Rust in peace is the fourth studio album from Megadeth. It was released in 1990 and is widely considered among fans and critics to be one of their best, if not the best album from the band. In any case it has gone down in history as an essential album in the Thrash Metal genre. For me, it surpasses all of their previous albums for sure. The songs are easily recognizable and the production is on another level than before.
The lyrics are more political than ever and as I’ve said before, Dave Mustaine always has something important to say. He doesn’t create lyrics that are “empty” or the typical rock n roll lyrics about sex and drugs, although I haven’t analysed them all in detail. But let’s put it this way. The songs that I mainly consider essential all have conscious lyrics.
On Rust in Peace I think that Holy Wars… The Punishment Due and Hangar 18 stands out the most. They are also the opening tracks and set the tone for the whole album. The guitar playing is top notch of course and I think that Dave Mustaine’s ability as a singer has evolved too. It’s still not his strong suit, but he gets the job done, and it fits the music!
On Rust in Peace there’s new personnel once again. Alongside vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson we find the first appearance out of four by drummer Nick Menza and the first appearance out of five by guitarist Marty Friedman. And I truly believe this was the injection of vitamins the band needed. This setting delivered the best albums of the entire discography.
This is where the more mature Megadeth evolved from!
