The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is a record full of Megadeth’s urgency, powerfully pushing the fullness since the masterpiece Dystopia further. Dave Mustaine’s twisted riffs are not merely fast but always generate tension through the deft placement of beats and shifts of development. The indomitable fighting spirit of Mustaine, who overcame throat cancer, fills the whole. From the dramatic development of the opening title track “The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!” and the aggression of “Life in Hell” to the speed of “Night Stalkers” and the drama of “Soldier On!,” every song has a sharp bite, while a cut like “Dogs of Chornobyl” conveys the band’s present fullness. Its appeal is beautifully binding the band’s outstanding technique and native venom in a consistent sound, from aggressive dashing songs to melody-rich passages. Even within a long career, an inexhaustible obsession with thrash metal is strongly inscribed. Proving that, even as veterans, its aggression has not dimmed at all, it is a powerful, fulfilling thrash-metal record.