Megadeth - United Abominations

United Abominations is Megadeth with the gloves off, a furious 2007 record that pointed Dave Mustaine's guitar straight at the world's power brokers.

After years of lineup turmoil, Mustaine had a fresh crew around him, with Glen Drover on lead guitar, his brother Shawn Drover on drums and James LoMenzo on bass. The album marked the band's move to Roadrunner, and it sounded like a deliberate return to the sharp, speedy thrash that made their name. Lyrically, Mustaine took aim at politics and global institutions with the sneering wit fans had missed.

"Sleepwalker" kicks the door in with a scything riff and a breathless tempo, while "Washington Is Next!" builds a menacing gallop into one of the band's best late-era anthems. The title track bites hard at the United Nations, and the reworked "À Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)" turns the Youthanasia favorite into a duet with Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia.

Solos fly thick and fast throughout, with Mustaine and Drover trading lines that recall the band's most technical era.

For metal fans who felt Megadeth had drifted, this record was a loud, welcome answer. It stands among the strongest of the band's later albums, packed with riffs, and a reminder that Mustaine works best when he has something to rail against.