Megadeth--The World Needs a Hero

Megadeth--The World Needs a Hero (2001/Sanctuary) Rating--7.7

Ok. This disc is heavier in parts than the band's last couple of releases. And at times it sounds a bit like 'Countdown to Extinction'. But for the most part, this is a similar distortion/songwriting feel as the late '90s releases. As usual, the "This one's gonna be as heavy as "Rust in Peace!!" BS is just that-- BS. The next 'Rust in Peace'? No way, shape, or form. Not even the next 'Countdown'.
A large number of tracks have good parts, but few come together to form a whole, unfortunately. Opener "Disconnect" has some strong notes, the smooth, snaking chorus of the title track is good, and "Moto Psycho" has a riffy pace.
Once "Recipe For Hate" finally kicks in it's not half bad, but the intro? Yawn. The same can be said for "When". After a freakin' four minute spoken, lethargic prelude, it finally gives way to a nice rhythm. Too bad that rhythm is taken directly from "Am I Evil"... ahem.
"1000 Times Goodbye" has some catchy riffs and music, but is an awful song lyrically. The top spot is the Greatest Hits rip-fest "Dread and the Fugitive Mind". Not really a good sign when your CD's best track has been released already, huh?
Oh wait, I forgot about "Return to Hangar". Ahh yes. "Return to Hangar". How many of you bought this CD just because you heard about that song, and the possible implications it held? Recording that track was a marketing ploy, and it's a lame three minutes compared to the original masterpiece.
Say what you will, but Megadeth continues to dissapoint, and have been doing so for almost a decade now. Yes, this album has some of the band's heavier moments in a long while-- that in-and-of itself is an improvement. But it's just a shame that the metal bands of today that have an audience--those that have the medium to reach the masses--don't put out music anymore that is up to their abilities. Meanwhile, far superior metal releases go largely unnoticed...
TRACK LIST: Disconnect/The World Needs a Hero/Moto Psycho/1000 Times Goodbye/Burning Bridges/Promises/Recipe For Hate... Warhorse/Losing My Senses/ Dread and the Fugitive Mind/Silent Scorn/Return to Hangar/When

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