Megadeth
Rust In Peace (1990)
After spending the 1980s establishing themselves as one of thrash metal's big four, Megadeth began the 90s with a new lineup (joining band supremo Dave Mustaine and bass player David Ellefson were drummer Nick Menza and guitarist Marty Friedman) and, in Rust In Peace, something of a new sound.
While Megadeth sacrificed none of the technical skill, speed and power of their earlier releases, here they added in elements from progressive rock, notably more complex song structures and time signatures, as well as some of Mustaine's sharpest, most focused songwriting, on topics ranging from religious war to alien conspiracies and nuclear war. Mustaine's lyrics on this album are biting, savage and pull no punches.
Megadeth are now the second of the Big Four of Thrash to have an album reviewed (after Slayer's Reign In Blood). Let's see how it fares compared to that brutal listen.
The Album
It compares pretty bloody well actually.
Straight off the bat though, this is a very different kind of album to Slayer's. While both have the common hallmarks of thrash metal (insanely fast riffs and solos, monstrously loud and lightning quick drums and sheer ballsy power) this album is more melodic, more musical, more intricate than Slayer's work. So making direct comparisons to Slayer is unfair.
For mine, I actually prefer the more melodic, complex approach of Megadeth. While I absolutely loved Reign In Blood, Rust In Peace is more up my melody-loving street. Additionally, even when the solos are at their craziest, they are still far more musical than the screaming noisefests on Slayer's release.
Kicking off with the wild, breakneck Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, the album is forty minutes of classic thrash metal. That opening track goes through several distinct sections (my favourite is the old school thrash section late on in the tune) and features the first appearance of the mercurial Friedman (though it must be said, Mustaine also plays his share of solos on here, and he is no slouch either). Hangar 18 tells the story of a military bunker studying aliens; two smashing riff sections highlight the first half, while the second launches into a barrage of ball-tearing solos and brutal, yet short, sections that link said solos. Take No Prisoners is another anti-war song that pulls no punches; big riffs and some ear-catching drumwork from Menza are the highlights, along with Mustaine's honest yet harsh lyrics.
Five Magics is one of the most underrated tracks here in my view; there's a briefly blistering start, before Ellefson's bass leads a slow mood-setting section. Once the lyrics start though, it's a goddamned metal masterpiece, and the lead guitar playing in particular here is absolutely phenomenal. It's the first track with a really progressive feel, with several time signature shifts and sections present, and is consequently one of the more intricate tracks here. Following that is the splendid thrash-meets-punk of Poison Was The Cure, matching the speed and brutality of punk with the technical skills of thrash, and the very mildly less-heavy Lucretia with more odd time signatures.
I found Tornado of Souls an interesting listen. It is very much a cool thrash metal tune, however it is less heavy and more hooky than its album counterparts. I pictured it very much as the only track on Rust In Peace that would find its way to commercial radio (a thrash/pop tune, if you will). It's followed by the lead bass extravaganza of Dawn Patrol, an apocalyptic tune about climate change's destruction of the world. The closing track, Rust In Peace...Polaris, is simply brilliant. Angry, biting lyrics about nuclear warfare and its effects are surrounded by some of the most massive riffs on the album (for example, listen to the section with the lyrics, "Launch the Polaris...." and tell me that ISN'T THE SICKEST RIFF YOU'VE HEARD IN METAL.) Even at the end, in the closing minute or so, the band decide that you need more sick solos and riffs, and give them to you. It's a true display of guitar mastery from Friedman and Mustaine.
The Verdict
Rust In Peace has been acclaimed as one of the most important albums in metal history...and I can see why. It's a shining example of what thrash metal can be at its finest; brutal, fast, technically proficient but musically innovative and lyrically meaningful. While the middle songs tend to lack the pure intensity of the album's bookends, there isn't a bad track anywhere (well, Dawn Patrol was hard work, in fairness).
A superb album from a legendary metal band. Well worth a spin.
My rating: **** and a half
Standout Tracks
Hangar 18
Five Magics
Rust In Peace...Polaris
My next album is another one of those bands who it is extremely uncool to admit you like...well, I do like them. So there.
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