MEGADETH — Rust in Peace (review)

Album · 1990 · Thrash Metal

5/5 · 2021-01-28
UMUR

"Rust in Peace" is the 4th full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Megadeth. The album was released through Capitol Records in September 1990. There have been a couple of lineup changes since "So Far, So Good... So What! (1988)" as drummer Chuck Behler has been replaced by Nick Menza, and guitarist Jeff Young has been replaced by Marty Friedman. Menza had worked as Behler's drum tech, so he was recruited from within the ranks. Friedman already had a name on the scene because of his involvement with acts like Hawaii and Cacophony. Especially his work with the latter mentioned act had established his reputation as a highly skilled guitarist. He was however not the band´s first choice. Lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine auditioned several guitarists (including Dimebag Darrell of Pantera and Jeff Waters of Annihilator) before settling on Friedman.

Following the release of "So Far, So Good... So What! (1988)", Megadeth toured heavily, but bassist David Ellefson´s struggles with drug addiction put the touring activities on hold for a while. Mustaine also underwent treatment for drug- and alcohol addiction in those years, and the band were a bit of a mess. Therefore the addition of Menza and Friedman was just was the doctor ordered. Getting a couple of professionals in the band to stabilize the lineup seemed to cool the two wild Daves down and make them focus their energies on music instead of parties and drugs.

Stylistically the material on "Rust in Peace" also sounds a lot more focused and consistent in quality than the material on the three preceding albums. The gritty and aggressive energy of the early releases are pretty much gone here (although the music still features a healthy dose of aggression. It´s just a different and less savage type of aggression), which may put some listeners off, but to those who enjoy their thrash metal a bit more sophisticated and well produced "Rust in Peace" is a phenomenal release. It´s an incredibly well produced album, featuring a powerful and detailed sound production, which suits the more sophisticated nature of the material well.

The album feautures several highlights like the rather complex opening track "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", "Hangar 18", which features loads of trade-off guitar solos, and the brilliant "Tornado of Souls", but the whole album is of high quality. The new four-piece have a great playing chemistry with Mustaine and Friedman complimenting each other well with their very different solo styles, and Menza and Ellefson providing a strong and powerful rhythm foundation. Mustaine has a pretty unique voice and delivery. His voice is always sure to be an aquired taste, but he is arguably original sounding and has a passionate way of singing. The lyrical content is increasingly political in nature but also deal with other subjects.

"Rust in Peace" is a case of something good coming out of something bad. The result of of two lost souls finding a purpose in life and a renewed focus on their art, teaming up with two musicians hungry for success. No matter what the premise was, "Rust in Peace" came out a very strong high quality release. It´s one of those albums which sounds completely unique. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.