The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!
Studio album by
Megadeth
ReleasedSeptember 2, 2022
RecordedMay 2019[1] – 2021
GenreThrash metal[2]
Length55:10
Label
Producer
Megadeth chronology
Dystopia
(2016) 		The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!
(2022)
Singles from The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!
  1. "We'll Be Back"
    Released: June 23, 2022
  2. "Night Stalkers"
    Released: July 22, 2022
  3. "Soldier On!"
    Released: August 12, 2022
  4. "The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!"
    Released: September 2, 2022
  5. "Life in Hell"
    Released: October 20, 2022
  6. "Killing Time"
    Released: December 16, 2022

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is the sixteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 2, 2022, on frontman Dave Mustaine's Tradecraft label via Universal.[2] It is the first Megadeth album to feature drummer Dirk Verbeuren, their last album with guitarist Kiko Loureiro, and their first studio album in six years since Dystopia (2016), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in the band's career. The album was produced by Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw.[1]

Work on The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! began in 2019, but faced a number of delays due to Mustaine being diagnosed with throat cancer the same year along with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2021, longtime bassist David Ellefson was dismissed from Megadeth due to sexual misconduct allegations. His bass parts were removed from the album and were re-recorded by Testament bassist Steve Di Giorgio, while former bassist James LoMenzo rejoined the band following the album's completion.

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! received largely positive reviews, with critics saying the album continued the trajectory set by Dystopia. It debuted at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 with 48,000 units and is Megadeth's highest-charting album around the rest of the world, reaching No. 1 in Finland, No. 2 in Australia, Poland, Switzerland and Scotland, and No. 3 in the UK, among others.[3] The lead single "We'll Be Back" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and production

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! took more than two years to materialize, with the recording sessions taking place between May 2019[1] and towards the end of 2021, the longest time Megadeth has taken to record an album up to this point. The album's release had been delayed several times. It was originally intended to be released in 2019, before its ultimate release in September 2022.

On May 10, 2019, Megadeth entered the studio in Franklin, Tennessee with co-producer Chris Rakestraw to begin pre-production of the album.[4] In June, the band announced the cancellation of then-upcoming shows, as Mustaine had been diagnosed with throat cancer;[5] Despite Mustaine's illness, the band vowed to continue working on the album.[6] On November 6, 2018, Mustaine shared a video on Twitter teasing a track from the album,[7] which at the time, was originally set for release in the next year.[8]

The band re-entered the studio in Nashville in mid-2020 to resume recording their new album, by now tentatively planned for release in 2021.[9][10][11] While hosting a Masterclass "Front Row Live" for fans via Zoom on January 9, 2021, Mustaine announced the album's title as The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, but indicated that the title might be subject to change.[12]

Originally scheduled for release in early 2022, the album's release was delayed for several months due to issues with vinyl printing and distribution.[13][14] It was eventually released in September 2022.[15][16]

Dismissal of Ellefson

On May 10, 2021, sexually explicit videos of bassist David Ellefson were posted on Twitter. The videos were reportedly recorded by a fan with whom Ellefson was in correspondence. Initially accusations of child grooming were raised against Ellefson, although both parties denied this. The fan publicly claimed she was a consenting adult. Ellefson subsequently contacted the authorities to seek charges for revenge porn against the party responsible for leaking the videos and presented the police with evidence related to the allegations.[17] An official statement released the next day from Megadeth stated that the situation was being "watched closely".[18] On May 24, Megadeth released a statement announcing Ellefson was out of the band, saying the scandal had strained their relationship and made "working together impossible moving forward."[19] His already-recorded bass parts were subsequently removed from the album and rerecorded by Steve Di Giorgio of Testament. Former bassist James LoMenzo, who Ellefson replaced in 2010, rejoined Megadeth on a touring capacity in August before becoming an official member in May 2022.

Songs

"Night Stalkers" features rapper Ice-T on vocals, and "is about the 160th Battalion with the U.S. Army, and it's all the black-ops helicopters that go in at night."[20] "Killing Time" focuses on a former girlfriend of Mustaine's.[15] The first clip released from the album (which was released on Cameo) was titled "Life in Hell".[21]

According to Mustaine, "Dogs of Chernobyl" is not about the war in Ukraine, but "is a love song". Prior to the album's production, Mustaine had been diagnosed with throat cancer. He revealed that his treating radiologist contributed "a couple of phrases and some information about the radiation poisoning when everyone got sick at Chernobyl" to the song's lyrics.[22]

Two cover songs are featured on various editions of the album. Sammy Hagar features on a cover of his solo song, "This Planet's on Fire". "Police Truck" is a heavier cover of the Dead Kennedys song.[14]

Release

The website sickdyingdead.com was launched on June 20, 2022, to promote the album.[23]

As of December 2022, six singles have been released from the album. The first, "We'll Be Back", was released via streaming services on June 23,[24] with "Night Stalkers" following on July 22.[25]

The third single to be released was "Soldier On!" on August 12.[26] The title track was released as a single on September 2, the same day as the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[27]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[28]
Blabbermouth.net[29]
BraveWords[30]
Kerrang![31]
Metal Hammer[32]
PopMatters7/10[33]
Record Collector[34]
Sonic Perspectives9.1/10[35]
Sputnikmusic[36]
Wall of Sound8.5/10[37]

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! has received favorable reviews and holds a Metacritic rating of 78/100. Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net rated the album 9 out of 10 and wrote, "That means that Dave Mustaine is well aware of how lethal Megadeth are, circa 2022. This is easily the band's best album since Endgame... possibly even Countdown To Extinction. The cantankerous old devil is back in blistering top form and making music that will remind you exactly why we love the cantankerous old devil in the first place."[29]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Dave Mustaine, except "Dogs of Chernobyl" by Mustaine and Tony Cmelak.
All music written by Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro, except where noted.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!"Mustaine5:04
2."Life in Hell"
4:12
3."Night Stalkers" (featuring Ice-T)
  • Mustaine
  • Loureiro
  • Verbeuren
6:38
4."Dogs of Chernobyl"Mustaine6:14
5."Sacrifice"Mustaine4:08
6."Junkie"Mustaine3:39
7."Psychopathy" 1:20
8."Killing Time" 5:13
9."Soldier On!"Mustaine4:54
10."Célebutante" 3:51
11."Mission to Mars" 5:24
12."We'll Be Back" 4:29
Total length:55:10
Digital edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Police Truck" (Dead Kennedys cover) (Japan exclusive bonus track)
2:29
14."This Planet's on Fire (Burn in Hell)" (Sammy Hagar cover, featuring Sammy Hagar)Sammy Hagar5:04
Total length:62:39
EMP exclusive CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."This Planet's on Fire" (studio recording; Sammy Hagar cover, featuring Sammy Hagar)Hagar5:04
14."The Conjuring" (live; mislabeled as "Dystopia" on the album track listing)Mustaine5:49
Total length:66:02
Target exclusive CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."This Planet's on Fire (Burn in Hell)" (Sammy Hagar cover, featuring Sammy Hagar)Hagar5:04
14."The Conjuring" (live; mislabeled as "Dystopia" on the album track listing)Mustaine5:49
Total length:66:02

Personnel

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b c "Megadeth Enters Studio For New Album Pre-Production". Blabbermouth.net. May 19, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Kory Grow (June 23, 2022). "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Talks Upcoming Album, 'The Sick, the Dying … and the Dead!'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Megadeth's Dirk Verbeuren: 'The Metal Scene Is Really In A Good Place'". Blabbermouth.net. July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Megadeth Enters Studio For New Album Pre-Production". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  5. ^ "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Diagnosed With Throat Cancer". Kerrang!. June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  6. ^ House of Hair (June 28, 2019). "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine Vows To Beat Cancer". houseofhaironline.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  7. ^ "Dave Mustaine Teases Heavy + Fast New Megadeth Song – Listen". Loudwire. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Megadeth share rehearsal footage from new album sessions". Metal Hammer. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  9. ^ "David Ellefson Will Travel To Nashville This Week To Begin Recording New Megadeth Album". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dave Mustaine Says New Megadeth Album Is 'Coming Along Great'". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "Why Megadeth Decided Against Recording New Album Remotely". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  12. ^ "Dave Mustane Reveals Title For New Megadeth Album". Metal Addicts. January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Roche, Sam (January 28, 2022). "Dave Mustaine says Megadeth's new album, The Sick, the Dying and the Dead, has been pushed back to the summer". Guitar World. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Maxwell, Jackson (March 31, 2022). "Home News Dave Mustaine reveals bassist on new Megadeth album – and surprise Sammy Hagar, Ice-T guest appearances". Guitar World. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Megadeth's New Single To Arrive Next Week; 'The Sick, The Dying And The Dead' Album Now Due In September". Blabbermouth.net. June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Joe DiVita (June 21, 2022). "Megadeth's Album Tease Continues With New Website + Music Clip". Loudwire. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Grow, Kory (June 7, 2021). "David Ellefson: Ex-Megadeth Bassist Details Revenge-Porn Case in Police Report". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  18. ^ "Megadeth Comments On Leak Of 'Embarrassing' David Ellefson Videos: 'We Are Watching Developments Closely'". Blabbermouth. May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  19. ^ Moreau, Jordan (May 24, 2021). "Megadeth Fires Bassist David Ellefson After Sexual Misconduct Allegations". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  20. ^ Ng, Scott (April 2022). "Dave Mustaine Reveals Testament's Steve DiGiorgio and Ice-T Are on Megadeth's New Album". Guitar.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  21. ^ Joe DiVita (December 27, 2021). "Dave Mustaine Shares Clip of New Megadeth Song 'Life in Hell'". Loudwire. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  22. ^ "Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine 'predicted real-life events'". Music News. July 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "Megadeth Launches Dedicated Web Site For Upcoming Album, 'The Sick, The Dying And The Dead'". Blabbermouth.net. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  24. ^ "Megadeth Announces 'The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!' Album, Shares 'We'll Be Back' Single". Blabbermouth.net. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  25. ^ "Megadeth join forces with Ice-T for pummeling new single, Night Stalkers". Guitar World. July 22, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  26. ^ "Megadeth Unleash New Single 'Soldier On'". Ultimate Classic Rock. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  27. ^ "The Sick, the Dying...and the Dead by Megadeth". Metacritic. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  28. ^ Thomas, Fred (September 2, 2022). "Megadeth – The Sick, the Dying...and the Dead". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Lawson, Dom (August 31, 2022). "Megadeth The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  30. ^ Balazs, Nick. "Megadeth – The Sick, the Dying...and the Dead!". BraveWords. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  31. ^ Ruskell, Nick (September 1, 2022). "Album review: Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!". Kerrang!. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  32. ^ Daly, Joe (August 30, 2022). "Megadeth's The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!: what doesn't kill Dave Mustaine only makes him stronger". MetalHammer. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  33. ^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (September 27, 2022). "Megadeth: The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (Album Review)". PopMatters. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  34. ^ "New Albums". Record Collector: 103. September 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  35. ^ "Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! (Album Review)". Sonic Perspectives. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  36. ^ Alves, Fernando (September 1, 2022). "Review: Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  37. ^ "Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. August 31, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  38. ^ "Dave Mustaine On David Ellefson: 'The Guy That I Know And Love Was A Different Person'". Blabbermouth.net. August 31, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  39. ^ "Megadeth's Kiko Loureiro – Working With Dave Mustaine, Nerves Before First Gig + More". Retrieved August 24, 2022 – via YouTube.
  40. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  41. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  42. ^ "Ultratop.be – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  43. ^ "Ultratop.be – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  44. ^ "Megadeth Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  45. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 36.Týden 2022 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 2022.
  46. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Vinyl Top-40 Uge 36, 2022". Hitlisten. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  47. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  48. ^ "Albumit 36/2022" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  49. ^ "Lescharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  50. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Megadeth – The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  51. ^ "IFPI Charts". ifpi.gr. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  52. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2022. 36. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  53. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  54. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  55. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-09-12" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  56. ^ "Weekly Digital Albums Chart: September 12, 2022" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  57. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/09/07 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  58. ^ "Charts.nz – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  59. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  60. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  61. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  62. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  63. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  64. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick the Dying... and the Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  65. ^ "Veckolista Hårdrock, vecka 36" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  66. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying, and... The Dead!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  67. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  68. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  69. ^ "Megadeth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  70. ^ "Megadeth Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  71. ^ "Megadeth Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  72. ^ "Megadeth Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  73. ^ "Megadeth Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  74. ^ "YEAR-END CHARTS: Top Album Sales (2022)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
Categories