2010 marks the 20th anniversary of Megadeth's classic thrash album, Rust In Peace, so in this feature we'll take a look back and revisit just what exactly makes it Dave Mustaine and Megadeth's most important and popular piece of work.
It was 1990. MTV was well into the prime of its “video years.” Pop still dominated the charts and airwaves, but metal was making great strides in the music world and people had begun to take it seriously. Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne occupied the metal throne, but metal was in the early stages in its transition to extreme. Even after three superb thrash metal records, vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine and his band, Megadeth, were overshadowed by his former band, Metallica. Not for long. On Sept. 24, 1990, Rust in Peace was released and the decades long debate had started: Who is better, Metallica or Megadeth? The thrash metal masterpiece cemented Megadeth in metal history and has withstood the test of time nearly 20 years later.
Megadeth was MTV's heavy metal poster child during the aforementioned “video years,” perhaps as a direct result of the lack of videos from metal's heavyweight champion, Metallica (remember, up until the "black" album, Metallica released only one video: “One”). Megadeth's “Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due” was in heavy rotation on Headbangers Ball for what seemed like months leading up to the release of Rust in Peace. I remember the video going head to head in a weekly voting competition with other videos, winning each and every week. I think it eventually was retired because it was unbeatable. Needless to say, “Holy Wars ...” was a smash hit with metalheads and anticipation hadn't been this big for a metal record in years. The song's lyrics of war in the Middle East and looking through the eyes of a terrorist couldn't be more relevant today.
With Mustaine's ongoing struggles with substance abuse supposedly behind him, he assembled the now classic and first stable lineup (lasting until 1998) of Mustaine-Ellefson-Friedman-Menza, a lineup that tops the lists of most-wanted metal reunions today. Rust in Peace debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and No. 8 in the United Kingdom, and received Grammy nominations in 1991 and 1992. The album reached platinum status in 2004. (What the fuck took so long?)
What makes this album so great? Why is it a classic? Easy: Dave Mustaine. This is the pinnacle of his career. His snarling vocals, politically-charged lyrics and guitar-god playing—you'd be hard-pressed to find any metal musician that can match this performance on any one single album. Whether he was sober or not, it doesn't matter. He clearly was locked in here and unstoppable. The album only contains nine songs, but each one is classic metal, leaving the listener in awe of the skilled musicianship, clever lyrics and multiple surprises. I must have listened to this album hundreds of times. I was 13 when the album was released.
Let's take a look at the songs:
“Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due” is phenomenal and still one of my favorite metal songs of all time. From the awesome intro, to the Middle Eastern acoustic break, to one of the best shredding guitar solos of all time, this one has it all. And wow, what a bad-ass video, as well.
“Hangar 18's” guitar duel during the second half of the song is what makes this one great. It just goes on and on and on. The lyrics deal with the government's conspiracy and cover-up of the secret bunker, Hangar 18, near Roswell, New Mexico. This is where aliens have been kept under surveillance for years, with scientists experimenting and dissecting them for research. The video, featuring all sorts of creepy alien life forms, is just as memorable as the song.
“Take No Prisoners” is one of the meanest and most straightforward Megadeth songs—a war themed song with sarcastic lyrics and a closing chorus of “Take no prisoners! Take no shit!” Again, Mustaine—never thought of as much of a vocalist—is the force of this song. His snarling, distorted vocals make this one come alive.
“Five Magics” is a fantasy-inspired song, in which the protege of a great wizard must master five magics: alchemy, wizardry, sorcery, thermatology, electricity. The song's subject matter may be somewhat out of place here, given Rust in Peace's overall theme, but this is another Megadeth standout.
“Poison Was the Cure” is the fastest and thrashiest song of the album—probably not one of Megadeth's most memorable songs ever, but it's a great fit here. It's the closest in sound to material from the first three Megadeth records, most notably Killing Is My Business ... and Business is Good.
“Lucretia” opens with a witch-like cackle and the overall theme seems to be of Mustaine's mental state, something he successfully followed up with “Sweating Bullets” from Countdown to Extinction. The song is short, tricky and has an evil, almost unsettling feel.
“Tornado of Souls,” though not an instant hit, has become a fan favorite, live staple and one of the three best songs from Rust in Peace. It has the most memorable chorus of any Megadeth song. Mustaine was clearly at the peak of his songwriting on this one. Not only that, this is another guitar lovers dream—the closing riffs and solos are not just here out of necessity or amusement. They are an integral part of the song, and they rival "Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due” for the best solos of the album.
Clocking in at a mere 1 minute and 51 seconds, “Dawn Patrol” is one of the more bizarre Megadeth songs. The song is based around a simple, funky bassline and slow drum beat, while Mustaine's vocals are an eerie, spoken-word warning of pollution, global warming and the end of the world. The closing lyrics tell it all: “We end our life as moles, in the dark of the dawn patrol.”
“Rust in Peace ... Polaris” is the perfect album closer and ties the whole piece together. Mustaine's distorted vocals sound like a mad dictator's speech and the song's lyrics deal with the Polaris nuclear missile. This song thrashes almost as hard as “Holy Wars ...,” closing one of the best metal albums ever.
A remastered version of Rust in Peace was released in 2004, and even though it contained a cool bonus track, “My Creation”—taken from the album's recording sessions—it just wasn't the same.
It's rare that I prefer an original recording to an updated use of modern technology and sound, but this was one of those occurrences. There's just no matching the sound and feel of the original album in this case. It just can't be made any better.
2010 marked the 20th anniversary of the album and earlier in the year Megadeth announced a short, month long string of "special" shows in the U.S. where they would play Rust In Peace in its entirety from start to finish. Not long after the tour announcement, original Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson rejoined the band after a 10 year absence, once again uniting with Mustaine just in time for this commemorative tour. Although the tour was a huge success, it wasn't without incident, as a show on March 16 at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, Md. with Live-Metal.net in attendance (review), ended up being cancelled due to sound problems. Fortunately, Megadeth rescheduled the show (review) the following night at the same venue and sent Baltimore fans home thirsty for more after the Rust In Peace set.
The tour was commemorated with the release of Rust In Peace Live on CD, DVD and Blu-ray. The show was recorded on the last night of the tour at the Hollywood Palladium in California.
Megadeth then toured the U.S. with Slayer and Anthrax in late Summer/early Fall on the Jagermeister music tour in a Clash of the Titans reunion of sorts. The band played Rust In Peace in its entirety night in and night out, while Slayer performed their 1990 classic, Seasons In the Abyss, also in its entirety.
Later in the year, Megadeth took part in the traveling Sonisphere Festival, playing seven shows across Europe with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Together with Megadeth, the "Big Four" of thrash metal were together at last. This is all culminated in members of all four bands putting grudges and differences aside while sharing the stage together during a show in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 22, 2010. The concert was aired in 79 movie theaters in the U.K, over 450 theaters in over 140 markets in the US, as well as being beamed into theaters in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The Big Four Live From Sofia was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 2, 2010.
Metal bands today always talk about making their own Master of Puppets. I think some should start thinking about making their own Rust in Peace. Though it's as long or epic as some of the other classic metal albums, it tops my list as the No. 1 thrash metal album ever. This was the turning point in Megadeth's career and they went on to have commercial success with future releases. Even 20 years after its release the popularity and demand for this material has never been greater. Megadeth has certainly had this realization and are now steadily giving the fans what they want—live. Not a bad album cover either.
