The System Has Failed - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

The System Has Failed has received mainly positive reviews from critics, some going so far to describe the album as a return to form for the band. Allmusic reviewer Jason Birchmeier commented that Megadeth "hasn't sounded this vital since Countdown to Extinction, if not Rust in Peace" and called the album "damn near perfect". He also described "Kick the Chair" as a "shred-fest". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles reviewer Martin Popoff described the album as a mix of several previous records, and praised several of the album's tracks. Popoff acknowledged the fact that Mustaine only used hired session players on the album was the album's only low point. Jeff Kerby of KNAC.com gave a positive, if at times slightly sarcastic, review as well as a detailed track-by-track commentary. Reviewer Gregory Bradley of Metal Review gave a positive overall reaction to the album. Bradley specifically cited "Kick the Chair" and "Back in the Day" as high points. In addition, Bradley noted that the sound present on the second half of the album "really doesn't pull from any previous 'Deth styles, yet is unquestionably Megadeth to the core". However, he panned "The Scorpion" and "Tears in a Vial", comparing them to Megadeth's 1999 album, Risk. Additionally, a positive review of the album was posted on Entertainment Weekly. Reviewer Nancy Miller called The System Has Failed Megadeth's best since 1990's Rust in Peace and praised Mustaine's collaboration with Poland, calling the result "Righteous!"

In spite of a largely positive reception, not all reaction was completely positive. Tom Day of MusicOMH had a mixed reaction to the album. Day called "Die Dead Enough" a "slice of classic 'Deth", while noting it's slightly more mainstream sound. Later in his review, however, he noted that with "Shadow of Deth", it seemed that Mustaine had run out of ideas on the album.