MEGADETH — Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! (review)

MEGADETH — Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! album cover Album · 1985 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Kingcrimsonprog
Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good is Megadeth’s debut full length studio album and was released in 1985, two full years after Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax released their debut albums which would be responsible in a large part for the form and direction of the entire subgenre of Thrash Metal for the next few years. Given their late entry onto the sphere of professional recordings, in a fickle music industry it is doubly impressive how important the band would become and how they became popular soon became.

Sharing its year-of-release with other important debuts such as Overkill’s Feel The Fire and the unfortunately late Exodus debut; Killing Is My Business And Business… Is Good is a highly important album that anyone with a serious interest in Thrash Metal absolutely needs to have in their collection that provides modern listeners with an insight into the early years of the movement and which all Megadeth fans should pick up at some time or another.

The poor, but charming production job is often talked about, as are the connections with Metallica and the band’s drug habits at the time, but judged on a purely musical Merit Killing Is My Business’ is an absolutely fantastic album of well written and well performed material with a brilliant youthful energy and audible anger/determination that makes the album ‘feel’ different to all of the band’s later work.

Tracks like ‘Rattle Head,’ ‘Loved To Deth,’ and the amazing Title Track are what Thrash Metal is all about and still stand up to this day. There is variety to be had too in the second half of the album with ‘Chosen Ones,’ ‘Looking Down The Cross,’ which add some different flavour to the release.

The band’s level of musicianship is impressive considering all the surrounding circumstances and the line up featuring Dave Ellefson on bass, Chris Poland on guitar and Gar Samuelson on drums gel well together on their first of two releases made together. Listening to this album it is no surprise that they would go on to write the classic Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? record only a year later, something which a weaker line up would no doubt have been incapable of.

The tracks on this album are all great and it is a genuine delight when the band stick one into their setlist live, and can be enjoyed over and over again without becoming stale. Overall; Killing Is My Business’ is a hugely underrate record full of great songs, a must for Megadeth fans and essential for any Thrash Enthusiast as well.
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