The System has Failed is the tenth studio album by Megadeth. Of course, it isn’t new to me, I’ve owned it since it was released but I haven’t listened to it very much. I never really got into it. I guess I was still living with the hopes that a new Countdown to Extinction or Youthansia would come along. And after first The World Needs a Hero and then The System has Failed came along I lost hope and abandoned it.
Now, however, when the quest about writing reviews on all the studio albums has come along, I revisited it. And I must say, it took quite a lot of listening to get into it. The first few times I was gravely disappointed and thought it was an absolute failure. I couldn’t really see anything good about it. Not that it was a total disaster, but I couldn’t get into the songs and I couldn’t find those amazing riffs that can only be found in Megadeth’s music.
So, The System has Failed has taken its time. I’ve listened to it countless times the last few weeks and it has certainly grown on me! The songs might not be as easily accessible as on the previously mentioned albums, but there’s a maturity to them and many of them have highly political lyrics. Well, it is Megadeth we’re talking about so it should not come as a surprise. I learned to appreciate the music and find the songs to be pretty thought through!
The System has failed is a fine example on how an album really can mature over time. When it was released I hardly gave it a chance and now, after many playthroughs, I really like it, despite it being the first album to not feature David Ellefson on bass.
