ALBUM REVIEW: Warheads On Foreheads – Megadeth

A band that needs little introduction, MEGADETH are one of heavy metal’s biggest and most successful properties. A member of the Big Four and spear-heading the development of thrash metal, Dave Mustaine‘s endeavours post his departure from METALLICA has spawned 35 years of thrashing mayhem. To celebrate such a milestone comes Warheads on Foreheads, an extensive compilation album celebrating the band’s past 35 years, hand picked by Mustaine himself.

What we have here is an expansive collection of material from the band’s career. Everything from their raging debut, 1985’s Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!, all the way through to their latest album, 2016’s Dystopia, features here and that’s this record’s biggest selling point. For those who may be unfamiliar with MEGADETH, this compilation serves as a perfect gateway into some of the finest heavy metal songs ever written.

Musically, the record does exactly what you’d expect. Across the three disc set, every era of the band’s path is covered to thrashtastically good results. Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! still brings a whole neck-snapping amount of fun, the shredding solos of Tornado of Souls still sends shivers down the spine and Symphony of Destruction remains to be an utter earworm 27 years after its release. Newer material from the band’s more recent endeavours is also a welcome touch, a reminder of some of the sheer quality the band unleashed. Head Crusher still stands as one of the finest MEGADETH songs released in the modern era of the band whilst a healthy dose of four songs from Dystopia (The Threat Is Real, Poisonous Shadows, Death From Within and the title track) bodes a nice touch, reminding those who may have forgotten about the album to give it a revisit.

Aside from the 35 track listing, which ties in nicely with the whole 35 year celebrations, there is not much of an incentive for those looking for more than a compilation album to dive in here. There’s no inclusion of rare demo material and the fact that a whole host of the tracks on offer here are the remastered versions as opposed to their original recordings maybe somewhat disappointing for those who have followed MEGADETH since the beginning.

Regardless of this, Warheads on Foreheads does exactly what you’d expect and that is a celebration of one of the finest bands to grace heavy metal. For those unfamiliar with MEGADETH and shudder at the thought of working through their extensive discography, this stands as a perfect gateway into the band, whilst die-hard fans will find plenty of joy in re-discovering some hidden gems.

Rating: 7/10

Warheads on Foreheads is out now via UMC.

Like MEGADETH on Facebook.