MEGADETH – Rust In Peace

The first thing you will notice about the Thrash Metal masterpiece Rust In Peace (R.I.P.) is the high complexity of its compositions when compared to Megadeth’s previous records. This fact is probably due to the addition of great musicians to the lineup, such as Nick Menza (drums) and Marty Friedman, who had already played with Jason Becker, in the classic guitar-hero band Cacophony. These additions complemented the sharp aggressiveness of Mustaine’s riffs and lyrics and the heavy sound of Dave Ellefson’s 4-string bass, generating an album that changed a lot of people’s minds about Thrash Metal being technical without losing the energy and speed inherent within the style. This is all confirmed in track one, “Holy Wars … The Punishment Due”… a 2-in-1 song that mixes (with great success) the complex guitar and drum parts with acoustic segments, remaining pretty heavy at the same time.

The next track, “Hangar 18,” surprises the listener with a more Classic Metal approach, showing a great intro, clever vocal lines, and a lot of killer guitar solos — a pure demonstration of Friedman’s 6-string wizardry. Following “Hangar 18” is “Take No Prisoners,” which is, above all, the most aggressive and angry song on the record. Along with the fierce drumming by Nick Menza and the explosive riffs, are Mustaine’s vocals, shouting out all his rage, and, in the end, the rather charismatic phrase: “Take no prisoners, Take no … shit.” Both “Five Magics” and “Poison Was The Cure” start with a heavy bass line, but “Five Magics” presents more of a slow and obscure sound, only to then go on to a faster part in the chorus. “Poison Was The Cure” goes to the classic Thrash Metal sound right after the intro.

The sixth track, “Lucretia,” is up next. This song follows the R.I.P. formula: a great intro, sharp, thrashy riffs, heavy technical moments, clever lyrics, and excellent guitar solos… and no one thought of that before? Yes, they did, but seldom has anyone managed to put it all together with this amount of talent and good taste.

As “Tornado Of Souls” begins to play, you will find a strong pentatonic-like riff that could remind you again of a more Old School Rock ‘n’ Roll/Traditional Metal sound, but with a Speed Metal approach. This song has a charismatic chorus and very nice back-up vocals; the verse riff is also to be highlighted as a clever and strong part of this exiting RIP track.

“Dawn Patrol” — this 1:50 song has a slower bass and drums base, with a spoken part that is some kind of a introduction for the upcoming track, “Rust In Peace … Polaris,” another 2-in-1 song, which is a great ending for a great album. The lyrics talk about nuclear warfare, and how governments use it to put fear in the rest of the world, revealing once again Dave Mustaine’s political point of view present on all Megadeth’s records, and that is presented in a very strong way in this one. Again, the song is flawless and begins with a great drum intro and spits a large amount of technical riffs and well structured melodic lines.

After more than 40 minutes of constant killer, headbangin’ songs, one can understand why RIP left its mark in Thrash Metal history … excellent compositions, fantastic musicians, instigating lyrics, and a lot of talent in putting it all together in just one album.