'Th1rt3en' luck for Megadeth

Megadeth arguably reigns supreme as the most relevant of the original big four of American thrash metal. As Metallica descends deeper and deeper into self-parody and Slayer and Anthrax release new music less and less often, Dave Mustaine and crew come out on top by simply continuing the work they did in the 1980s and doing it well.

Their newest offering, “Th1rt3en,” while having a fairly obnoxious title, practically bleeds old-school thrash metal. It sounds like classic Megadeth through and through, aided perhaps by the return of bassist Dave Ellefson.

One could argue the group goes a little far with the old-school feel in “Whose Life (Is It Anyways?),” which features the 50-year-old Mustaine singing lines, such as “You hate the way I wear my clothes/You hate my friends and where we go,” as if he were a teenager fighting with his parents. Like the other songs on the album, it is saved by the catchy hooks and solos Megadeth is known and loved for.

Mustaine’s rage has not faltered in 13 albums, nor has his skill. “Th1rt3en” is a celebration of how far the band has come and a promise for much more.

It is as Mustaine growls in the title track, “I stood here 13 times, and I’m still alive.”