Megadeth is a thrash metal band formed in 1983 after lead singer Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica. They releasedthree studio albums over the following five years, but those aren’t the albums I’ll be focusing on. “Rust in Peace” was the fourth studio album by Megadeth released on September 24, 1990. It is widely considered to be one of the, if not the, best album from the genre, so I’ll be reviewing it, and rating each song today.
The first song on the album is “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.” It delves into themes of religious conflicts such as ones taking place in Israel near the time of the album’s release. The second half of the song was confirmed to be about the Marvel character “The Punisher,” but it still feels like it fits with the rest of the song. Like many others on this list, this song has many different shifts, which completely change the way it sounds. Even with all these shifts, the song still flows nicely. Overall, this song is very good, and is definitely justified as being one of the more popular tracks from “Rust in Peace.” It never seems to get old, even though it’s over six and a half minutes long. I would give this song a 5/5, as it is one of the best from the album.
The second track, “Hangar 18,” is about a government facility, which contains extraterrestrial life. Most of the song is a guitar solo, with there only being a little over a minute of singing during its five minute run time. There are some people who have a problem with this, and claim that the song could be more interesting if they had another chorus or two, but I personally don’t see this as a problem because it’s still able to keep listeners attention. This choice also allows Mustaine and Marty Friedman to show off their skills. Although it isn’t quite as good as the previous track, “Hangar 18” is still one of the best from the album. I would give this song a 4/5 because it isn’t quite as good, or memorable, as “Holy Wars.”
The third track is also the first one that shows a slight dip in quality. “Take No Prisoners” is a common phrase which means to do something in a ruthless way. The song uses the phrase, and connects it to warfare. This fits well with the rest of the album, because there are multiple tracks dealing with themes of war. This song isn’t as memorable as the first two, and the lyrics feel especially repetitive. Overall, this song is still good, so I would have to give it a 3.5/5.
Track four, “Five Magics,” is good, but feels very out of place with the rest of the album. It is about an unnamed protagonist mastering five types of magics to defeat an evil force. This song is set in a medieval setting, and it is not linked to any others from the album. Even though this track is odd, it still manages to maintain a similar sound, while being unique with its lyrics. It is also one of the only songs to use layered vocals on the album, which makes it stand out in its own right. I would personally give “Five Magics” an 4/5 because it is one of the songs I enjoy the most.
The fifth song, “Poison was the Cure,” is a much more personal song for Mustaine. It is about his drug addictions, and how they have negatively impacted his life. Even though this is a shorter track, and it doesn’t follow the typical song structure, I still think it’s very good, and it accurately depicts how drugs could ruin someone. Even though the lyrics are very well written on this track, it is still one of the weakest from the album. With all these things considered, I am going to give “Poison was the Cure” an 3.5/5.
“Lucretia” is the sixth track on the album, and it is also one of the worst. It is about a ghost named Lucretia who Mustaine believed was living in his attic. The lyrics lack any real meaning, or value, which definitely drags this one down a lot. This is also the least memorable track by far. Other than these negatives, I don’t have too much to say about this song, so I’m giving it a 3/5.
The seventh, and most popular, song is “Tornado of Souls.” It is widely regarded to have one of the hardest guitar solos to play. It’s about breaking out of a dysfunctional relationship that controls the narrator’s life. This track is probably the best from the album, as it is very good. This track made “Rust in Peace” one of the most famous thrash albums of all time. With all of these things considered, I’m going to give “Tornado of Souls” a 5/5.
The eighth track is “Dawn Patrol,” and it is the worst song from the album. Everyone who has ever listened to it will agree. Even though the vocals sound like garbage, and the song isn’t interesting at all, it still has one of the most important messages of the album. It warns of a future where pollution and nuclear radiation may drastically change peoples ways of life. Even though it has a powerful message, this song is still terrible, so it’s only getting a 2.5/5.
The ninth, and final, track is “Rust in Peace… Polaris.” It is written from the perspective of a nuclear missile, and goes in depth about all of the damage a nuke could do to the world. This track also contains the meaning of the album name. It refers to the fact that if Nuclear weapons are not used, and therefore rust, there will be peace. This is one of the longer tracks, with the second half being entirely different from the first. This is one of the better songs on the album, and it is also a perfect way to wrap it up. Overall, I would give “Rust in Peace… Polaris” a 4/5.
These are my thoughts for each song off “Rust in Peace.” Some were significantly more difficult to rank than others. In total, I would give the album a 5/5, even though “Dawn Patrol” is one of the worst thrash songs.
