The disc starts with the 11:31 long title track. Daring move and it would be great if it was a good track. In this track you can pretty much hear how the rest of the album will sound like. Well played, well sung although I don’t like the singer’s voice. No problem with high male vocals but he sounds like he can’t put a dent in a pack of butter. The guy sounds like he has only 3 or 4 pitches he can use as well. The guitar work and drumming is pretty good; I hear some prog influences here and there. Definitely not easy to play. Highlight for me is track two, ‘Arcturus #9’. It’s one of the faster tracks (still in a midtempo-range though) but it has a great opening riff and it moves along pretty great. The almost breakdown-ish riff in ‘Ghostworld’ is another moment where the album finally got out of its mindless ploughing.

 

I hope the Dover brothers do a better job with Mr Mustaine on the new Megadeth. Both are incredibly technically gifted musicians, but the downside of that excellence often results into boring compositions and a general distant feel. The Parallel Otherworld is a great disc if you’re a fan of the band but I can’t really recommend it unless you’re interested in some neat solos and drumming. O, and try to get a singer who at least sounds like he drinks beer and whiskey.