The system has failed
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| Label (s) | Sanctuary Records | |||
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12 |
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running time |
48:35 51:21 (bonus version) |
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Jeff Balding, Dave Mustaine |
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The System Has Failed (English for: " The system has failed ") is the tenth studio album by the American metal band Megadeth . It was released in September 2004 by Sanctuary Records and was the first after the band split up in 2002, as well as the first without bassist Dave Ellefson . Instead of guitarist Al Pitrelli , Chris Poland had returned. Musically tending in a similar direction to Heavy Metal with slight Thrash and speed influences as its predecessor The World Needs a Hero , it mostly received better reviews.
Emergence
At the beginning of 2002, Dave Mustaine had dissolved Megadeth because he was initially unable to play the guitar due to an injured nerve in his left arm. When this was possible again in 2004 - with restrictions - he recorded ideas for a planned solo album in his private studio with sound engineer Len Steen, who was also working on the remixes of earlier albums in the same year. Then he decided, however, to bring the record out as a Megadeth album. The System Has Failed was recorded in Nashville , Tennessee , along with Cryptic Writings and Risk . The producer was Jeff Balding, who had already worked as a sound engineer on the two previous albums. The experienced studio musician Vinnie Colaiuta was hired as the drummer . Former drummer Nick Menza returned briefly after the recordings . Guitarist Chris Poland was only hired for the album, not for the following tour.
content
In terms of text, Mustaine “made the content darker again”, since the world was “not a beautiful place at the moment”. The title refers, among other things, to the failure of state systems. Here Mustaine criticized both the American and Western European governments. Back in the Day is influenced by Iron Maiden . Blackmail the Universe quotes the film Thirteen Days , which is about the Cuban Missile Crisis. The pieces Die Dead Enough and Of Mice and Men were released as singles, for which there were also videos.
Track list
- Blackmail the Universe - 4:33
- The Dead Enough - 4:18
- Kick the Chair - 3:57
- The Scorpion - 5:59
- Tears in a Vial - 5:22
- I Know Jack - 0:40
- Back in the Day - 3:28
- Something That I'm Not - 5:07
- Truth Be Told - 5:40
- Of Mice and Men - 4:05
- Shadow of Deth - 2:15
- My Kingdom - 3:04
All pieces were written by Dave Mustaine, only Shadow of Deth , according to the booklet, is based on Psalm 23 , which is ascribed to the biblical King David . The background is that Dave Mustaine became a born again Christian at the time of his arm injury . There was a bonus version for the chain Best Buy , which included the cover piece Strange Ways (2:47) by Ace Frehley .
reception
Rock Hard publisher Stratmann described The System Has Failed as "the best Megadeth record in a long, long time". The guitars in particular sound “rampant, virtuoso and perfectly coordinated with one another.” Eight and a half out of ten points were awarded. Jason Birch Meier of allmusic .com spoke of a "return to glory" days gone by. It is a "late masterpiece" that Metallica had strived for in vain up to this point. Birchmeier rated it four out of five stars.
Web links
- The System Has Failed at Allmusic (English)
- The System Has Failed on MusicBrainz