Megadeth
Rust in Peace

Release Date: 1990 | Tracklist

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.


The guitar work on this album is among the best in metal history, with so many classic riffs spread across the nine tracks. "Holy Wars", "Tornado of Souls", "Hangar 18", and "Rust In Peace...Polaris", are absolute benchmark thrash metal tracks, with their legacy attesting to that. Marty Friedman was in the band for nearly a decade, yet still, his best work with Megadeth is on this album. Mustaine's rhythm guitar is essential to the driving, searing feeling these riffs give off, as the near constant strike of the riff is unceasing.


The obvious political and social overtones are not lost on the listener, as five world leaders are sat behind some sort of alien testing device. Megadeth is at their best when writing songs that are snarkily denoting higher superiority, be it world leaders or contemporaries. The common theme of "Rust In Peace" is akin to that of "Peace Sells", clearly stating that the world is headed toward a nuclear tumble, and we would all rust in peace if the leaders of this planet didn't stop doing what they were. Dave Mustaine, now much more eccentric and controversial in his beliefs, was always heavily interested in politics and government, and at his prime this worked amazingly well to his advantage. Even as far as "Endgame", which is arguably their best album of the post-1994 era. The songs are catchy, nasty, and have a message. That's what makes a good song.


In summation, "Rust In Peace" is almost always mentioned as an absolute classic, almost ad nauseam. If subjectivity in listening is such a thing, my views on this album may be slightly more biased as it opened the floodgates of heavy metal for me. I remember purchasing the CD as a naive 16 year old, and realizing two tracks in this was by far one of the greatest things I had ever heard. If more people than me can have an experience like that from this very album, than my deduction that it's as classic and timeless as it is certainly stands.

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4.6 superb

Rank: #1 for 1990