Rust In Peace [12" VINYL]

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The main reason why RIP feels forced may have something to do with the audience they geared their music towards. This is the attitude that led to over ambition and subsequent disappointment. They tried to hard to impress any normal bloke that may come across this. Every riff of every song clearly exhibits an attempt to impress even the most casual listener. This attitude is really what restrains this album down; preventing it from becoming a masterpiece. It’s a result of wanting to make a batch of songs for metal heads of all tastes. With an attitude like that, it makes a bit difficult to take this thing seriously. Even though Peace Sells and Killing is My Business are my new found favourites, I think that Rust in Peace is probably their most accomplished album. Now, other's may argue differently; some might even say that Countdown to Extinction is the best, based on its commercial success. However, the mid-tempo approach to that album isn't as much fun as this one; this one comes closest to perfection. Just as the thrash era was coming to a close, Megadeth managed to squeeze out one last onslaught before falling into the valley of commercial-minded post-grunge metal that consumed practically every 80s thrash band in the following decade. And what a parting shot it was. Rust in Peace finds Dave Mustaine at the height of his creative power. Stuffed with theatrical, ambitious playing, creative riffs and a chemistry between the instrumentalists that scientists say technically counts as a form of magic, Rust in Peace is the high water mark of the original California thrash scene. In general everything is almost perfect with this album and the only arguable thing is the vocals. Either you will love them or you will hate them. I tend towards the first. Go Dave! The production has been done by Mustaine and Dave Clink and is crystal clear providing the field for the instruments to sound very heavy.

If you thought the first 3 songs were technical, then you will be totally unprepared for “Five Magics”. The song starts out with a frantic riff, then goes into a very off the wall but cool sounding bass line, with Menza playing an almost jazz sounding little beat under it. Friedman and Mustaine play a haunting harmony over it twice…before the song goes into it’s “thrash section”. The lyrics seem to deal with the occult, Mustaine speaks of being the “master of five magics”. The riff sounds very oddly timed and put together, but it works really well, with Friedman throwing in his excellent leads between verses as usual. Then all the sudden after 4 verses, a very weird metered riff comes in, with Friedman coming in for another excellent neoclassical solo. Mustaine even sings over it, which is even more impressive, as weird meter riffs like this are hard to coordinate instrumentally even, especially with vocals. Then the song brakes down into a simpler riff, with the whole call and response vocal thing going on again (“give me-ALCHEMY”/give me-SORCERY”, etc.). Then during the “chorus line” comes in another weird time riff, and you have to think “how did they get it this tight”, it is no wonder the band rarely plays this song live, God…then there is a really word call and response thing going on between Mustaine and I believe Ellefson over the songs first thrash riff. Then it goes into a Mustaine solo and ends. This song is just indescribable, all that technicality and rhythmic complexity, yet the song is also CATCHY…this is a the ultimate testament to Mustaine’s songwriting skills. The strongest bits of the album are at the beginning, especially the opener “Holy Wars... The Punishment Due” which to this day remains Megadeth’s finest composition and is the perfect way to open the album. Given the strength of this song and the one after it, the listener might think that they are in for a treat – but here is where the album falls flat on its face. The middle of the record is dead in the water. Not one of the songs after “Hangar 18” has anything like the huge hooks, the catchy choruses, the sense of melody or the memorable riffs that make the rest of the album so good. The one possible exception is "Five Magics" which has an interesting breakdown halfway through that provides some interest, but the rest of the time these songs just pass by aimlessly. They sound sterile, flat, and very forced. Thrashing away, certainly, but thrashing away just for the sake of it, not to produce an interesting result. The middle section of the album just leaves no impression on the listener. It is, quite frankly, a blessed relief when “Tornado Of Souls” eventually bursts into life – finally, an actual proper chorus! A hook! Interesting riffs! Sadly, it’s too little too late to save the record. My only other complaint is a minor one, but the songs do tend to sound pretty similar on the first few listens. Which is better than the songs starting to sound the same after the first few listens mind you, and there are the occasional variations such as the aforementioned Dawn Patrol (which works well as an intro of sorts to Rust In Peace…Polaris) the slow intros to Five Magics and Poison Was The Cure, and the beautiful flamenco guitar break in Holy Wars. That part fits in surprisingly well! Another great plus of this CD is the overall quality of each song. As you might probably guess from the perfect 100 score, there are no fillers on this album. Each song is a success, and that’s a rare thing indeed. All the way from the legendary ‘Holy Wars… The Punishment Due’ to ‘Rust In Peace… Polaris,’ each song is a trash masterpiece, and I never find myself wanting to press the skip button. Listening to this whole album, beginning to end, is definitely not a problem.Yes, Megadeth’s ‘Rust In Peace’ has it all. This is the album that first got me into thrash, and forever will remain amongst not only my favorite thrash albums, but my favorite albums of all time. It’s a shame no one writes stuff like this anymore, and it’s another shame Megadeth never again came close to writing such a work of art. Music Direct reserves the right to select the carrier and ship method within the terms of this offer. Few if any albums have left a legacy on the level of Megadeth's Rust in Peace. It is that one popular thrash album you don't have to be ashamed to admit loving in front of your hardcore metal-head friends. It's perfection 100% and I don't know a single metal-head who isn't in love with it. Song after song it shows how great Mustaine and crew really are. I don't know what influenced Dave Mustaine and company to create Rust In Peace. Easily one of the most incredible thrash albums I have ever heard but I could go for a slice of it. After the less successful So Far So Good... Megadeth really needed to deliver an outstanding album which they achieved easily. Despite all the hype over this album I still don't consider this album overrated. Its that good. One thing noticable other than the intricate guitarwork is that this isn't the heaviest thrash metal album you will ever hear. This melodic edge to thrash metal might not appease most but they easily make up for this with the amazing guitarwork. Dave Mustaine's vocals are also weak(although I enjoy them immensely) from a metal standpoint but he writes some incredible lyrics and music to make up for this. Which brings us to the other critical aspect to the albums success. The lead guitar of arguably one of the best lead guitarists on the planet Marty Friedman. One thing that propels Megadeth above the zounds of other thrash acts is the barrage of outstanding solo's Special mention to Dave Ellefson for his excellent basslines which is a privilege to hear in great metal music.

This is, as many people seem to note, Megadeth's finest hour. The guitar combination of Mustaine and Friedman are together for the first time, and each puts out probably the finest performance of their respective careers. There are absolutely no weak spots on this album (except one song), and it combines riffs and lead guitar in a way that few albums do. This is a good album. It's got technicality, speed, thrashy riffs, and melodic solos. The bass sounds good, and the drums don't sound as poppy as their previous album. Overall, it's pretty much what thrash metal should be. And of course… Hangar 18. This is very reminiscent of Iron Maiden in the verses and such, but then the time signature changes, and then changes some more. Can you say “Dueling solos”? Solo after solo after solo after solo after solo after solo. After solo after solo after solo. In addition, the band has a secret weapon in Dave Ellefson, because whether or not he's the most technically adept player out there (I wouldn't know) his sound is lovely. The intro to "Poison Was the Cure" is simple, but I just love that warm, full bass line, unhurried and tight as the guitars solo around him slowly build before introducing a great, fast drum and superbusy riff, pointedly showing you kids how to build a mood. Furthermore, when he's given a chance to do a solo spot he's magic, his little "Take No Prisoners" bass run being a beautiful piece of business. Tornado of Souls" is the only real conventional song on here when all's told, the other candidate "The Dawn Patrol", a highly abbreviated bass with Dave's strange English accent, being so far out of the headspace of any other thrash act, hell metal act, that it becomes worthless to compare it to anything else. There is something about this very strangeness that makes RiP such an enduring album, something more being the sheer riffing genius of the thing of course.Dave Mustaine's vocals are adequate considering he also contributes to the guitar playing but they're a fair bit away from the most desirable vocals I have heard. They have a very snarly and gritty feel to them that suit a live situation very well but are a bit off at times and can cause you to misinterpret some of the lyrics if you're not careful. The lyrics are very intelligent and range widely in subject matter, I mean even the singles aren't in the slightest bit slouches, "Hangar 18" covers the topic of ufo conspiracy, something that through all my metal discoveries have never heard any other song do. There is usually only one album of each genre that deserves a score of a perfect 100. For example, in the power metal genre, that honor belongs to Helloween’s Second Keeper. In traditional metal, that’s Dio’s ‘Holy Diver.’ In thrash… we have Rust In Peace. This album is thrash perfection, and let me start of by complimenting the songwriting. My personal experience of this album might shed some light on the situation. As a very young metal fan (I suppose I was 12 or 13 when I bought this), I was rather confused and not especially excited by the songs on offer here, although I had already noticed the quality and riff content of 'Holy Wars...The Punishment Due' and played that song the most. Later, I became more interested in the rest of the album as I warmed to the style, though I would still select certain songs for listening, usually turning my nose up at 'Take No Prisoners', 'Five Magics', and 'Poison Was the Cure', which seemed to me either muddy, aimless, or a combination of the two. Nowadays, I can listen to the entire album and hear the ideas and detail that has gone into the making even of my less favourite songs, but I still can't really say that this album approaches perfection or that all those ideas are that awesome. I suppose that my young self kind of had a point about 'Rust in Peace', mostly because I was initially left cold to some of the songs that showed technical proficiency though were not very attractive or those that were structured in odd and unhelpful forms. My first complaint is that Dave Mustaine is not much of a singer. However, to give him credit, he seems to be aware of what his voice can and cannot do well, and so despite this limitation he sings to his strengths. The best vocals are when he sings or speaks in a deep voice inflected with evil. It also helps that the vocals have been mixed in such a way that they don’t stand out too much without being lost in the mix. Overall a good job making the most out of a weakness.

What a disappointing pressing of this album [for this price]. Pressed by Specialty Records Pressing, you would think this release would shine, just like they often do with Specialty/Allied companies pressings: Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time first US pressing was made by SRC and it sounds like the best vinyl pressing of the album to me, Metallica's Ride The Lightning SRC/ARC pressings are often considered to be the best variants of the album, etc. The structuring of 'Take No Prisoners' is my main grumble, but moving on from that song I also wonder what made 'Five Magics' take the form it does. I mean, the intro is fairly cool and goes through plenty of changes that generate atmosphere and give each instrumentalist a chance to show themselves, yet when the meat of the song arrives it suddenly seems dispensable, as if it was just something interesting that the band had thought up. The same goes for 'Dawn Patrol', which is clearly inessential yet sort of entertaining in a totally different way to the shredding in 'Hangar 18' or elsewhere. I wouldn't have such a problem with the off-the-cuff structuring and inclusion of ideas if 'Rust in Peace' felt like the kind of album where the musicians were just having fun with ideas; however, it doesn't, since the level of technical ability and forethought (mostly) on show utterly disagrees with the concept that the band were jamming or having fun. I suppose that is probably my biggest criticism of 'Rust in Peace', since there isn't a sense of fun or spontaneity about the songs here, while 'Peace Sells' (the other sacred Megadeth release) does have those things. Maybe it's the mix or the production or the technical concentration that goes into some of the songs, but I can't always just enjoy what's happening here despite the extremely high level of quality.But let’s return to “Rust in Peace”. Simply put this is one of the single most explosive displays of virtuous talent, brilliant songwriting, and one of the most cohesive thrash metal albums ever! The lyrics, like the music, is very varied. You have your typical thrash songs about war and politics (i.e. "Holy Wars", "Take No Prisoners", "Dawn Patrol", "Rust In Peace") done in typical Mustaine fashion (that sort of biting, sardonic satirical thing, usually from the antagonistic POV) and great as usual, but then there’s also songs that show complete different sides of Mustaine’s lyrical abilities. In this album you will also find songs about the occult, aliens, drugs, ghosts, and, most surprisingly for a thrash album, relationships. All of the lyrics sound absolutely perfect for the songs, and this is coming out of a guy who almost never even notices lyrics in music. That’s how good they are. In my mind, MegaDave's brand of thrash metal has always been a hit or miss affair; this is proven by the albums they put out in the 80s: "Killing Is My Business" can be considered as a heavier and faster "Kill "Em All" that was messed up by shoddy production, "So Far, So Good, So What" is a remarkable singles album with a lot of noteworthy standalone, catchy and accessible songs. The album "Rust in Peace" in particular, is hailed as a thrash masterpiece by countless metalheads around the world. Dave and Co.'s fourth studio effort is a showcase of technical prowess and virtuoso musicianship; the music is truly difficult to duplicate by musicians of lesser talent and ability, for its complexity and arrangement require a level of skill, physical dexterity and mastery of one's instrument.

Music Direct reserves the right to change the terms of this promotion or discontinue this offer at any time. Rust in Peace is Megadeth's 4th album and one of their most well acclaimed with many referring to it as their greatest album. It definitely is a solid album and a worthy listen for any thrasher. Megadeth’s best shot at getting on top of the thrash heap was with this album; Metallica and Slayer had peaked four or so years ago (Anthrax never being any competition to these three), thrash was probably at it’s commercial apex- or at least pretty close to it- it was the perfect time to strike. It wasn’t a bad attempt, but various head-scratching ideas in this album stop it from being the definitive statement that Megadeth probably hoped it would be.Dave Mustaine and co. may have become a joke, or even worse, as of late. Some may say fans such as myself are living off nostalgia and days gone by more so than a bright, musical future. If you say this, you wouldn't be wrong. Megadeth's best musical days are almost certainly in their rearview mirrror, and the pumped out dross that has become commonplace for them, (Super Collider, Risk, etc), is not surprising for a band 30 years into their career. But for the time, "Rust In Peace" is and will always be an absolute landmark metal album. Countless accolades have accosted this album in the 24 years since it was first released, as have a fair number of dejectors. As a stand alone thrash metal album, it's head and shoulders above most if not all of the thrash released at the turn of the decade. With the addition of virtuouso Marty Friedman, this album is absolutely one you must hear before you die. Just like the USSR, that evil commie's nest, thrash metal still managed to make it alive past the 80s into the new decade, though we know that wouldn't last much for either of them. But contrasting with the then decaying Soviet Union, many of the infamous riff-centered metal genre's greatest glories arrived precisely in 1990. Without a doubt in my mind, Megadeth's monumental Rust in Peace easily sits atop that stellar list, ahead of other colossal works like Kreator's Coma of Souls, Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death, Annihilator's Never, Neverland, Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss and Anthrax's Persistence of Time, among others. In fact, this is probably the best year for the so-called Big Four's output in overall quality, even without 'tallica's participation, though there was never a year in which the four managed to deliver top-shelf albums at the same time, '86 being second close, and 1988 third since all four released material, but fell short due to Megadeth's own massive letdown, So Far, So Good… So What?. This album is generally seen as a classic of the thrash metal genre, and a pinnacle of Megadeth's career. While there are undoubtedly some serious high points here, this is an extremely inconsistent record.