 The System Has Failed has received mainly positive reviews from critics , with some of them describing the album as a return to form . AllMusic 's Jason Birchmeier commented that Megadeth hasn 't sounded this vital since Countdown to Extinction , and called the album " damn near perfect " . Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles reviewer Martin Popoff described the album as a mix of several previous records , and praised a number 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 gave a positive , if at times slightly sarcastic review , as well as a detailed track @-@ by @-@ track commentary . David E. Gehlke of Blistering said despite that Mustaine 's best days were behind him , this record comes across as a " warm return " ; although the album fails to recapture past glory , it succeeds in being a solid , reliable metal album . In addition , Gehlke noted that Mustaine 's vocals were " as strong as ever " , but panned the album for the lack of any " thrash burners " . Neil Arnold of Metal Forces had a slightly different opinion , and credited this album for putting Megadeth " back on track " . He praised the album artwork , which reminded him of the 80 's style of graphics . Another positive review 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 ! " 
