Singles Roundup: Megadeth, Rob Zombie, & Joel Hoekstra's 13

 The year is coming to a close, and the flow of music is slowing, but we still have a few things to talk about. For perhaps the last time this year, let's dip into the grab-bag.

Megadeth - I Don't Care

That title is too on the nose. This is absolutely the sound of a guy who doesn't care about trying to write a great final record to cap off his career. Rather than show any of the inventive guitar playing Mustaine has always been known for, or even the melodic flair the 90s version of the band found massive success with, Dave instead chose to spend these three minutes whining like a teenager. And not a particularly smart teenager either.

If you wonder how a three-minute song can feel far too long, just listen to this one. Dave talks his way through the verses, throwing together the most obvious of rhymes so he can vent the bitterness that has been the only constant of his life. Whether it's him telling people to kiss his ass, or calling others jackoffs, the whole thing is pathetic for a guy who is almost on Social Security. The worst of it all is that clearly Dave does care, because if he didn't still feel slighted by everyone, he wouldn't have written a song trying to convince us he's over it all.

He might not be, but I'm clearly over Megadeth. I'm not looking forward to seeing the album show up in my inbox, and struggling with the question of whether or not to listen to it out of morbid curiosity.

Rob Zombie - Heathen Days

Improvement doesn't make something good. This song is clearly better than "Punks And Demons", but it's still a far cry from when Rob Zombie was worth listening to. I've made film comparisons before, so let's continue with that theme. Rob was once a musician akin to a classic horror movie; a bit cheesy, a bit scary, and a bit smarter about how everything was put together than we might have thought at first blush. Now, he's a musician akin to a body horror movie; too blunt for his own good, unconcerned with the idea of art, and believing the cheap thrill or gore is more important than a story.

He has a perfect story for his upcoming record, because the classic band is back together. That isn't enough if the result sounds no different than the slow decline he has been on for well over a decade. This is like rebooting Frankenstein, and spending the entire run-time showing the mad doctor stitching up the pieces of flesh. Does it fit the genre? Sure. Is it any good? No.

Joel Hoekstra's 13 - The Fall

My thoughts on this song have more to do with marketing than anything. The track itself is a fine enough bit of melodic hard rock, but it isn't anything that caught my ear in a way I needed to keep listening to. What's interesting is that this song features Girish Pradham, who is currently one of the rotating cast put on many Frontiers releases, and only for this fact; Girish and his 'main' band appeared on America's Got Talent this season. Their first appearance was over the summer, and their second in September.

I would have thought the label would have known in advance they were trying out, and made sure to have one of these records he appears on ready to roll out to coincide. They didn't with their audition, and didn't with their second appearance either. The biggest stage Girish has ever appeared on couldn't be capitalized upon with a new product to sell to anyone who happened to Google his name. I'm confused by that.

I'm less confused by this song, which signals to me another album that will be a nice diversion, but likely something I won't make any sort of connection with.