Has Failed debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200. The album sold 171,000 copies in the United States within a year of its release. Each track will be rated as follows: Awful, Very Poor, Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Good, Great, and Superb. Here are my thoughts on each track:

Track Listing:

1. "Blackmail the Universe" 4:33

Dave Mustaine brings back the thrash sound with this song. It has amazing guitar riffs, great lyrics, and terrific pacing. The guitar soloing reminds me of Megadeth in their prime years and the entire song brings back the sound that made this band great. The dual guitars of Mustaine and Poland are basically perfect.

Grade: Great

2. "Die Dead Enough" 4:18

Now comes my favorite song on the album. This is possibly my favorite chorus that Megadeth has ever done. It is so catchy and easy to sing along to. The guitar work as a whole is fantastic as well during this track. The guitar riffing shows Megadeth at their finest. The soling is also extremely impressive thanks to the duel soling from Mustaine and Poland.

Grade: Superb

3. "Kick the Chair" 3:57

Here is the most thrash heavy track from the entire album. The riffs are blisteringly fast and extremely catchy to go along with one of those signature Megadeth choruses. The verses are fast and constantly keep me satisfied with fantastic guitar riffs and aggressive vocals from Dave. The guitar soloing is top notch as per usual for this band. This is one of the band's thrash metal masterpieces.

Grade: Superb

4. "The Scorpion" 5:59

This is another Megadeth classic. It begins with some really eerie sounding guitar riffs that really build atmosphere that lead up into some fantastic guitar riffs that are as catchy as any from the album. The guitar soloing that occurs throughout the track is an excellent touch that makes this song that much better. The chorus is one of the best from the entire album thanks to its catchy lyrics.

Grade: Superb

5. "Tears in a Vial" 5:21

This album just continues to impress. The guitar riffs and the upbeat nature of this entire song are fantastic. The guitar soloing is fantastic thanks to the dual style that made this band great in the first place. The chorus is powerful and memorable. Overall, this is another standout track.

Grade: Great

6. "I Know Jack" 0:40

This is a short guitar interlude that works well and sounds fantastic.

Grade: Not Graded

7. "Back in the Day" 3:27

I love the guitar intro to this track. The song is fast, upbeat, and extremely catchy. The guitar riffs are really good during this song because of their speed and heaviness. This song really reminds me of early Megadeth, but with way better production and a more refined sound.

Grade: Great

8. "Something That I'm Not" 5:07

This album just does not take its foot off the gas. The lyrics to this song are directed at Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. It basically talks about how Lars as compromised his own style of playing just for the fame. I love how personal the song is and how great the pacing of the entire track is. The guitar riffs and solos are fantastic as well.

Grade: Great

9. "Truth Be Told" 5:40

I love the opening of the track because of how emotional Mustaine's vocals sound. The chorus is another standout from this album. I love the backing vocals and the guitar riffs during this section. The guitar soloing sounds like vintage megadeth and continues the trend of amazing guitar work on this album. The song all of the sudden changes its pacing completely right after the guitar solo to a very speedy and thrash oriented sound. This closing change in tempo makes this song even better.

Grade: Great

10. "Of Mice and Men" 4:04

Here is definitely a track that is made for radio. It works so well though. The lyrics are great and the entire pacing of the song is fantastic. I love the chorus and Dave's vocals throughout the entire track. The guitar soloing is absolutely stellar. This track is mainstream and reminds me of the album Cryptic Writings.

Grade: Great

11. "Shadow of Deth" (lyrics: Psalm 23, credited to David) 2:15

This song is definitely a filler track, but I think it's not a complete waste. It is a bit awkward, but it does have a uniqueness to it. The guitar work at the end is pretty stellar and epic in nature, but it really is filler.

Grade: Average

12. "My Kingdom" 3:03

"My Kingdom" sounds like a song that would fit well on an early Megadeth album. The guitar work is phenomenal and that is what makes the song good. The soloing is unique and pretty wild. The riffs are mid paced and really add to the dark sound of the entire track. It still is only a decent song, because of how incomplete the track feels when it ends.

Grade: Above Average

My Verdict:

The System Has Failed is an excellent return to form for Megadeth. It has many memorable tracks with excellent lyrics and guitar work. Dave Mustaine has never sounded this good vocally on any record before this one. The record is not only thrash metal oriented, but still maintains the catchy choruses of their hard rock and heavy metal period on records such as Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia. The System Has Failed is a great album that really brought Megadeth back to the top of the food chain in the world of heavy metal.

Rating: 9 / 10