Review Summary: The Weaker Of The Two Thrashterpieces.
2 of 7 thought this review was well writtenMegadeth are a band that is known universally throughout metal fans. Having sold more than 90 million albums, they have released many classic, succesful albums, including two that are considered to be sacred cows of thrash metal. The albums i refer to are, of course, Peace Sells But Whose Buying, their 1986 opus, and Rust In Peace, a 1990 masterpiece. Of the two, the latter is frequently considered to be better, but i disagree strongly. However, that is not to call RIP a terrible album, because that would be a bigger pile of *** than Limp Bizkit.
Kicking things off with Megadeth classic Holy Wars... The Punishment due, we are treated to an absolutely incredible song that never stops kicking ass. The time signature changes make this one of the more complex songs on the album, and this really adds to it. From heavy to slow and heavy, to even heavier and fast, this song has it all, with chaotic vocals, insane guitar work, and nice drumming and bass work. The best intro to any album of all time? Quite possibly!
Skip down the next two tracks, Hangar 18 and Take No Prisoners, we hear the first weak song of the album, Five Magics. This takes far too long to get going, and everything feels very underwhelming when it finally does kick in. The intro could have been made very brooding, but instead it is the most boring section of the album in my opinion, except Dawn Patrol. When it gets going, it salvages itself, but not enough to live up to the three tracks prior to it.
An often overlooked gem of a song, Poison Was The Cure, is next up. Dealing with Dave's heroin addiction, this song really does kick massive amounts of ass, with its technical guitar work, energetic vocal performance from Dave, and frantic drumming. This really is one that is overlooked too much, and gets slept on by too many people.
The next two tracks are my favourites on the album. Lucretia, and Tornado Of Souls. The latter needs no introduction, as it is one of the most well known songs by the band, and the former has a nice vocal performance, before the most ass kicking series of solo's on the album (yes, that includes Tornado).
After the minute intro, Dawn Patrol, we are gifted another thrash classic with no punches pulled, Rust In Peace Polaris. This song has insane drumming, and some crazy guitar work-thee last two minutes, the Polaris section, is possibly one of the best parts of the album for me personally.
This album is chocked full of moments that make the listeners jaw drop. The Spanish acoustic solo on Holy Wars, the 3 minutes guitar duel at Hangar 18's climax, the one minute solo of Tornado Of Souls, the beautiful lyrics to Lucretia, the ass kicking ending to Rust In Peace Polaris. This album is really crammed full of *** to talk about.
However, this album also has its down moments. The tracks Five Magics and Dawn Patrol really do ruin the flow of this album, and therefore are what makes me say that this album is not quite on the level of Peace Sells But Who's Buying. However, it is still a ***ing essential purchase. If you do not own this album, you have something critically wrong with you.
