In guitarist Chris Broderick, Dave Mustaine has finally found an adequate replacement for Marty Friedman, the legendary axeman who helped lead Megadeth in its glory years. The searing chemistry between Mustaine and Broderick is what incites Endgame and puts Megadeth’s 12th album alongside the band’s best work. There are great grooves on “Bite the Hand” (a Bush administration indictment) and “Bodies,” but nothing matches the supercharged blitzkrieg of the title track, “Head Crusher,” and “This Day We Fight!,” songs that seem bound to make Endgame the best metal guitar album of 2009. “How the Story Ends” explodes in an angry gallop, a song that is as intensely rhythmic as it is blisteringly accurate. With its galloping rhythm and dueling guitar “Dialetic Chaos” is an instant metal anthem. Mustaine never lost his passion or ferocity — and now he's put together a band that can match his energy. Old-school Megadeth fans will not be disappointed.