Super Collider
by Megadeth
  • Record Label: UMD
  • Release Date: Jun 4, 2013
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 70
  3. Negative: 20 out of 70
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  1. Dekielek112
    Sep 3, 2022
    3
    Oh, my goodness. I tried listening to this album and convincing myself to it, but it's nearly impossible. The album is supported with three actually good songs, while the rest of them is either boring or terrible pop-rock that the band again experimented with. That's really sad, because two of my favourite songs on the album ("Dance in the Rain" and "Kingmaker") were sandwiched in theOh, my goodness. I tried listening to this album and convincing myself to it, but it's nearly impossible. The album is supported with three actually good songs, while the rest of them is either boring or terrible pop-rock that the band again experimented with. That's really sad, because two of my favourite songs on the album ("Dance in the Rain" and "Kingmaker") were sandwiched in the record to sound it more thrashier, but honestly if they were placed on "Dystopia", they'd work perfectly.… Expand
  2. imthenoob
    Mar 23, 2019
    4
    The only standout song, at least IMO, is Kingmaker. Everything else lacks the Megadeth sound we all know and love. It's almost like listening to Risk again. I appreciate trying new things but it just doesn't work for Megadeth.
  3. stgrunu
    Apr 11, 2018
    5
    The most meh album released by Megadeth but it's still not the worst album by them. I don't mind radio rock but the mid-tempo blandness gets boring after like 3 songs.
  4. DudeUnknown
    Mar 16, 2017
    6
    It was bad, but not THAT bad. Other than the title track, the songs were generally fine (although Burn! was only deemed "fine" because the intro was good). The lyrics were terrible, but the riffs were still good and most of the songs sounded decent if you don't know the lyrics. Megadeth's worst album, probably, but not awful.
  5. Pitovnikov
    Nov 19, 2016
    6
    This is a nice album if you forgot about existing of other Megadeth albums. Definitely it's a worst Megadeth album but still it's worth listening to it. Dance in the Rain, Kingmaker, Forget to Remember, Don't Turn Your Back... are really good songs. The cover of Thin Lizzy classic Cold Sweat is on point too.
  6. Danm95VFF
    Mar 26, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Super Collider is not all that bad. It's an album that sees the band trying something a little different, and they should be praised for that. This album may have flaws here and there but some people are going way overboard with the negativity. People ask "why couldn't they just write another Endgame or Thirteen?" because, well, some bands just don't like writing the same album over and over again! And this includes Megadeth, and that should be appreciated, because, if they did write the same album it would be boring for them, and as a result, boring for us. We'd soon be picking up on the band's lack of passion.

    One thing that plays a big part in the change of sound for me is the down tuned guitars. The reason for this is to support Dave Mustaine's ageing voice; the guy had been struggling to hit the high notes he could hit more easily before. But, as with all singers, voices deepen as they age, so it's no surprise, and it's no reason to criticise.

    Let's run through a few tracks, shall we? Kingmaker is the opening track and one of the most thrashing tracks on an album that generally deviates from thrash for the most part. So, as you may have guessed, it's one of the more pleasing tracks for those hardcore thrash purists ripping apart the rest of the album. However, it is a strong track and a good way to open the album. "Super Collider" the title track and the lead single, was more of a concern for fans with its slower tempo and melody. I will say I wasn't too sure what to think at first, but the song did end up growing on me. The major thing for me was Dave's voice, which I felt sounded too gritty for such a melodic song, but I'm used to it now.

    Fast-forwarding quite a bit, Dance in the Rain, for the most part, is a dark, slow song, which eventually becomes faster and more upbeat, and guess who sings this part of the song? None other than David Draiman. His voice sounds great, but I would have preferred it to be a little louder in the mix. Beginning of Sorrow carries a sinister sound, and on the chorus, a sinister sounding Mustaine when he sings the song title! The final ORIGINAL song is "Don't Turn Your Back..." and my favourite part of the song is actually the memorable chorus. Again, it's melodic, but it works well. The album closes with a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat". it's a solid cover but I don't really listen to it much. It would have been nice for the album to end with another original. The band hasn't put a song cover on an album's base tracklist since 1988's "So Far, So Good...So What?"

    The major experiments in sound can be found in the opening of a number of the songs. For example, the fiddle on "The Blackest Crow". The album has some rather impressive moments, others standard Megadeth moments and a few moments maybe a little below average. But I still stand by my view that it's nowhere near as bad as some people say. If you're a Megadeth fan it's certainly worth picking this up.    … Expand
  7. Intension
    Apr 19, 2015
    9
    Don't let the low ratings fool you, this is a solid rock album that is quite nice to listen to from time to time. In fact it disgusts me just how low it is one this site just because it doesn't sound like a generic sounding 80's album.
  8. Shady313
    Mar 22, 2015
    6
    6/10 .................................................................................................................................................
  9. MegatronNM156
    Nov 20, 2014
    3
    I have to say this album was a massive disappointment for me after the magnificent Endgame. The album just doesn't seem to get going at all and nothing stands out. Mediocre riffs and solos and the less said about Burn! the better, a truly awful song. It comes to something when one of the better tracks on the album is the cover of Thin Lizzy's Cold Sweat. Here's hoping for a return to formI have to say this album was a massive disappointment for me after the magnificent Endgame. The album just doesn't seem to get going at all and nothing stands out. Mediocre riffs and solos and the less said about Burn! the better, a truly awful song. It comes to something when one of the better tracks on the album is the cover of Thin Lizzy's Cold Sweat. Here's hoping for a return to form from Mustaine and co on the next album.… Collapse
  10. KAOS661
    Sep 2, 2014
    4
    Such an uninspired album. It was really lacking creativity. A huge letdown for me considering that Megadeth's previous albums were actually decent. "Super Collider" is one of the worst (Risk) Megadeth albums if not the worst one.
  11. Vitoner
    Aug 2, 2014
    5
    Risk was one of the worst Megadeth albums, but at least it had a soul. It was written with something in mind.
    Super Collider sounds like a lackluster mess of pop-oriented songs mixed with more heavy oriented stuff. It has few good episodes (Kingmaker, Dance In The Rain), but they are not enough to hold the whole record on their back. Also, the song structure is very repetitive and the    Risk was one of the worst Megadeth albums, but at least it had a soul. It was written with something in mind.
    Super Collider sounds like a lackluster mess of pop-oriented songs mixed with more heavy oriented stuff. It has few good episodes (Kingmaker, Dance In The Rain), but they are not enough to hold the whole record on their back. Also, the song structure is very repetitive and the lyrics are somewhat preachy.
    After such good works like United Abominations, Endgame and in a lesser way even Thirteen, Super Collider is an utter disappointment. It's not metal, it's not hard rock, it's not pop... it's a mess.    … Expand
  12. holierthanpope
    Mar 22, 2014
    9
    I had the pleasure twice. The album is a joy long forgotten.
    The lyrics are quite personal and sad, pessimistic,I'd say.
    Some lines are pretty stupid for the sake of "anthemness".I can live with that. Smart arrangements,but... no,musically this ain't Megadeth anymore, even with all those hook choruses in place. There are no syncopated rythms,minimum of killing soloing, pretty    I had the pleasure twice. The album is a joy long forgotten.
    The lyrics are quite personal and sad, pessimistic,I'd say.
    Some lines are pretty stupid for the sake of "anthemness".I can live with that.
    Smart arrangements,but... no,musically this ain't Megadeth anymore,
    even with all those hook choruses in place.
    There are no syncopated rythms,minimum of killing soloing, pretty mid-tempo, riffing is rare, and actually it appears as if the once cohesive signature sound has split into all the cool bands that ever influenced the guys-Pantera,for instance,or Led Zeppelin, courtesy of whose "In the light" now we have the title track of Super Collider.Vocally Dave often resembles Alice Cooper here.Modern Alice-even musically.
    So it is only natural that the album is closed by a Thin Lizzy cover. Thanks guys!!!    … Expand
  13. masdecibeles
    Oct 21, 2013
    9
    Super Collider is a very mature work from Mustaine & Co. Of course this is not a record for headbanging but it has very powerful songs. In my opinion the best work of Megadeth in years.
  14. Mab_987
    Sep 27, 2013
    5
    One thing I try hard not to do when I'm reviewing an album is let the general consensus affect my own. And between the dismal critic average & the fact that it's basically this year's butt of the joke in the metal community, that was kinda hard to do for this. Of course this reception all started when the title track from this album dropped. Between the slick production, simplistic chordOne thing I try hard not to do when I'm reviewing an album is let the general consensus affect my own. And between the dismal critic average & the fact that it's basically this year's butt of the joke in the metal community, that was kinda hard to do for this. Of course this reception all started when the title track from this album dropped. Between the slick production, simplistic chord structure & overall poppiness, it was pretty easy to tell why people expecting another Rust in Peace wouldn't be a fan of this track. Personally, while the lyrics are kinda stupid & the vocal effects in the verses aren't exactly necessary, I found it hard to not enjoy this song mostly because of how insanely catchy it is. Call it a guilty pleasure I guess. As for the album, I don't think it's the worst thing since AIDS like seemingly everyone else does, but there are definitely some major problems. Sure there are some undeniable glaring flaws, but there's at least enough redeemable elements here & there to make it not a total waste of time.

    Right off the bat my expectations shot to the ceiling with “Kingmaker”. Between the pummeling thrash metal riffs & poignant social commentary-based lyrics about hedonism & society's glorification of & dependence on drugs, all while staying melodically memorable, it's everything that you could wish for in a 2013 Megadeth song. In fact the song was so good that throughout the rest of the first listen I thought it was a decent enough album. Then I began to listen closely to the lyrics & my opinion started plummeting... FAST. This has to be lyrically one of the worst metal albums I've ever heard. The various lyrical approaches taken on this album are met with mixed results at say the least. It's known that Dave Mustaine has a talent for sociopolitical lyrical messages. But for every hit like “Kingmaker” or “Beginning of Sorrow”, which potently details the endless cycle of teenage pregnancy to ill-raised delinquent children (rinse & repeat), there's a big miss like “Off the Edge”, “Dance in the Rain” or bonus track “A House Divided”. These tracks are built around nothing but the most basic of social commentary cliches like “This world's gone crazy”, “cubicle hell for the middle class”, and don't go into any major point outside of “yup, this issue sure does exist” paired with vague anger. “Dance in the Rain” is the most notable of these 3, both because of the laughably bitter & paranoid spoken-word verses & the bizarrely effective David Draiman feature at the end of the song. While the lyrics are at around the same level as Mustaine's part, it's at least musically a lot more interesting, with the song picking up energy at that point to at least give what Draiman is saying some kind of passion.

    The one other track here I'll commend Mustaine for lyrically is “The Blackest Crow”, which is the story of a man dealing with the inevitable end of an infidelity-laced relationship. It's a little odd to hear coming from Mustaine but for what it's worth I think it works well. Plus the folk instrumentation, which is surprisingly well-incorporated with the heavy guitars, adds some much-needed variety to the album musically & sonically. But of course there are a lot of tracks here where I'm absolutely baffled that the lyrics went past Mustaine's rough-draft notebook. “Burn!” tries way too hard to be some angsty biker anthem & just falls flat on its face. Then there's “Don't Turn Your Back...”, which starts with a cool Latin-flavored intro solo immediately wasted by subsequent lyrics about “betrayal” that sound like they came straight out of a teenage girl's vaguely angry post-breakup Facebook statuses. But the most mind-boggling moment is the bonus track “All I Want”. Here the band devolves into in a way that, combined with Mustaine's voice, becomes unintentionally hilarious & gets into so-bad-it's-good territory. Speaking of his voice, on previous albums, though a bit polarizing, Mustaine's uniquely nasally voice gave the songs a distinct sense of wit & tongue-in-cheek snark that was one of Megadeth's most appealing traits. Whereas now on most tracks on Super Collider he basically sounds like a constipated version of Taz from Looney Tunes. He might do a serviceable job on the tracks I've highly praised, but any attempt he makes to recreate that same neurotic spoken-word edge doesn't have nearly the same impact.

    Both Mustaine & Broderick have always been great guitarists & that hasn't changed one bit, with some tracks including the two performing an epic guitar duet in the solo. And throughout there are exceptional basslines that create a nice groove that makes even the worst tracks here pleasant to hear if you don't pay attention to what's being said. Also the cover of the Thin Lizzy's “Cold Sweat” is pretty well-executed. Overall this isn't my biggest disappointment of the year so far, but it's pretty close.

    Score: 59/100    … Expand
  15. Iron_Maiden
    Aug 30, 2013
    6
    I'll be doing a track by track review here.
    Kingmaker 10/10 Great song, Very thrashy, probably a great live song
    Super Collider 8/10 People love to hate this song. I thought it was like a 6 at first, but if you listen to the 3 after it you'll like it alot more! Burn! 3/10 The only redeeming part of the song is the intro, which is a cool solo. The chorus is almost as dull as Hail to the    I'll be doing a track by track review here.
    Kingmaker 10/10 Great song, Very thrashy, probably a great live song
    Super Collider 8/10 People love to hate this song. I thought it was like a 6 at first, but if you listen to the 3 after it you'll like it alot more!
    Burn! 3/10 The only redeeming part of the song is the intro, which is a cool solo. The chorus is almost as dull as Hail to the King.
    Built for War 4/10. This song has some thrashy elements to it, too bad the lyrics are awful
    Off the Edge 5/10 Extremely unmemorable...
    Dance in the Rain 10/10 is a nice song that feels very progressive. One of my Favorite here.
    Beginning of Sorrow 9/10 Cool song with a nice bass intro, love listening to this one.
    Blackest Crow 7/10 The slide guitar is cool but the rest of the song falls flat.
    Forget to Remember 6/10 A song I could really care less about, it feels like its missing something. It could've made an excellent ballad.
    Don't turn your back 3/10 Despite being hardcore, the lyrics are soo bad!!!!
    Cold Sweat 10/10 Great Cover thats all I can really say.

    Super Collider isn't the best album ever made by Megadeth, but it isn't the worst.
    Final Rating 6.8    … Expand
  16. monthebiff
    Aug 28, 2013
    5
    Eh, it's better than I expected. Songs like "Kingmaker" and their cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" are good, even their experiment with Southern style music on "The Blackest Crow" worked to a certain to degree but songs like the title track and "Don't Turn Your Back" are among some of the worst Megadeth have ever recorded. Dave's lyrics aren't just what they used to be. Megadeth have hadEh, it's better than I expected. Songs like "Kingmaker" and their cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" are good, even their experiment with Southern style music on "The Blackest Crow" worked to a certain to degree but songs like the title track and "Don't Turn Your Back" are among some of the worst Megadeth have ever recorded. Dave's lyrics aren't just what they used to be. Megadeth have had a series of very good albums up until "Super Collider" and I feel that they will have to do a lot better next time out so as not to further alienate their fans. Not their worst album, but far from their best. Very far.… Expand
  17. Uncivil_Servant
    Jul 30, 2013
    8
    Supercollider is a strong album with obvious signs of classic influences, especially Led Zeppelin. It is not a particularly fast album when compared to some in the Megadeth catalog, but is filled with good hooks, many great riffs, and versatile musicianship which transcends genres at times. It is Megadeth and it is Metal
  18. bushydio
    Jul 24, 2013
    0
    This record makes Risk look like Rust in Peace. This should be destroyed and forgotten. This is like if Aerosmith was nuked, and they all died, and they tried to make a record after, but they were dead so it was complete The title track convinced me to slice my hand off with a machete, but I don't have a machete.
  19. Derezzination
    Jul 4, 2013
    4
    Megadeth are Thrash Metal legends, with their albums Rust in Peace and Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? and the band have also tried to take their sound in a dynamically different direction with Risk. On Super Collider the band don't present us with their trademark Thrash sound, and I was glad for that because I think that bands should develop and evolve over time, they shouldn't stick withMegadeth are Thrash Metal legends, with their albums Rust in Peace and Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? and the band have also tried to take their sound in a dynamically different direction with Risk. On Super Collider the band don't present us with their trademark Thrash sound, and I was glad for that because I think that bands should develop and evolve over time, they shouldn't stick with the same formula because it becomes boring and tiresome. Yet this is what this album suffers from, it gets lost in it's mid-tempo pace and the heavy but dull production on the guitars and bass.

    The first two songs, "Kingmaker" and "Super Collider" are the albums singles, and they are passable at best. But what is worse, is "Burn", sure the intro sounds something like Van Halen, but it slowly deteriorates. The lyrics are cheesy and the song is boring, three songs into this record and it feels really stodgy.

    "Built for War" begins with what I would expect to be an outro riff or something along those lines but instead I'm sat thinking, "Dear God, it get's worse" but it didn't. "Built for War" is one of the highlights on the album. It's actually a good song, not amazing, but it outshines the first three songs. Dave's vocals seem to suite this song, and I think that may be because it's faster and heavier, it's most like their classic work. And then there is this grand sounding rock soundtrack chorus of "War" at the end of the song, which is really different for the band, and it's these bits that chop up the dynamics that shine on Super Collider. The intro of "Dance in the Rain" would fit in on a Deftones record, that is before it kick in with trademark Mustaine lyrics, but it still changes the musical spectrum of this album. Really the album gets good from "Dance in the Rain" until "The Blackest Crow", but even these three good songs can't save the album.

    The album closes with a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat". I, personally am a Thin Lizzy fan, and they don't really do it justice, they don't kill it, you know it's "Cold Sweat" but I just don't like the heaviness of it, Dave's vocals in the verse, it feels a little cheesy.

    Overall, the album, whilst different, is poor, and I'm sad to see that it is. The first couple of listens, I actually enjoyed it, but it just seemed to get worse as I paid attention to the album, It drags on here and there, it gets boring, and at points you question your self why your exactly listening to it. However, it is listenable, it is tolerable and I have to give credit to them for trying.    … Expand
  20. bonnin40
    Jun 22, 2013
    8
    Super Collider is megadeths most recent effort,and the beggining of a new partnership with Universal Music, since leaving roadrunner records. this is also the first album to be released on Dave Mustaines new label, tradecraft.Now,its important to note that this album had alot of hype,ups and downs.the studio updates were extremely exciting, however the release of the super collider singleSuper Collider is megadeths most recent effort,and the beggining of a new partnership with Universal Music, since leaving roadrunner records. this is also the first album to be released on Dave Mustaines new label, tradecraft.Now,its important to note that this album had alot of hype,ups and downs.the studio updates were extremely exciting, however the release of the super collider single was met negativly. the next track to be released, king maker, brought back up some of the hype. and to get it out of the way in advance, no, this is not a bad album, regardless of the backlash in regards to it. The main reason why this album gets so much flak, is becuase Dave Mustaine and megadeth have decided to go for more of a hardrock and expiremental sound with this album, rather than go back to the thrashing of rust in peace and endgame.not only did this catch alot of people off gaurd,it also gave a very negative outlook on the album. Alot of people say this album reminds them of risk, but i find that to be untrue. And this brings me to the end of the history, and on to the album review. this album has a unique and diverse sound, that makes it stand out among other megadeth albums. No, its not like rust in peace or Endgame. this album draws more along the lines of youthanasia (for tuning down and its dark songs and sound), the world needs a hero (for its streamlined, and structured song compostion), and the system has failed (for its lead style and alot of its more personal lyrics). the album kicks off with a helicopter heard and a fantastic bass solo from ellefson, and kicks into king maker, which is a great, heavy, thrashy song, and is exactly what youd expect from a new megadeth song. next we move to super collider, which is a very simple basic song, with more of a hardrock sound. while its not a bad song, its definitely not what people were expecting to hear. overall, its a good song, with some really great drumming and bass, but a bit dissapointing by megadeth standards. Burn! is the next song, with some awesome riffs and solos, however the lyrics are very cheesy on this song, definitely the worst song lyric wise on the album, but otherwise a good song. Next is built for war, which is a nice, fast thrashy tune, with a beautful, and really awesome vocal chant in the middle, and an absolutely mind blowing solo from chris right before it. this is a really great song, and another highlight of the album. Off the edge is an interesting song, with good vocals and guitar, but the lyrics, again, definitely fall short, as the word crazy and simplified rhyming come up extremely often. not a bad song, but the lyrics definitely coudlve been better. now, dance in the rain, is by far the best song on the album. this song really shows the best of what dave, shawn, chris, and david can do now adays, with some great guitar solos from Dave and chris being swapped, some awesome riffs, great lyrics and vocals, and really good drums as well. this is also one of the 2 songs that David Draiman (disturbed) lends vocals on. beggining of sorrow has a very youthanasia sound to it, and has some of the best lyrics and vocals on the album, the back and forth singing lines from dave, david, and chris, is really good. next is the blackest crow, which is a very expiremental and interesting song for megadeth, which includes banjo playing from chris broderick, and some awesome guitar solos, and slide playing from Dave Mustaine. forget to remember is a very personal song from Dave about his mother in law having alzheimers, and the song is about the disease. it has some really good vocals and guitar riffs, and it has some of the best lyrics on the album.it also has the second backing vocal appearance from david draidman, who helps write some of the melody as well. dont turn your back is a thrashy song with some great riffs, and guitar solos, as well as some awesome drumming from shawn. closing the album is a cover of thin lizzy's cold sweat. this has some really awesome trade off solos from Dave and Chris, some great drumming from shawn, and some great bass from David. and thats super collider, an album that, while critisized by most, i find is a great album. becuase instead of just copy and pasting what they normally do, the guys decided to take a twist to their sound, while staying true to their heavy metal roots, and in the end turns out to be a very unique megadeth experience. its an album that, while not being thrasy all the time,still has alot of great thrash metal elements, and the songs and writing are good on the album, which is what truly counts.some cheesy lyrics bring the album down, and there couldve been more riffs and solos,however i still feel that the band made the right choice with this albums direction. megadeth fans have at least another 2 albums coming from the now 30 year old band, and doing 3 thrashy albums in a row may become stale, and this album doesnt dissapoint.i highly reccomend this album. its heavy metal at its finest… Expand
  21. TwisterAce
    Jun 16, 2013
    5
    Many Megadeth fans keep expecting the band to make another Rust in Peace-style record, and 2009's Endgame proved they were still a thrash metal force to be reckoned with. Even TH1RT3EN had some great moments. Not so with Super Collider. Aside from "Built for War," the songs on this album are mainly of a hard rock or classic metal nature. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed the albumMany Megadeth fans keep expecting the band to make another Rust in Peace-style record, and 2009's Endgame proved they were still a thrash metal force to be reckoned with. Even TH1RT3EN had some great moments. Not so with Super Collider. Aside from "Built for War," the songs on this album are mainly of a hard rock or classic metal nature. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed the album has some good songs, such as the opening track "Kingmaker," the Southern-influenced "The Blackest Crow," and a respectable cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat." The main problem with Super Collider is that the songs feel uninspired. The riffs aren't very memorable, and there's nothing spectacular about the solos. Dave Mustaine's lyrics are downright cheesy and mediocre, which ruin otherwise decent songs like "Built for War" and "Don't Turn Your Back..." Super Collider isn't Megadeth's worst record, but it's far from their best.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Most Discussed Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
41

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Sputnikmusic
    Apr 22, 2014
    40
    Truthfully, Super Collider is just a Megadeth album born of complacency and issued with only the faintest interest in remaining relevant.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    Jul 10, 2013
    40
    It ditches classic thrash for bland classic rock. [Aug 2013, p.96]
  3. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 26, 2013
    80
    It's the culmination of four years during which Megadeth have continuously raised their game. [Jul 2013, p.92]
See all critic reviews »