The World Needs a Hero

The World Needs a Hero is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth released on May 15, 2001 in the United States, May 12 in Japan and May 14 in Europe. After the failure of Megadeth's previous album, Risk, The World Needs a Hero represented a change back to a heavier musical direction. Subsequently, the album charted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 upon release.

After a break with former label Capitol Records, the album was the first of two Megadeth studio albums to be released by Sanctuary Records. It was the last of two studio albums to feature drummer Jimmy DeGrasso as well as the only one to feature Al Pitrelli on lead guitar. Furthermore, The World Needs a Hero was the last album to feature original bassist Dave Ellefson until his return to Megadeth in 2010 and the following album, Thirteen. Additionally, band mascot Vic Rattlehead appears on the cover of a Megadeth album for the first time since Rust in Peace was released, in 1990. (wiki)

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by Steve Huey

After leaving Capitol and losing longtime guitarist Marty Friedman, Megadeth felt that a retooling was in order. Risk had been the culmination of their move toward commercial accessibility, so much so that the album engendered a backlash among fans. So, they attempted to craft a more metallic record with The World Needs a Hero, going so far as to resurrect early-years mascot Vic Rattlehead for a gory cover that just screams heavy metal. And The World Needs a Hero does indeed prove to be the band's heaviest offering in quite some time, certainly much more so than Risk. In fact, fans who just want to hear the group play straight-up metal will probably find this their best album since Rust in Peace or Countdown to Extinction -- and Dave Mustaine tries to conjure memories of both. "Return to Hangar" is a sequel to Rust's prog-thrash classic "Hangar 18"; the new lyrics are in the same meter, but recited over a much simpler riff (shades of Metallica's "Unforgiven II," anyone?). Album closer "When" nicks riffs from Metallica's "Am I Evil?" cover; meanwhile, "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" (which first appeared on Capitol Punishment) has a growly recitation and stop-start riff straight out of "Sweating Bullets." These tracks point up the album's biggest problem: too much of the material feels like rehashed Megadeth Lite. Most cuts are taken at medium-to-slow tempos, and Mustaine's production is still pretty radio-friendly, which means that the group never quite kicks up the fury or flash of past glories. As a result, the aggression Mustaine tries to whip up for his trademark lyrical melodramas often sounds forced, especially on the banal breakup drama "1000 Times Goodbye." The World Needs a Hero is as professional as one would expect, but the album as a whole never quite catches fire, leaving it feeling too much like Megadeth-by-numbers; one can't help but wonder if the group has many ideas left.