Released: 1990
Tracks: Holy Wars…The Punishment Due; Hangar 18; Take No Prisoners; Five Magics; Poison was the Cure; Lucretia; Tornado of Souls; Dawn Patrol; Rust in Peace…Polaris
Best track: Holy Wars or Rust in Peace
Track to skip: Poison was the Cure isn’t that great
Rust in Peace is a big improvement over the last one. This is Megadeth’s 3rd album in a row with a different band. Of course Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson are still here (always the case) and now they’re joined by Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman on guitar. Menza and Friedman bring in a huge leap to the quality of the musicianship. Yeah, Mustaine & Ellefson are great, and Megadeth always had good musicians, but Nick and Marty raise the bar even higher. Nick’s drumming is monstrous all over this disc and Marty can take on Mustaine’s guitar playing any day. My favorite bit of this friendly competition is the solo section on Hangar 18. Mustaine and Friedman trade off solos like an old jazz cutting contest. Who wins? The listeners probably…that whole section is possibly the best guitar playing on this album. The overall musicianship on this whole album is probably my favorite aspect. Everyone is absolutely great.
It’s obvious from the first notes of Holy Wars that this album isn’t a drug-induced sleep-fest like the last one. I *think* that Mustaine got clean between So Far So Good and Rust in Peace. Also having Marty Friedman and Nick Menza are more than enough to inspire you to make better music. Whatever the case, the attention to detail is obvious all over this recording. All of the songs are very tightly composed with everything having a purpose. The only song on here that’s not too great is Poison was the Cure. I usually don’t skip it, but it’s actually just a pretty boring song. The rest of the songs are all great. They cover a lot of ground and show Megadeth wasn’t just about playing a million miles an hour. I say that Holy Wars and the title track are the best songs, but truthfully you could put Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls & a few others in the same spot. Whatever the best song is, it doesn’t matter. All of these songs & musicians contribute to Rust in Peace being Megadeth’s best album. It’s getting the same grade as Peace Sells, but this one is slightly better. Great album.
Rating: 95
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