Megadeth - Super Collider

Megadeth's 2013 album Super Collider finds Dave Mustaine in a reflective, melodic mood, trading some of the band's thrash velocity for hooks, groove and a little classic rock swagger.

Arriving as the band's fourteenth studio album, the record was issued through Mustaine's own Tradecraft imprint and co-produced by Mustaine with Johnny K, with sessions at Mustaine's studio in San Marcos, California. With longtime bassist David Ellefson back in the fold, it continues the band's later-era balance of technical musicianship and accessible songwriting, leaning closer to hard rock than some fans expected.

Kingmaker opens with a tightly wound riff and a vocal full of bite, while the title track opts for a mid-tempo, radio-friendly strut built around a big, chantable chorus. Dance in the Rain broods and builds toward a heavier, more dramatic finish, and the album closes with a muscular take on Thin Lizzy's Cold Sweat, a nod to the classic rock that shaped Mustaine long before thrash came calling.

For those following the later years of Megadeth, Super Collider is an intriguing, often surprising entry that shows a veteran metal band still willing to bend its sound. Turn it up and listen for the moments where the old snarl breaks through the polish.