Thirteen (Megadeth album)
Encyclopedia
Thirteen is the thirteenth studio album by the American heavy metal
band Megadeth
. The album was released on November 1, 2011 in North America, making it the second Megadeth album (after Youthanasia
in 1994) that was released on that date. The album was released on October 26, 2011 in Japan. Thirteen is the third and final album due in the band's current contract with Roadrunner Records
. It is the first Megadeth studio album since The World Needs a Hero
(2001) on which bass guitarist and founding member Dave Ellefson performs.
The lead single
from Thirteen was the Al Capone
-inspired "Public Enemy No. 1". This was followed by "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" about a month later. A third song from the album, "Sudden Death", was released as a single prior to the announcement of Thirteen to promote Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
and was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 53rd Grammy awards.
Thirteen debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200
chart. The album has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with the album's Metacritic
rating being 74/100.
revealed that the band had already started "talking about [a new album]" and explained that although the band was in "tour mode", there were a "couple of ideas" that the band was starting to work on. In a later interview regarding songs that the band was recording for its 13th studio effort, Dave Mustaine
elaborated that the material is a mix of songs Mustaine had written earlier in his career, and some were new compositions written for the album.
On November 17, 2010, Mustaine made an official announcement via the band's Megadeth Cyber Army Chat Room that Megadeth would soon start recording for their thirteenth studio album, and recording would be done in Vic's Garage (Megadeth's studio). Of the upcoming effort, Mustaine said; "So, right now I have Ken Eisennagel, you may remember him from the last two records doing engineering for all of the pre-production phases of Megadeth records? Well, he is here [Megadeth’s studio – "Vic's Garage"] going over all of the new Megadeth stuff that I am working on[…]". Mustaine also said that the band had almost finished five songs, but no other information was announced.
In an interview before a show in Auckland
, New Zealand, Mustaine noted that the upcoming record is the last one on his current contract with Roadrunner Records
. At the same time, he mentioned that Roadrunner was trying to give the band a "huge new deal", but expressed frustration with the label, saying that "The treatment's been terrible over the years, and I just don't want it." Mustaine stated that he would "rather retire than continue to play like that". Mustaine then stated that in the future, the band might release albums independently instead. Nevertheless, Mustaine exclaimed that the band's new record would be "great" and that the songs were "really good", with Mustaine wanting to do his utmost to live up to his contractual obligations, in spite of the alleged treatment by the label.
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar
in December 2010, bassist Dave Ellefson (who was welcomed back into the band earlier that year) said that "There's some ideas that we're now starting to individually compose", but clarified that the band would not be hitting the studio until 2011. However, Ellefson called those song ideas "very heavy", speculated that the songs would be influenced by the band's (then) recent live performances of the entire Rust in Peace
album (1990), and said Megadeth fans would not be disappointed by the new record.
On January 31, 2011, Mustaine posted on Twitter: "In the studio today working on guitar parts! Love you all. DSM", suggesting that the recording process for the follow-up to Endgame had begun. It was revealed during an online chat with Megadeth's fan club, that five new songs for the next album were completed. Mustaine also noted that the new album was turning out to be "more like Endgame". However in an interview in June 2011, Mustaine declared that the album was "Different, a hundred percent different, unlike anything we've ever done before because the guitar sounds are different, it sounds really super-modern." He went on to compare the sound to "really old classic Sabbath
and with a little bit of a modern edge of Queens of the Stone Age
kind of thing."
In a July 2011 interview with sonicexess.com, Ellefson was asked about the new album. Ellefson stated that the album was ready to be mixed. When asked if it could be compared to any previous Megadeth album, Ellefson said that the album "kind of fits in around the Countdown to Extinction album" but noted that it would depend on how the album was to be mixed. Ellefson also announced that the band has been kicking around several ideas for an album title and that several of them might be announced, but no release date was yet planned.
When being interviewed by Amy Kelly of Ultimate Guitar, guitarist Chris Broderick
compared some parts of the album specifically to Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
(1986), Rust in Peace, or Countdown to Extinction
(1992), but also stated "I've been likening it to a very diverse CD. It's not one of those ones that you'll put it on and every song sounds like the last one. It's got everything from anthems to more radio friendly stuff to hard-hitting thrash and some cool, dark-sounding stuff." In another interview, Broderick stated that the album "sounds huge and just very raw" and again touted the sonic diversity of the album, noting that it is "like a cut in time from each CD of the past Megadeth discography".
Commenting on the quality of the songs on Thirteen, Mustaine declared that he hadn't heard an album that had "that many good songs on it" since Guns N' Roses
released Appetite for Destruction
in 1987.
On June 3, 2011, it was announced that a new song, "Never Dead", would be included in a promotional trailer for Konami
's upcoming video game NeverDead
, marking the third time in five years that the band contributed a new song towards promoting a video game ("Gears of War
" in 2006 to promote Gears of War
and "Sudden Death
" in 2010 for inclusion in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
being the other two). "Sudden Death" though originally recorded for the Guitar Hero franchise, was also later confirmed to be included on Thirteen.
The album was produced by American rock producer "Johnny K" Karkazis
. The band picked Johnny K rather than Andy Sneap
(who produced Megadeth's previous two albums) due to scheduling conflicts. Drover noted that working with producer Johnny K was a "blast" and he "shares the same vision [as the band]" for the new album.
The album artwork was designed by John Lorenzi, who contributed to the covers on Megadeth's two previous albums, Endgame and United Abominations
(2007). On July 7, 2011, Mustaine announced via twitter that he had chosen a title and album cover for the new album and would reveal them "asap". The title was revealed as 13 the next day, with Mustaine commenting "I started playing guitar at 13 and this is our 13th record and I was born on the 13th. As soon as I said I was going to call it '13', I started noticing 13 everywhere. They never used to have 13th floors in hotels but now they have them again." It was clarified a day later on the band's website to be "Th1rt3en" rather than 13. Shawn Drover later stated in an interview that "Thirteen" had originally been the working title for the album as well.
The cover artwork and tracklist for the album were revealed on September 7, 2011.
, explained "This is our 13th studio record, and we've already had a bunch of weird things happen. Car problems, stuff disappearing, a guy who worked for me that was the most white-laced guy you could imagine falling out on drugs and disappearing...but this one's got me excited!" In addition, Mustaine announced on Twitter that producer Johnny K was "suddenly struck ill", and the band had ceased recording for the time being. However, the band resumed recording a few days later, with K having apparently recovered. In an interview, Drover had noted that nothing weird occurred until after he finished recording drum tracks for the album.
However, in a later interview in July, 2011, when asked about the stigma of the number 13 in regards to the album, Mustaine said that "It's been very good luck. We did this record in… in record time".
Furthermore, despite the superstitions surrounding the number 13, Mustaine said he was actually more concerned with the album's release date of November 1 being a bad omen; referring to the release of Youthanasia (which was released on the same date in 1994), Mustaine mentioned that the band was "banned" from MTV
, for playing the then-new track "À Tout le Monde
" (which MTV believed to be about suicide) on a televised promotional show on the channel.
Mustaine had scheduled an appearance on the October 14-16 edition of the Full Metal Jackie
radio show. A new track from Thirteen, "Whose Life (Is This Anyways?)", was debuted on that edition of the show as well.
For a 24 hour period from October 17 to October 18, 2011, "Whose Life (Is It Anyway?)" was released as a free download through the band's facebook page Samples of all the album's songs were available for streaming on Amazon.com
from October 17, though they were later removed.
As part of the promotion for the album, Megadeth made an appearance on the outdoor stage for the October 31, 2011 edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The band, performing in Halloween costumes, played "Public Enemy No. 1" and "Symphony of Destruction
", the former of which was televised.
Mustaine also made an appearance on the November 7 edition of Rockline
.
intended only for the Japanese market). However, it was later revealed that the album was to feature a total of 13 tracks.
. "Black Swan" was originally released as a bonus track for members of the band's fan club
who pre-ordered United Abominations.
According to Dave Ellefson, producer Johnny K picked "Black Swan" as a song that the band should finish for inclusion on the new record. Ellefson also notes that, having been written several years beforehand, it has nothing to do with the 2010 film of the same name
.
"Black Swan" was released for streaming via Hot Topic
's official YouTube page on October 24, 2011.
[from 1997]. It’s been around for a while."
" from Cryptic Writings
). Mustaine states in the Youthanasia rerelease liner notes that he came up with the lyrics after watching Highlander
.
Ellefson states that Johnny K and Mustaine were able to finish the song for Thirteen.
, a third-person
action/fantasy game. Roadrunner Records posted the song on their YouTube
channel for streaming on September 21, 2011.
" was written by Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza during the Clash of the Titans Tour
in 1991, and a demo was made for Countdown to Extinction, but it was ultimately not included on that record. A demo
had been previously released on the 2004 remix/remaster of Youthanasia and also a finished version on the Duke Nukem soundtrack. Mustaine didn't use the song on Youthanasia because he "didn't feel it was finished enough to use on the record at the time."
In an interview with musicradar.com
, Dave Ellefson said the song was re-recorded at the insistence of Shawn Drover. According to Ellefson "Dave [Mustaine] updated some parts and made them more violent." Drover, for his part, stated that re-recording "New World Order" was initially Mustaine's idea, though he strongly supported rerecording the song.
. The inspiration was a possible haunting incident while the band was recording in an old building in Tennessee which Mustaine described as being a "hideaway" of Capone's. Ellefson revealed in an interview that "Public Enemy No. 1" was to be released as a single.
A music video, filmed at a Western
film set in Santa Clarita, California
, has also been made for "Public Enemy No. 1". The video was released on November 4, 2011.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
. The song was released as a digital single via iTunes in September 2010. "Sudden Death" was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance
at the 53rd Grammy Awards
, but lost to Iron Maiden
's "El Dorado".
radio station 97.1 KEGL in which Mustaine revealed 2 new song titles, "We the People" and "Whose Life is This Anyways?" (later amended to "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)"), he stated that the latter was considered for album's first single, although "Public Enemy No. 1" was ultimately released as the album's lead single instead.
"Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" was debuted during an appearance by Dave Mustaine on the October 14-16, 2011 edition of the Full Metal Jackie radio show. The song was released as a limited-time free download via Megadeth's Facebook
page a few days later.
released a brief review of the album, and rated the album at 7/10. Reviewer Jon Young commented on several of the album's tracks, saying that "Public Enemy No. 1" and "Guns, Drugs & Money" were "deceptively melodic hard rock not far from Alice Cooper's early classics" but also said they lack the same sense of humor. Young also offered an opinion on "We the People" saying that it should be on "the apocalypse's official soundtrack". Allmusic rated the album positively. Reviewer James Christopher Monger stated "Darker, heavier, and more immediate than 2009's Endgame, Dave Mustaine's snarling vocals ride higher in the mix this time around, but fans need not fear, as his fleet fingers are still possessed with the power to conjure the dead."
Thirteen was also positively reviewed by Sergio Periera of the South African website Musicreview.co.za (83/100), Kevin Stewart-Panko, of Rocksound.tv (7/10). and reviewer Amit Sharma of Thrash Hits. Sharma described Thirteen as a mix Countdown to Extinction and Endgame, and gave a 5 out of 6 rating and further commented that Thirteen sounds "less explosive than [Endgame]", but that songs like "Wrecker" and "Black Swan" show that the band is "on top of their game". Meanwhile, Pereira noted that a hard rock sound was characteristic of a number of Thirteens songs, and speculated that producer Johnny K might have bore more responsibility for that. Pereira noted that "Never Dead", "Fast Lane" and "Wrecker" were high points of the album. Pereira closed his review by calling the album a "ripper".
However, not all critical reaction to the album was positive. SoundSphere gave the album a 2 out of 5 star rating, although they commented that the album would appeal to "those who enjoy classic-sounding heavy metal sound." BBC reviewer Ian Winwood commented that the album "is something of an unremarkable affair. Not a bad album, but not one for the ages." However, Winwood also called "Sudden Death" "quite brilliant".
The album charted similarly in Australia (number 13) and on the Japanese total album sales chart (number 11). Elsewhere, the album failed to break into the top 20.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
. The album was released on November 1, 2011 in North America, making it the second Megadeth album (after Youthanasia
Youthanasia
Youthanasia is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth, released on November 1, 1994 through Capitol Records. A remixed and remastered version, featuring several bonus tracks, was released in 2004....
in 1994) that was released on that date. The album was released on October 26, 2011 in Japan. Thirteen is the third and final album due in the band's current contract with Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. It is the first Megadeth studio album since The World Needs a Hero
The World Needs a Hero
-Track listing:-Personnel:-Album:-Singles:...
(2001) on which bass guitarist and founding member Dave Ellefson performs.
The lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from Thirteen was the Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
-inspired "Public Enemy No. 1". This was followed by "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" about a month later. A third song from the album, "Sudden Death", was released as a single prior to the announcement of Thirteen to promote Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
and was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 53rd Grammy awards.
Thirteen debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. The album has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with the album's Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
rating being 74/100.
Writing and recording
Being interviewed in July 2010 about the success of Megadeth's previous release, Endgame (2009), drummer Shawn DroverShawn Drover
Shawn Drover is a Canadian drummer, best-known for his work with the heavy metal band Megadeth....
revealed that the band had already started "talking about [a new album]" and explained that although the band was in "tour mode", there were a "couple of ideas" that the band was starting to work on. In a later interview regarding songs that the band was recording for its 13th studio effort, Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
elaborated that the material is a mix of songs Mustaine had written earlier in his career, and some were new compositions written for the album.
On November 17, 2010, Mustaine made an official announcement via the band's Megadeth Cyber Army Chat Room that Megadeth would soon start recording for their thirteenth studio album, and recording would be done in Vic's Garage (Megadeth's studio). Of the upcoming effort, Mustaine said; "So, right now I have Ken Eisennagel, you may remember him from the last two records doing engineering for all of the pre-production phases of Megadeth records? Well, he is here [Megadeth’s studio – "Vic's Garage"] going over all of the new Megadeth stuff that I am working on[…]". Mustaine also said that the band had almost finished five songs, but no other information was announced.
In an interview before a show in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand, Mustaine noted that the upcoming record is the last one on his current contract with Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. At the same time, he mentioned that Roadrunner was trying to give the band a "huge new deal", but expressed frustration with the label, saying that "The treatment's been terrible over the years, and I just don't want it." Mustaine stated that he would "rather retire than continue to play like that". Mustaine then stated that in the future, the band might release albums independently instead. Nevertheless, Mustaine exclaimed that the band's new record would be "great" and that the songs were "really good", with Mustaine wanting to do his utmost to live up to his contractual obligations, in spite of the alleged treatment by the label.
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar
Ultimate Guitar Archive
Ultimate Guitar Archive, also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is a large guitarist community website known for its large amount of guitar and bass tablature, reviews of music and equipment, interviews with notable musicians, online written and video lessons, and forums...
in December 2010, bassist Dave Ellefson (who was welcomed back into the band earlier that year) said that "There's some ideas that we're now starting to individually compose", but clarified that the band would not be hitting the studio until 2011. However, Ellefson called those song ideas "very heavy", speculated that the songs would be influenced by the band's (then) recent live performances of the entire Rust in Peace
Rust in Peace
Rust in Peace is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. Released on September 24, 1990, it was the third Megadeth album distributed through Capitol Records. The album was the band's only collaboration with record producer Mike Clink who was the first producer to...
album (1990), and said Megadeth fans would not be disappointed by the new record.
On January 31, 2011, Mustaine posted on Twitter: "In the studio today working on guitar parts! Love you all. DSM", suggesting that the recording process for the follow-up to Endgame had begun. It was revealed during an online chat with Megadeth's fan club, that five new songs for the next album were completed. Mustaine also noted that the new album was turning out to be "more like Endgame". However in an interview in June 2011, Mustaine declared that the album was "Different, a hundred percent different, unlike anything we've ever done before because the guitar sounds are different, it sounds really super-modern." He went on to compare the sound to "really old classic Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and with a little bit of a modern edge of Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
kind of thing."
In a July 2011 interview with sonicexess.com, Ellefson was asked about the new album. Ellefson stated that the album was ready to be mixed. When asked if it could be compared to any previous Megadeth album, Ellefson said that the album "kind of fits in around the Countdown to Extinction album" but noted that it would depend on how the album was to be mixed. Ellefson also announced that the band has been kicking around several ideas for an album title and that several of them might be announced, but no release date was yet planned.
When being interviewed by Amy Kelly of Ultimate Guitar, guitarist Chris Broderick
Chris Broderick
Christopher Broderick is the virtuoso guitarist of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California...
compared some parts of the album specifically to Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
-25th Anniversary 2-CD reissue:-25th Anniversary box set:Disc 5 contains both the original album, and the above listed 1987 show in hi-resolution audio....
(1986), Rust in Peace, or Countdown to Extinction
Countdown to Extinction
Countdown to Extinction is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on July 14, 1992 through Capitol Records. Countdown to Extinction is Megadeth's best-selling album, eventually achieving double platinum status...
(1992), but also stated "I've been likening it to a very diverse CD. It's not one of those ones that you'll put it on and every song sounds like the last one. It's got everything from anthems to more radio friendly stuff to hard-hitting thrash and some cool, dark-sounding stuff." In another interview, Broderick stated that the album "sounds huge and just very raw" and again touted the sonic diversity of the album, noting that it is "like a cut in time from each CD of the past Megadeth discography".
Commenting on the quality of the songs on Thirteen, Mustaine declared that he hadn't heard an album that had "that many good songs on it" since Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
released Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...
in 1987.
On June 3, 2011, it was announced that a new song, "Never Dead", would be included in a promotional trailer for Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
's upcoming video game NeverDead
NeverDead
NeverDead is an upcoming video game, developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is scheduled for release on January 31, 2012 in North America and February 3, 2012 in Europe.-Gameplay:...
, marking the third time in five years that the band contributed a new song towards promoting a video game ("Gears of War
Gears of War (song)
"Gears of War" is the fifth track on the Megadeth album United Abominations. Dave Mustaine was inspired to write the song by the Xbox 360 video game of the same name, as stated in a 2007 podcast interview with Major Nelson. The song was first played on October 17, 2006 in Nagoya, Japan. The song...
" in 2006 to promote Gears of War
Gears of War
Gears of War is a military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
and "Sudden Death
Sudden Death (Megadeth song)
"Sudden Death" is a song by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was written by Dave Mustaine for inclusion in the 2010 music video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, which was released on September 28, 2010 in North America...
" in 2010 for inclusion in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
being the other two). "Sudden Death" though originally recorded for the Guitar Hero franchise, was also later confirmed to be included on Thirteen.
The album was produced by American rock producer "Johnny K" Karkazis
Johnny K
John Karkazis, better known as Johnny K, is a Grammy Award nominated producer/engineer/mixer/musician and songwriter. He owns Groovemaster Recording Studios in Chicago...
. The band picked Johnny K rather than Andy Sneap
Andy Sneap
Andy "Undie" Sneap is an English record producer, recording engineer, mixer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is best known for producing and mixing many acclaimed heavy metal albums.-Musician:...
(who produced Megadeth's previous two albums) due to scheduling conflicts. Drover noted that working with producer Johnny K was a "blast" and he "shares the same vision [as the band]" for the new album.
The album artwork was designed by John Lorenzi, who contributed to the covers on Megadeth's two previous albums, Endgame and United Abominations
United Abominations
United Abominations is the eleventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Released on May 8, 2007, United Abominations is the first Megadeth release distributed through Roadrunner Records, and was recorded with an all new lineup excluding the band's singer, guitarist, songwriter,...
(2007). On July 7, 2011, Mustaine announced via twitter that he had chosen a title and album cover for the new album and would reveal them "asap". The title was revealed as 13 the next day, with Mustaine commenting "I started playing guitar at 13 and this is our 13th record and I was born on the 13th. As soon as I said I was going to call it '13', I started noticing 13 everywhere. They never used to have 13th floors in hotels but now they have them again." It was clarified a day later on the band's website to be "Th1rt3en" rather than 13. Shawn Drover later stated in an interview that "Thirteen" had originally been the working title for the album as well.
The cover artwork and tracklist for the album were revealed on September 7, 2011.
Odd occurrences during recording
According to Dave Mustaine, the band have encountered numerous mishaps and odd occurrences. In an interview with Terrorizer magazine, Mustaine, taking note of the connection to the unlucky number 13Triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number ; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.The term was first used by Isador Coriat in Abnormal...
, explained "This is our 13th studio record, and we've already had a bunch of weird things happen. Car problems, stuff disappearing, a guy who worked for me that was the most white-laced guy you could imagine falling out on drugs and disappearing...but this one's got me excited!" In addition, Mustaine announced on Twitter that producer Johnny K was "suddenly struck ill", and the band had ceased recording for the time being. However, the band resumed recording a few days later, with K having apparently recovered. In an interview, Drover had noted that nothing weird occurred until after he finished recording drum tracks for the album.
However, in a later interview in July, 2011, when asked about the stigma of the number 13 in regards to the album, Mustaine said that "It's been very good luck. We did this record in… in record time".
Furthermore, despite the superstitions surrounding the number 13, Mustaine said he was actually more concerned with the album's release date of November 1 being a bad omen; referring to the release of Youthanasia (which was released on the same date in 1994), Mustaine mentioned that the band was "banned" from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, for playing the then-new track "À Tout le Monde
À Tout le Monde
"À Tout le Monde" is the fourth song on Megadeth's sixth studio album Youthanasia, released as a single in 1995. In 2007, a re-arrangement titled "À Tout le Monde " featuring Cristina Scabbia of Italian band Lacuna Coil was released as the second single from the band's album United...
" (which MTV believed to be about suicide) on a televised promotional show on the channel.
Release and promotion
Mustaine revealed that the album will be released November 1. "They're looking at November 1st. I don't know if it's supposed to be the 1st or the 31st for the release date, cuz [sic] they're trying to get us to do a live performance some place, for this release." The album will be released with a bonus track in Japan on October 26, 2011.Mustaine had scheduled an appearance on the October 14-16 edition of the Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie, Jackie Kajzer, is the host and creator of the nationally accredited and syndicated radio metal show, Full Metal Jackie. She is known for her unique playlists and detailed interviews with legendary rock artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Zakk Wylde and Children of Bodom....
radio show. A new track from Thirteen, "Whose Life (Is This Anyways?)", was debuted on that edition of the show as well.
For a 24 hour period from October 17 to October 18, 2011, "Whose Life (Is It Anyway?)" was released as a free download through the band's facebook page Samples of all the album's songs were available for streaming on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
from October 17, though they were later removed.
As part of the promotion for the album, Megadeth made an appearance on the outdoor stage for the October 31, 2011 edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The band, performing in Halloween costumes, played "Public Enemy No. 1" and "Symphony of Destruction
Symphony of Destruction
"Symphony of Destruction" is a 1992 single by American heavy metal band Megadeth, taken from their 1992 double platinum selling album, Countdown to Extinction. The lyrics explores the hypothetical situation where an average citizen might be placed into a position where he can run the country while...
", the former of which was televised.
Mustaine also made an appearance on the November 7 edition of Rockline
Rockline
Rockline is a nationally syndicated radio interview program hosted by Bob Coburn that broadcasts live via satellite every Monday and Wednesday night from 8:30pm-10pm PT to radio stations in the United States. Founded in 1981, it is considered to be the longest running, uninterrupted program in rock...
.
Songs
Mustaine had noted that thirteen songs had been written in the sessions for the album, though only twelve were originally contracted for the album (one of which being a bonus trackBonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
intended only for the Japanese market). However, it was later revealed that the album was to feature a total of 13 tracks.
13
Dave Ellefson has called the song "theatrical", and compared it to "In My Darkest Hour" from So Far, So Good...So What! (1988). He also said that "13" is a song that "summed up the arc of Megadeth as a band".Black Swan
A few of the album's songs had actually been released before as bonus tracks on Youthanasia and United AbominationsUnited Abominations
United Abominations is the eleventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Released on May 8, 2007, United Abominations is the first Megadeth release distributed through Roadrunner Records, and was recorded with an all new lineup excluding the band's singer, guitarist, songwriter,...
. "Black Swan" was originally released as a bonus track for members of the band's fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
who pre-ordered United Abominations.
According to Dave Ellefson, producer Johnny K picked "Black Swan" as a song that the band should finish for inclusion on the new record. Ellefson also notes that, having been written several years beforehand, it has nothing to do with the 2010 film of the same name
Black Swan (film)
Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis. Its plot revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet by a prestigious New York City company. The production requires a ballerina to...
.
"Black Swan" was released for streaming via Hot Topic
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
's official YouTube page on October 24, 2011.
Deadly Nightshade
In an interview, Dave Ellefson stated that the song's main riff "was written during the sessions for Youthanasia, or maybe Cryptic WritingsCryptic Writings
Cryptic Writings is the seventh studio album by heavy metal band Megadeth. The album was released on June 17, 1997 and debuted at #10 on Billboard Top 200. This is the last Megadeth studio album to feature drummer Nick Menza. His departure would mark the end of the band's longest lasting lineup to...
[from 1997]. It’s been around for a while."
Millennium of the Blind
According to Dave Ellefson, "Millennium of the Blind" was originally written in 1991 and a demo was recorded. A version of the song would later be included as a bonus track on the 2004 remix/remaster of Youthanasia. In the liner notes for the 2004 rerelease of Youthanasia, Mustaine claimed that "Millennium of the Blind" reminded him too much of another song he was working on at the time, "Absolution" (which would later form part of "TrustTrust (Megadeth song)
"Trust" is the first song on Megadeth's seventh studio album Cryptic Writings. It was released on May 8, 1997 in both English and Spanish language versions...
" from Cryptic Writings
Cryptic Writings
Cryptic Writings is the seventh studio album by heavy metal band Megadeth. The album was released on June 17, 1997 and debuted at #10 on Billboard Top 200. This is the last Megadeth studio album to feature drummer Nick Menza. His departure would mark the end of the band's longest lasting lineup to...
). Mustaine states in the Youthanasia rerelease liner notes that he came up with the lyrics after watching Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
.
Ellefson states that Johnny K and Mustaine were able to finish the song for Thirteen.
Never Dead
"Never Dead" was written for inclusion on NeverDeadNeverDead
NeverDead is an upcoming video game, developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Konami for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is scheduled for release on January 31, 2012 in North America and February 3, 2012 in Europe.-Gameplay:...
, a third-person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
action/fantasy game. Roadrunner Records posted the song on their YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel for streaming on September 21, 2011.
New World Order
"New World OrderNew World Order (Megadeth song)
"New World Order" is a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was written by Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza during the Clash of the Titans Tour in 1991, and a demo was made for Countdown to Extinction, However, it was not released on either Countdown to...
" was written by Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza during the Clash of the Titans Tour
Clash of the Titans (tour)
Clash of the Titans was the name of a worldwide tour by several popular American thrash metal bands of the 1980s, with alternating headliners from show to show.-History:...
in 1991, and a demo was made for Countdown to Extinction, but it was ultimately not included on that record. A demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
had been previously released on the 2004 remix/remaster of Youthanasia and also a finished version on the Duke Nukem soundtrack. Mustaine didn't use the song on Youthanasia because he "didn't feel it was finished enough to use on the record at the time."
In an interview with musicradar.com
MusicRadar
MusicRadar is a website for musicians. It covers information pertaining to artists and music, special features, product news and reviews, music lessons and a social network service in the style of Facebook and Myspace...
, Dave Ellefson said the song was re-recorded at the insistence of Shawn Drover. According to Ellefson "Dave [Mustaine] updated some parts and made them more violent." Drover, for his part, stated that re-recording "New World Order" was initially Mustaine's idea, though he strongly supported rerecording the song.
Public Enemy No. 1
On July 4, 2011 Megadeth debuted a new song entitled "Public Enemy No. 1" at a show in Hamburg, Germany. Mustaine has said that "Public Enemy No. 1" was written about 1920s gangster Al CaponeAl Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
. The inspiration was a possible haunting incident while the band was recording in an old building in Tennessee which Mustaine described as being a "hideaway" of Capone's. Ellefson revealed in an interview that "Public Enemy No. 1" was to be released as a single.
A music video, filmed at a Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
film set in Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
, has also been made for "Public Enemy No. 1". The video was released on November 4, 2011.
Sudden Death
"Sudden Death" was originally written for the 2010 music video gameMusic video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
. The song was released as a digital single via iTunes in September 2010. "Sudden Death" was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
, but lost to Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
's "El Dorado".
Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
During an interview with Dallas/Fort WorthDallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
radio station 97.1 KEGL in which Mustaine revealed 2 new song titles, "We the People" and "Whose Life is This Anyways?" (later amended to "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)"), he stated that the latter was considered for album's first single, although "Public Enemy No. 1" was ultimately released as the album's lead single instead.
"Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)" was debuted during an appearance by Dave Mustaine on the October 14-16, 2011 edition of the Full Metal Jackie radio show. The song was released as a limited-time free download via Megadeth's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page a few days later.
Critical reception
Reaction from critics towards Thirteen has been mostly positive. Spin magazineSpin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
released a brief review of the album, and rated the album at 7/10. Reviewer Jon Young commented on several of the album's tracks, saying that "Public Enemy No. 1" and "Guns, Drugs & Money" were "deceptively melodic hard rock not far from Alice Cooper's early classics" but also said they lack the same sense of humor. Young also offered an opinion on "We the People" saying that it should be on "the apocalypse's official soundtrack". Allmusic rated the album positively. Reviewer James Christopher Monger stated "Darker, heavier, and more immediate than 2009's Endgame, Dave Mustaine's snarling vocals ride higher in the mix this time around, but fans need not fear, as his fleet fingers are still possessed with the power to conjure the dead."
Thirteen was also positively reviewed by Sergio Periera of the South African website Musicreview.co.za (83/100), Kevin Stewart-Panko, of Rocksound.tv (7/10). and reviewer Amit Sharma of Thrash Hits. Sharma described Thirteen as a mix Countdown to Extinction and Endgame, and gave a 5 out of 6 rating and further commented that Thirteen sounds "less explosive than [Endgame]", but that songs like "Wrecker" and "Black Swan" show that the band is "on top of their game". Meanwhile, Pereira noted that a hard rock sound was characteristic of a number of Thirteens songs, and speculated that producer Johnny K might have bore more responsibility for that. Pereira noted that "Never Dead", "Fast Lane" and "Wrecker" were high points of the album. Pereira closed his review by calling the album a "ripper".
However, not all critical reaction to the album was positive. SoundSphere gave the album a 2 out of 5 star rating, although they commented that the album would appeal to "those who enjoy classic-sounding heavy metal sound." BBC reviewer Ian Winwood commented that the album "is something of an unremarkable affair. Not a bad album, but not one for the ages." However, Winwood also called "Sudden Death" "quite brilliant".
Track listing
Chart positions
Thirteen sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week and debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, this being a slight fall from the first-week sales (about 45,000 copies) and chart position (number 9) of its predecessor, Endgame. Another 10,780 copies were sold in the second week, and the album's position on the Billboard 200 fell to number 53.The album charted similarly in Australia (number 13) and on the Japanese total album sales chart (number 11). Elsewhere, the album failed to break into the top 20.
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
11 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
34 |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
13 |
| Belgium | 83 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
24 |
| Ireland | 43 |
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Total Album Sales (Japan) |
11 |
| Oricon International Albums (Japan) | 4 |
| Netherlands | 42 |
| Norway | 32 |
| Polish Albums Chart OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
26 |
Personnel
Megadeth
Additional musicians
|
Production
|