4.5 stars (Not flawless, but a very solid buffet of everything that makes Megadeth so great.I really like all of the post-Risk Megadeth releases, and probably listen to them more than pre-Risk releases, except possibly "Countdown to Extinction" and "Rust in Peace." Of those more recent releases, "The System Has Failed" may be the one that I go back to most frequently. It has a good variety of songs, from the mid-tempo yet driving "Die Dead Enough" to the momentum generating "Back In The Day," and has plenty of elements that should hold the discerning listener's attention through many repeated spins.Lyrically, there is a relatively good balance between "I've had some rough times" themes and "I'm breaking out and not putting up with this crap anymore" themes. Personally, the lyrics have resonated with me, but that is significantly more subjective than an opinion about the musical composition and execution. Although there are things that can be seen as universals, for the most part, whether something resonates depends on the listener's experiences, view of life, etc., so it is likely that there are also many listeners with whom the lyrics/lyrical themes won't resonate. It's no fault of the lyrics, and no fault of the listener. It just means that different ages, personalities, experiences, etc., result in different responses. Even if I found some musical/artistic merit in hip hop (I realize that's not plausible, but I'm just making a point), the lyrical content is absolutely foreign to my 52 years of experience. I have never lived anywhere that people would consider calling a "hood," I avoid the type of woman that people feel comfortable calling a "ho," I have nothing against the police in general, and I think drugs are stupid. No place for me to connect with hip hop. Plus, it sucks.Because the album was originally intended to be a Dave Mustaine solo album, and all other musicians on the album were session players, "The System Has Failed" could actually be viewed as just that: a solo album. On the other hand, Megadeth always has been and always will be Dave Mustaine's band, and this "solo album" is thoroughly Megadeth. Dave had more freedom/flexibility with what he did on this album than he had had since Megadeth's earliest releases, so "The System Has Failed" could even be viewed as being more Megadeth than some of the band's other releases, since the freedom that Dave had meant that he had the ability to get closer to his vision for the album.Regardless of whether it is viewed as a Dave Mustaine solo album or a "true" Megadeth album, it has the kind of balance between heaviness/intensity and melody that can satisfy listeners who don't want to sacrifice either. It doesn't abandon the band's thrashier roots, but it also doesn't obsessively repeat what they have already done. The composition is clearly more sophisticated than, say, "Killing Is My Business," but it would be sad if there had been no growth in the intervening two decades. (The decline between the decent start of Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" and the hilariously awful "St. Anger" provides a good contrast.)So, if you want songs that have a good balance between intensity and melody, with thought-provoking lyrics and interesting compositions, I gladly recommend "The System Has Failed." On the other hand, if you're obsessed with two or three albums that were at the beginning of the band's history, constitute only a small percentage of their total output, and haven't been characteristic of Megadeth for a loooong, long time, well, keep playing those CDs, but you're missing out on some great music. "The System Has Failed" and other of the post-Risk releases just plain offer more to the listener. They have Megadepth.

Discazo. Se escucha muy bien y la calidad del arte es muy buena. Gran calidad de producto. Megadeth excelente banda.

It’s good

The System Has Failed's release back in 2004 was the dawn of the modern Megadeth era. After a long foray into radio-friendly hard rock, Dave Mustaine decided to not only reform Megadeth (which had been on hiatus since 2002), but reboot it. It had been a long time since the world had seen a genuine metal album from Megadeth, so when this album dropped, it was received with open arms by longtime fans who had written off Megadeth as dead and buried. Chris Poland (from the mid-80s Megadeth lineup) came out of the woodwork to shred with Dave in the studio, and Dave himself seemed to have renewed energy and focus.Unfortunately, what could have been an excellent return to form is marred by technical issues on this studio release. As other reviewers have noted, this CD sounds somewhat tinny and compressed, and the recording just lacks punch. The guitars don't have as much bite as they should. You can tell what Dave was trying to do here (especially if you listen to the vastly superior live versions of four of these songs on 2007's Live in Buenos Aires album), as the songs themselves are actually some of the best he'd written since Megadeth's heyday in the late 80s-early 90s. The finsihed product is just somewhat underwhelming. This one has "Remixed and Remastered in 2015" written all over it. To be fair, Dave hadn't yet assembled the new full-time incarnation of the band when he and Poland went into the studio to make this record. The Drover brothers were added shortly afterward, and it wasn't until then that Modern Megadeth truly began to take shape. Technical gripes aside, the System Has Failed is still a worthwhile addition to any Megadeth fan's CD collection. It's a vast improvement over The World Needs a Hero (2001) and Risk (1999), and is on par (in my book) with Cryptic Writings (1997) and Youthanasia (1994). It may even edge out Killing is My Business on my personal "favorite Megadeth albums" list (while not nearly as heavy or intense as that 1985 thrash metal landmark, the songwriting is expectedly much more mature).This album has since been bested by its two follow-ups (2007's United Abominations and 2009's Endgame--both featuring new full-time band members with chemistry), but it is still worth a listen if you've yet to check it out. Amazon's 5-star rating scale is too restrictive to accurately rate this album (I couldn't force myself to give it any lower than a 4), so I'll put it like this: On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 7. If you're a newcomer to the band, or an old fan who hasn't listened to any of the modern era Megadeth albums yet, I'd recommend Endgame, United Abominations, and Live in Buenos Aires first, but The System Has Failed does have it's redeeming qualities, and I don't regret purchasing it.

On this album, when you hear the first 2 minutes of "Blackmail the Universe", you can feel and tell that there's a spark that's been awakened in Megadeth, particularly in Dave Mustaine. The best description of the overall sound of this album is pretty much the best parts of each of their prior albums mixed together to form some very excellent songs overall.There are elements of the thrash sound of "Peace Sells", the amazing soloing of "Countdown to Extinction", the intense heavy brooding sound of "Youthanasia", the melodic aspects that were found in "Cryptic Writings" and even a little bit of the experimentation of "The World Needs A Hero". The majority of people out there don't like ALL of those albums combined but the combination of all these sounds actually works extremely well. It's not a replication of the sound of those past records either, it's like Dave Mustaine had this musical epiphany that's sort of building on his past in a way.This is the first record I've heard since "Peace Sells" to have such a similar sound with such raw intensity while also having elements of the other albums I mentioned, which definitely makes this a special album.For old fans of Megadeth wanting only thrash, you won't get as much as you want probably but this album goes back to that area some.For new fans of Megadeth, start out with "Rust in Peace" or "Countdown to Extinction"For anyone who likes metal or hard rock, it'd be a good purchase.Hope that helped

I had originally pre-ordered this from “the band” (aka LiveNation) as soon as it was announced (December 2018). That copy never arrived. Then I saw it here on Amazon for $16 less (yes, the LiveNation total came to $38) and asked for my missing order to be cancelled, which it was. I believe the pressing I received from Amazon to be identical. That being said, I am very happy with this reissue. First, the remastering itself sounds great. At least on the vinyl format: it is clear, not overly compressed, doesn’t clip, and no single element (such as bass) is too heavy. Secondly, the vinyl pressing is high quality. The record is thick and sturdy as would be expected at 180 gram. There is no tearing around the center label punch out hole, as I’ve seen in other cases. The cover are is a little blurry at 12” though. Overall it looks great, sounds great, and is in my opinion one of the best of the “newer revitalized” (aka post-Risk) Megadeth albums. The songs “Die Dead Enough”, “Kick the Chair”, “The Scorpion”, “Tears in a Vial”, and “Back in the Day” have always been my favorites on this album and are not to be missed on this reissue.

Chris Poland back. Vinny Colaiuta on drums. This is the closet Megadeth has come to being the band we loved at the beginning. Musically it should be considered a sequel to Rust In Peace.

Music On Vinyl has done a fabulous job on this album! I was skeptical when I threw it on my turntable but the mix is OUTSTANDING! The record honestly doesn't have a single crackle or pop in it. I can say without question this is one of the best records in my 200+ collection. I'll be tossing my CD copy and dumping this version to CD for my car to listen to.The music itself is great. I know, it's no "Rust in Peace" or "Peace Sells" but it's still a fabulous effort IMHO. Grab this while you can! "Back In The Day", "Die Dead Enough", "I Know Jack", "Something I'm Not", "Kick The Chair" and "Of Mice And Men" are some of my favorites.If you guessed I'm SUPER HAPPY with this! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! m/ m/

現役トップクラスのギャラだが仕事を選ばない、ミスしないで一発でキメていくから結果的に安く済むというVinnie Colaiutaがメタルのドラムを叩いているというだけで買いました。

Nous sommes en 2002/2003 et Dave tente une énième cure de désintox en Arizona. Le temps de se faire enregister par ses proches, Dave pique un petit roupillon de quelques minutes (10,15, 20, + ?), bref quand une infirmière le reveil pour lui faire visiter ses nouveaux appartements, Dave ne sent plus sa main gauche, il ne peux plus la faire bouger, chose qui nous aient arrivé à tousl e matin au reveil, mais pour Dave les minutes passent et il demande aux infirmieres de le laisser sortir pour voir un médecin, "je ne peux plus bouger ma main !" mais aux infirmières du centre de désintox on ne l'a fait pas, elles en ont vu d'autres et ce Monsieur peu inventer toutes sortes de problèmes, il a signer il reste ! Au bout de 48 h (enfin) voilà Dave en tête à tête avec un neurologue renomé qui lui explique qu'un de ses nerfs s'est cassé comme un morceaux de paille et qu'il peut oublier la guitare advitam eternam ! S'en suit une rééducation de plusieurs mois avec appareil de torture adapté à la main de Dave, celle qui dance sur le manche comme il le dit lui měme, celle qui fait rentrer le bifteack. Bref au bout de long mois de souffrance Dave déjout tout les pronostiques de meilleurs toubibs et en profite pour s'améliorer en prenant des cours en guise de rééducation. Par contre la relation déjà tendu avec DAVID ELLEFSON se détériore à un point ou ni l'un ni l'autre ne veut entendre parler de l'autre (ELLEFSON n'a pas cru à l'histoire du nerf endomagé et des mois de souffrances de Dave, pensant qu'il mijotait quelques coups sans lui) bref impardonnable pour Dave.Au moment de rentrer en studio cet album qui était un projet personnel de Dave devait sortir sous le même titre mais pas nomé MEGADETH mais plutôt MD 45 pour MUSTAINE DAVE 45, voilà qui explique qu'il ne soit pas perçu par certains comme un bon album de MEGADETH vu qu'au départ ce devait être un projet solo de Dave...mais il a du avoir la pression de sa maison de disque pour qu'il le sorte sous le nom de MEGADETH plutôt qu'avec des initiales que personnes ne reconnaitrait, ce qui aurait eu un énorme impact sur le nombre de ventes...Lors de mes premières écoutes je le trouvait nul mais après quelque temps et plusieurs écoutes je le trouve génial, un album qui sort des tripes de DAVE MUSTAINE et qu'une fois adopté c'est pour la vie !!!Je pense pareil que KING V qui relate magnifiquement cet opus de dingue....écouter et ré-écouter le c'est trop de la balle, une tuerie à la DAVE MUSTAINE !

Stevig verpakt en zonder schade aangekomen. Zalige plaat.

Good. Very happy with CD. Very happy with purchase.

Excellent comeback of thrash master Dave, this man has full head and hands of riffs for hundred life's