MEGADETH — So Far, So Good... So What! (review)

MEGADETH — So Far, So Good... So What! album cover Album · 1988 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
The Angry Scotsman
Underrated Album.

This album seems to have a bad rep, and was actually why I avoided it for sometime, and eventually forgot about its existence. It's a shame I didn't try it sooner, as this is a very good album.

There is another lineup change for this album. Jeff Poland and Gar Samuelson were kicked out of the band prior to this album for their excessive drug use, (this is coming from Dave!) and replaced by Jeff Young and Chuck Behler, (Gar's roadie). While not big names, they are very capable players and Young wrote all of his own solo's for the album.

The album starts with an instrumental, "Into the Lungs of Hell" which is a blazing and brilliant song. The album is a standard Megadeth production with great riffing, songwriting, unusual song structures, blazing solos and emotional lyrics about politics, bad love life, drugs, his personal relationships and a general shady past. Once again, each song is unique and interesting.

Unfortunately, this time some parts sound a little unnecessary and the album just has a bit of a strange feel. Perhaps this is due to the quickly assembled lineup not really gelling, or a bit to a good but odd production. Regardless, this is a great album. There is no bad song, though some parts do feel wrong.

There is another cover on this album, this time the famous "Anarchy in the UK", by the Sex Pistols, even featuring guitarist Steve Jones on the song. It is an intriguing metal cover and with changed lyrics Mustaine, some on purpose and some due to his inability to understand the lyrics in the original song!

502 is a fast and wild song, quite reflective of the lyrics about driving recklessly.

In My Darkest Hour is a slower, melancholic song inspired by Cliff Burton's death, and written more personally about Mustaine's failed relationship. Well, slower until it really kicks in! Very cool song.

Liar is an angry, angry song dedicated to Chris Poland while the album closes with Hook in Mouth which is a scathing attack on censorship and specifically the PMRC and has some wicked music.

While no masterpiece and suffers a bit from band instability, this is a great album.

Four Stars

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