The album has reinforced the faith of die-hard fans of the group after their spell of experiments with past albums like Risk and Cryptic Writings, where the band wavered into new-fangled territory and later, with several line-up changes that produced World Needs a Hero and a heavier System has Failed.

Front man Dave Mustaine has construed the band’s 11th studio album, released through their current record label, Roadrunner Records. An entirely new line-up that blasts its way through the new album right from the word go. The album’s artwork is a precursor to the impending onslaught.

Mustaine speaks his mind about the mindless wars and terrorism and the failure of UN to prevent them and promote peace. No surprise then that the cover features Vic Rattlehead, the band’s mascot, with the United (Abomi) Nations building getting destroyed in the background. After the mellow intro in Sleepwalker, in Gears of War, Mustaine goes, “Smart bombs, precision-guided armament, a more sophisticated way to end up dead, still we search and invent such intelligent weapons that kill each other like the Gears of War”.

Joining him on this album are brothers Glenn and Shawn Drover, on guitars and drums, respectively and James Lomenzo, formerly of White Lion and Black Label Society, on bass. The trio has managed to crack a punch with Glen’s high speed solos and equally aggressive drumming to match the sneering vocals.

Although the Friedman, Ellefson and Menza years created some of the most remarkable songs in the history of the metal genre, the current lineup looks ready to take it forward and blitzkrieg the metal scene once again. The chemistry between the band members is obvious with Mustaine and Shawn trading licks at the blink of an eye, propelled by the drums and bass.

United Abominations also features a heavier version of A Tout Le Monde from their album Youthanasia and a few riffs and guitar solos which reminiscence some of their old songs. It’s being hailed as a continuation of Megadeth’s return to its heavier and trashier roots, and rightly so.