Album Review: Deafheaven - New Bermuda

Experimentation isn't too welcome in the black metal community. This was made awfully clear when Deafheaven's previous album Sunbather, though it garnered widespread critical acclaim, was dismissed by the genre's many purists as "hippie metal" for it's unconventionally bright and triumphant sound. I personally despise this kind of close-mindedness. The album's innovation and diversity was one of the greatest reasons it was the best metal record of the year (2013) for me.

New Bermuda continues to expand on the band's experimental style, blending together various influences from post-rock, thrash metal and shoe-gaze, but somewhat follows the same overall blueprint as Sunbather - a mixture of despair and beauty, loud distorted passages accompanied by soft and melodic ones. The band has, however, significantly cut down on the vivid and vibrant atmosphere, which was a major element on Sunbather, and has turned to a comparatively darker sound The instrumentation is harsher and more abrasive, George Clarke's screams are sharper and sound chillingly anguished, and the lyrics are depressing, dealing with the idea of a life devoid of all happiness.

The album opens with the band in full-form, with Brought To The Waters. One of the instantly striking features is the drumming, which remains a highlight till the end of the album. It is a marvel how effortlessly Daniel Tracy transitions between drum rolls, never for a second faltering in his timing. The track is a solid one, successfully weaving in bits of melody into the gritty and chaotic instrumentation.

Next up, Luna kicks in with its Slayer-esque guitar riff. The thrash influence is distinctly audible throughout most of the song's length, with many of the riffs following the style of the genre's characteristic chugging and galloping sound, though the murk and atmosphere of black metal still takes the center-stage. Baby Blue, on the other hand, serves as a testament to the band's versatility, and stands as the most diverse track on the album, with a smooth undistorted intro, some thrashy riffing and a wah-wah pedal guitar solo. The most interesting track however, is the album-closer - Gifts for the Earth. The song features Clarke's distressed black metal vocals over soft and clean instrumentation in the background, sounding like a post-rock band with a black metal vocalist.

Deafheaven hasn't exactly matched the brilliance of Sunbather, which by no means is an easy task, but created a worthy follow-up to it. With just three albums into their career, the band has already won the spot for the best American black metal act in my list.

Rating: 9/10

Track Review: Megadeth - Fatal Illusion

Fatal Illusion, the lead single from Megadeth's upcoming album, has just been released on YouTube through Megadeth's official Vevo channel. When I first came across the track on the Internet, I was in a sort of dilemma whether to play it immediately or listen to it later. I was just too scared of being disappointed, since Megadeth is one of my favorite bands and it hurts me when they put out sub-standard music (like their previous studio album Super Collider). But as soon as the first riff blared through my speakers, I knew that Megadeth was truly back with something that'll kick ass.

The song is also the first piece of music we have heard from Megadeth's new line-up consisting of the newly recruited Kiko Loureiro (guitarist) and Chris Adler (drummer, Lamb Of God). If you're one of those fans worried whether they'll be able to keep up the quality, rest assured. Dave Mustaine has made the right choice, like always.

The first minute, with its prog-metal sounding riff and drums, creates an atmosphere similar to the song Five Magics from the band's cult-classic Rust In Peace album. Adler's skills are also given enough room to shine through, as he play a bunch of well-timed drum fills. A sick bass-line by David Ellefson follows immediately, kicking off the next three minutes of sheer head-banging awesomeness.

The riffs are thick and fairly intricate, standing as proof that Dave hasn't lost his songwriting genius even by a bit. Though it may sound strange, some of the riffs in the song's last minute reminded me slightly of Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying era. Chris Adler's drums fit in well with the band's style, which serves as as a testament to his versatility. Judging from Kiko's solo, he is a better guitarist than the previous Chris Broderick; a little less robotic, I feel, but is a long way from Marty Friedman, the band's most loved guitarist who played on Rust In Peace, and that was expected since Marty is a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

The only criticism I feel the song deserves is that - Dave's vocal style did not suit the track. He should have used the raw high-pitched snarling voice (he is so known for), which would have added a great deal of energy and intensity to the already intense instrumentation.

Rating: 8/10

Track Review: Demi Lovato - Confident

Demi Lovato has previously said that her new album showcases her "badass" side and now, she has given us a glimpse with her new single Confident. The song sums up all the the intentions Demi has, with her new album, of telling the world that she is no longer the coy and cutesy teen she used to be, she has matured. After showing us the sexual side of her maturity with Cool For The Summer which I really enjoyed, Demi declares her unquenchable ambition to "run the show" and how she is "the boss right now" with Confident.

The song begins promisingly with blaring trumpets setting the song's triumphant mood. The booming bass-drum beats and snapping fingers kick in next. When Demi's voice enters the mix, I'm all ready for a catchy little tune. Though the song is fairly hooking, it left me disappointed. It is not a song that can be listened to on repeat. Hearing Demi sing lyrics like "Bitch, I run the show" is worth revisiting though.

Confident is a sassy statement and serves Demi's purpose of expressing her ambition and confidence, but is nowhere as well-written or catchy as Cool For The Summer which had gotten me excited for her album.

Rating: 6/10

Album Review: Slayer - Repentless

Slayer is undoubtedly going through the toughest time in their career. Guitarist Jeff Hanneman who wrote majority of the band's material has passed away, and their drummer Dave Lombardo has quit the band, and been replaced by Paul Bostaph. Bostaph is no amateur, but Lombardo's virtuosity is simply irreplaceable. Despite all of this, the band has managed to put together a decent album and that, I feel, deserves to be commended.

Apart from Jeff Hanneman's Piano Wire, the entire album is written by fellow founding guitarist Kerry King. While he does a great job maintaining the "Slayer" standard of quality, the absence of Hanneman's songwriting can be felt throughout the record. There are some solid riffs sporadically appearing on the album, but they're outnumbered by the average ones. It's easy to see that Kerry is playing it safe here, limiting the sound to Slayer's basic style.

Kerry continues with his trademark fashion of high pitched chaotic shredding with his solos, while the newly recruited Gary Holt's solos are refreshingly steadier, in comparison. What bothers me is how less of Holt's talent Slayer made use of. His solos appear only on 4 tracks and that I feel is grave injustice, considering how skilled of a guitarist he is.

The vocals on the album aren't as barbarous or brutal as Slayer's previous records and I don't blame Tom Araya for it. His style of vocals require a great deal of focus and energy which is almost impossible to maintain at an age of 54, and yet he comes through to give an enjoyable performance. Bostaph's drumming manages to keep up with the band's ferocity, with his talent put on full display in Cast The Fire Stone, but it's hard not to feel the gaping void that Lombardo's departure has created.

Most of Repentless follows Slayer's classic musical template. The title track, Take Control, Vices Implode are all typical fast paced Slayer songs. Cast The Fire Stone is a mid-speed track with chugging guitar riffs and When The Stillness Comes follows the style of some of the band's slower classics like Dead Skin Mask and South of Heaven. Lyrically, the album is more diverse than Slayer albums usually are, covering themes like alcoholism, war, revenge and society.

In all, Repentless is a quintessential Slayer record. Fast riffs, gory lyrics, frantic double-bass drumming, breakdowns - they're all here. But it somewhat misses the brutality and power Slayer is loved for, the kind of ferocious intensity that makes me feel uneasy (in an enjoyable way).

Favorite Songs: When The Stillness Comes, Cast The Fire Stone, Vices, Pride In Prejudice

Rating: 6.5/10

Music Video Review: Ghost - From The Pinnacle To The Pit

The entire enigmatic persona Ghost has created, of the lead singer being a Satanic Pope a.k.a Papa Emeritus and the other masked "nameless ghouls", is becoming more and more enjoyable with everything the band does. And it's a joy to see them continuously expanding this identity with their music, and now with their music videos too.

Ghost's latest video for From The Pinnacle To The Pit brings the strange dark world of theirs to vivid life like never before.

It tells the story of Papa Emeritus' evolution from an ordinary kid to the evil leader he is now. The video begins with Papa Emeritus as a boy in school, drawing an inverted cross on his desk and being taken to the principal for it. What follows is a twisted turn of events which I'll leave for you to see for yourself.

Apart from the bizarre story, what makes the video such a winner is the vintage art style. The imagery and the style of motion graphics are highly reminiscent of the cult classic 1930 sci-fi film Metropolis and clips from various vintage films have also been used. I truly feel that there couldn't be a better visual style for the video. It beautifully complements all the spookiness of the story and the song.

Rating: 8.5/10

Quick Album Review: Iron Maiden - Book of Souls

Most legendary bands reach an inevitable point in their career, when they are struck with the realization that their days of artistic glory are over. Though their latest releases sell well, the band is loved mostly for the achievements they made 20-30 years ago. They realize that they have gained the "legend" status and cannot perform concerts without playing their old hits and set a limit to experimentation to preserve their "classic" sound which the fans have grown to love over the years. With Book of Souls, Iron Maiden boldly refuses to be such a band and proves they're still the unstoppable force they were in the 80s.
  

Book of Souls is beyond anything we could have expected. Creating 90 minutes of sheer theatrical epic-ness is, by no means, an easily achievable task, but Maiden makes it seem effortlessly simple. Though the lyrics follow the same old signature Maiden themes of battles and adventures accompanied by melodic dual-guitar, soaring dramatic vocals and of course bad-ass bass-lines, the album sounds more grandiose and ambitious than anything the band's done before. The 18-minute closing track Empire of Clouds stands as proof.

Starting off with Bruce Dickinson singing over a lone piano harmony, the song builds itself up slowly, with guitars and drums kicking in, into a beautiful metal symphony. It is nothing less than watching a long spellbinding theater performance.

The Red And The Black is another gem. Throughout its length of 13 minutes, with its clever riffs and Bruce's vocal delivery, the song keeps you captivated. The "Whoa oh oh oh" chants are just infectious.

The mid-sized tracks on the album, are just as strong, the opener If Eternity Should Fail, being my favorite out of them.

If you are one of those people who lost faith in the power of Maiden, after listening to their previous album The Final Frontier, you definitely need to hear Book of Souls. Though they've made it 40 years into their career, the album is one of their best.

Favorite Songs: If Eternity Should Fail, Empire of Clouds, Book of Souls, Red and the Black

Rating: 8.5/10

Quick Album Review: The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness

I usually enjoy sexually expressive music, being a huge fan of artists like Marvin Gaye and Prince. Curious with all the hype surrounding The Weeknd and his upcoming album, I decided to look into some of his previous work. Though I wasn't very impressed, it made me look forward to hearing Beauty Behind The Madness.

The album has a fair share of catchy moments, and also a decent amount of skippable tracks. Tell Your Friends, produced by Kanye West, stands out as the album's brightest jewel with it's hooking vocal melody and light production, slightly reminiscent of Kanye's Bound 2. The Michael Jackson-esque Can't Feel My Face is another highlight.

When it comes to lyrics, The Weeknd has done the best he can to make sure that the album never feels pleasant, not even for a moment. His rambling on about his obsession with drugs, money and loveless sex maintains a dark tone till the end, and he warns us about this in the first song, Real Life singing "Tell 'em this boy wasn't made for loving".

This theme just didn't work for me. When I play a sexual R&B album, I expect it to be passionate, something which gets me in the mood, even if it is dark. But Beauty Behind the Madness gave me a bitter, obsessive and misogynistic perspective instead. Come on, there are a million better things to do with sex than obsess over it - enjoy it, for instance?

Favorite songs: Tell Your Friends, Can't Feel My Face


Rating: 6/10

Album Review: Miley Cyrus - Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz

Miley seems to have a tradition of surprising us on VMAs. At the 2013 VMAs she surprised us with her raunchy twerking, and now, in 2015 returning to the show as the host, she surprises us with a free album. I had pretty low hopes from Dead Petz, expecting it to be the same old flimsy commercial pop Miley gave us on Bangerz, but Dead Petz is worse.

The album sees Miley taking on a psychedelic pop sound and the heavy influence of Wayne Coyne of the band Flaming Lips, who produced most of the album and also co-wrote a few of it's songs, is clearly heard in the music. Miley has also thankfully gotten rid of the overdone production we found on Bangerz and has switched to a more stripped down style.

Not wasting any more words, I'll get straight to the point. Apart from the songs Karen Don't Be Sad, Bang Me Box and I Get So Scared, I found the album to be pretty awful. The songs on Dead Petz feature some of the worst vocals Miley has performed in her career, and this time there is no heavy production to save her either. In the last track Twinkle Song, a piano ballad, Miley makes hilarious attempts at singing at a high pitch, which only ends up sounding like she's shouting.

The album's lyrics sound as if they were written after a quick read-through of "Poetry For Dummies". Most of the times they sound pretentious, and when they don't, they sound nonsensical, like in the first track Dooo It. The lyrics on the song Pablow The Blow-fish, about Miley's dead blow-fish are another great example. It is just impossible to figure out whether the song is meant as a joke or it is actually meant to be a mournful ballad, since it is too drab for the former and too silly for the latter.

A song that I did enjoy was Bang Me Box. The funky guitars and synths matched with the raunchy lesbian lyrics made quite a groovy combination.

To conclude, I feel, it was a brilliant decision to make this album a free one. I don't think anyone would have paid for such substandard music. Miley has said that Dead Petz was a side project, and she's currently working on another major release. Well, if she is, I'm not a bit excited for it.      

Favorite Songs: Bang Me Box, Karen Don't Be Sad

Rating: 3.5/10

Track Review: Slayer - Cast The First Stone

Slayer just released a new track from their much awaited upcoming album Repentless (coming out on 11th September), called Cast The First Stone.

The heavy mid-tempo song is lyrically a war-cry about vengeance. Guitarist Kerry King told Rolling Stone that he got the idea for the song while walking around Athens, thinking about all the battles that had been fought there over the centuries.

Starting off with a slow ominous intro, the guitars break into an impressive chugging riff accompanied by the newly recruited Paul Bostaph's frantic drum rolls. Cast The First Stone is surprisingly drum-heavy throughout, with plenty of rapid double bass sections in the style of the band's former drummer Dave Lombardo.

The song's first solo is quite clearly played by Gary Holt and he's done a pretty good job, while Kerry follows his same old style of high-pitched chaotic noises.

Cast The First Stone, on the whole is a good song but is nowhere near Slayer's previous work. Late guitarist Jeff Hanneman's songwriting's absence can be strongly felt in the music and the brutality and intensity that Slayer is known for is somewhat missing.

Rating: 7/10

Favorite Songs of The Week: Aug 21 - 27

He Is by Ghost
Ghost is probably the most quirky band to have appeared in the metal scene in a while, with their unique blend of metal, 70s rock and Satanic lyrics. However, ridiculous this concoction may sound, it works amazingly well and the song He Is is the strongest proof of it. Like all Ghost songs, the track features some brilliantly layered instrumentation. The guitar melodies never fail to impress and the solo at the end is a highlight.

Alchemy by Mick Jenkins
Alchemy, the first song off the Waves EP, establishes Mick as a poet and not merely a rapper. The song is full of symbolisms, metaphors and clever lines like "creating this gold from the lead in my pencil, I think I'm an alchemist" which is sure to make it a favorite among rap fans and English teachers alike.

All That by Carly Rae Jepsen
All That is undoubtedly the most beautiful song ever recorded by Carly Rae Jepsen. The bass guitar slaps, and the piano and synth harmony clearly show a strong influence from Prince's early music (Controversy era), and I'm sure Prince too would be proud of this heart-wrenching ballad. The song's lyrics may sometimes seem a little cliche but the instrumentals and Carly's vocals do more than enough to make up for it.

High by Royal Headache
Royal Headache's new album, I feel, was the best of the week, each song being equally catchy, raw and energetic. The title track, however, stood out to me as the best written. The melody is catchy and Shogun's vocals are powerful.

Gimmie Love by Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion, is packed with "catchy-as-hell" tracks from the beginning till the end, but Gimmie Love is easily the catchiest of them all. It is simply impossible for a pop song to go wrong when it has such an unforgettable chorus.  

Album Review: Royal Headache - High

With their debut album, Australian punk rock band Royal Headache, turned quite a lot of heads with their raw and gritty tunes. Listening to their music, you can vividly picture the band playing in a garage or a basement packed with wild rebellious teenagers head-banging and spilling beer over each other. It's been four years since their first album, and the band has had a lot of internal tensions, but they've finally released their second album High, and I love it.

From start to finish, the album is packed with raw energy. The loud and rough guitar chord progressions and strong vocals would even get a 90 year old grandma up on her feet, leaping about like a madwoman. And of course, since they are Royal Headache, all the ten songs on the album are relentlessly catchy. The title-track - High, in particular, refused to leave my head for quite some time. The drums and guitar make a hard hitting combination, sometimes with keyboards added in the mix, and the songwriting is quite strong, but what I feel really takes the center-stage are the vocals. There is both, passion and emotion, in Shogun's voice, really prominent on certain tracks, like Another Day and Love Her If I Tried.

The band has also diversified in terms of songwriting. Apart from the hard-rocking tunes, there are also some equally amazing slower ones (Wouldn't You Know, Carolina). The lyrics too show a little variety, although most of the album is based on love. On the opening track, My Own Fantasy, Shogun sings about how he used to fantasize about the fame and "tons of girls" which he thought came as a part of being in the rock scene, but now that he is in it, he realizes how different things are from his expectations. On the other hand, there is Garbage, built around a sick bass line, containing hilariously offensive lyrics like "You're not punk, you're just scum".

High is the kind of album that would make The Ramones and Sex Pistols, proud to see what has become of the genre that they so passionately created. I strongly recommend you give the album a listen.

Favorite songs: High, My Own Fantasy, Need You, Another Day

Rating: 8.5/10 

Quick Album Review: Burning Bridges By Bon Jovi

Burning Bridges is the thirteenth studio album by the 80s rock icons, Bon Jovi and their first record without guitarist Richie Sambora, a founding member. The album has been described by the band as a "fan album" and Burning Bridges is exactly that - "a fan album". It is a rehash of the band's old and tired commercial rock sound, only meant to please the band's loyal fans and justify their upcoming world tour, as admitted by Jon Bon Jovi himself.

Most of the album's songs are unfinished tracks reworked for release, some written during The Circle sessions, and they have nothing very exciting to offer. The ballad Blind Love, however is a standout track. Although, it has been done countless times before by the band with hits like Bed of Roses, the song charms you with it's tender lyrics and fragile melody. The guitar-heavy I'm Your Man, is another notable highlight. With the ending track, Burning Bridges, Bon Jovi announces the band's departure from Mercury Records, the label which they have been signed to for the past 30 years, with some pretty harsh lyrics. Jon sings in a raspy country voice over acoustic guitars, "Adieu, good night, guten abend/Here's one last song you can sell", "Hope my money and my masters/Buy a front row seat in hell". You just can't help giggling to it.

Burning Bridges, to me, is a decent album at best.

Favorite Songs: Blind Love, I'm Your Man

Rating: 6/10

Album Review: Emotion By Carly Rae Jepsen

I feel Carly Rae Jepsen is an underrated artist. Though her sugary pop hit "Call Me Maybe" ruled 2012, she has made equally good (and sometimes better) music which went largely unnoticed by the masses. Her previous album, Kiss, in particular, deserved a lot more attention than it received.

After three years of studio silence, Carly is back with Emotion, an 80s pop influenced collection of 12 songs handpicked out of the 250 songs Carly recorded for this project. She makes it quite clear, with her notoriously catchy hooks and charming lyrics that she is well ahead of most of her peers in the pop scene, and is also a very capable songwriter. The album features some talented guest artists such as Sia (in Boy Problems) and Rostam Batmanglij ( in Warm Blood) who have assisted Carly in songwriting, and their talent is put to good use.

The album draws you in, with Run Away With Me's saxophone intro, and refuses to let go up till the very end. It gives you one catchy chorus after another and often compels you to get up, wherever you are, and dance like you're out of your mind. The 80s pop sound is ever-present and literally gushes out, on certain songs like the slow and tender All That, which immediately brings to mind Prince's Do Me Baby, with it's occasional bass guitar slaps and synth and piano harmony. The Cyndi Lauper influence shines bright on Gimmie Love and a few Madonna-isms can be found too, like in Let's Get Lost. Gimmie Love is also one of the most smartly produced songs on the album. After creating an exciting build-up to the chorus, the production reduces itself to a simple electronic beat, letting the melody enthrall us to it's fullest. The album, overall, is pretty well produced, and never sounds "choked" like a lot pop music does these days. Carly's producers have made sure that her vocals remain the main target of attention and the production serves only as a tool to complement it.

The tremendous efforts put into making this record (the 250 demos), certainly haven't gone to waste, Emotion is definitely the best pop album of the year so far. The album remains insanely catchy from start to finish, and some songs surpass Call Me Maybe by a mile. The 80s throwback that Taylor Swift attempted with her commercial blockbuster 1989, has been done in a far more effortless and elegant way with Emotion. In the end, I would only like to say that I "really really really" like this album.

Favorite songs: All That, Gimmie Love, I Really Like You, Let's Get Lost

Rating: 8/10

Album Review: Ghost - Meliora

If you're an active member of the metal community, you must have certainly heard of the Swedish heavy metal group - Ghost. They are easily one of the most hyped bands to have come out of the metal scene in a long time and this hype is a result of both - their mysterious stage persona, and their uncanny music style.

Meliora is Ghost's third studio album and they are in top form. The band has notably polished and evolved the 70s-rock influenced metal sound that they brought to the scene with their amazing debut record, Opus Eponymous in 2010, with better songwriting and some brilliant instrumentation. The vocal and guitar melodies are catchier, and the intricate harmonies backing them are a testament to Ghost's ingenious musicianship. While the 70s rock scene still remains a major influence, Ghost's sound has slightly expanded and hints of progressive rock and thrash metal can be heard in their music. Another improvement I felt were the vocals, which sound sort of theatrical and fit perfectly well with Ghost's equally theatrical musical style.

The strongest highlight of Meliora is definitely the instrumental arrangements. Throughout the album, Ghost has made use of synths, pianos, acoustic guitars, choir vocals, harps and so much more to create a layered blend to complement their catchy melodies, yet none of the songs ever feel stuffed or congested. The tracks Cirice and He Is are prominent examples. Ghost also realizes that the tiniest of details can make significant differences like the ticking sound of a clock used in the last song, Deus In Absentia during the silence between the drum beats.  

I feel that with Meliora, the band has finally succeeded in painting a vivid image of the dark and blasphemous world which they tried to portray with their previous albums, but only remained a vague idea up till now. The lyrics and the hypnotic vocals in each song do more than enough to create an overall atmosphere of the album and bring Ghost's world of Satanic Popes and ghouls to life.

Meliora is a major leap forward for Ghost.

Favorite Songs: Cirice, He Is, Deus In Absentia, Majesty

My Rating: 8/10

Album Review: Rust In Peace by Megadeth

With 1986's thrash milestone Peace Sells... But Who's Buying, Megadeth had already developed a cult following and established themselves as one of the spearheads of the thrash movement. Surging with an unprecedented level of raw arrogance and a slight technical edge, the album had brought along huge set of possibilities to the genre. Since a record of such significance is usually a singularity in most bands' discographies, fans and critics were quick to form an opinion (further strengthened by the release of the fairly decent follow-up - So Far So Good So What) that Megadeth had created their untouchable classic. But only 4 years later, they would behold the magnum opus that would permanently enshrine Megadeth in the chronicles of heavy metal history - Rust in Peace.

Frequent changes in Megadeth's line-up have been a major reason for the band's constant evolution in sound, preventing the sonic stagnation faced by countless of their comrades over the years like Slayer. The line-up behind Rust in Peace included the newly-recruited ex-Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman on lead guitar, and Nick Menza on drums. Continuing with the band for a decade, they would be the longest staying guitarist and drummer Megadeth ever had, and also the most popular.

Marty and Nick brought along the savage technicality that steered the band away from the jazz influence ex-members Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson were responsible for and defined Megadeth's style for the coming years. Nick knew the fiercest ways of complementing front-man Dave Mustaine's heavy thrash riffing while Marty, one of the rarest talents to have joined the group, was a genius at blending exotic melody with technical virtuosity.

Though Rust in Peace may be a thrash metal album at its core, it is layered and sprinkled with its own quirks and oddities. It also wouldn't be wrong to call it experimental. Staples of the thrash metal genre like power chords or gallops never really form a major part of Mustaine's guitar riffs, and are almost neglected on some tracks, like "Hangar 18" where a strummed chord-progression makes up the rhythm. Melody has been given a larger role to play than usual which adds a slight commercial appeal; but this doesn't stop the album from being the insanely technical composition it is. The songs are unconventionally structured with multiple sections, unexpected tempo shifts and changing time signatures - a height of complexity that had remained untouched by any preceding thrash metal record although Metallica's "And Justice For All" had come close.

 

"Peace Sells... But Who's Buying" had already proclaimed how proficient a songwriter Dave Mustaine could be. Rust in Peace, on the other hand, shows us a definitive transition from a naive young rocker to a mature musician hungry to create art that would be remembered and looked up on.

What truly takes the center-stage however, is the guitar work. Marty Friedman's distinctive style is made full use of and the solos on the album are some of the best solos in the band's vast discography, if not the best in the genre. "Hangar 18" sees Marty and Dave engaging in an intense guitar duel, monstrously shredding through some Middle-Eastern melodies, while the quirky "Tornado of Souls" solo, with its powerful bends and vibratos, is simply a jaw-dropper. Mustaine's intricately composed guitar riffs keep the album's raw energy flowing; though they're mostly fierce and intense, for which the album opener "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" would be the best example, they can also be catchy like in "Lucretia" or "Poison Was the Cure".

Apart from all the instrumental sophistication, Megadeth has made sure to add enough straight-forward thrash material to keep the purists pleased. The fast and rough head-bangers "Take No Prisoners" and "Rust In Peace... Polaris" brim with explosive aggression and are as assertive as thrash metal can get.

 

Dave Mustaine's lyrical obsession with politics, corruption and warfare is also featured in all its glory. The mood is ominous, with the subject matter revolving around the idea of the world heading towards a nuclear waste. It must be noted that the album was written at a time when the Cold War hadn't yet ended and the threat of a nuclear conflict breaking out was as real as it could ever be. And so, passing Mustaine off as a paranoid conspiracy theorist, as many people to tend to, wouldn't be justified.

Rust in Peace, along with Metallica's Master of Puppets and Slayer's Reign in Blood, stands as one of the most defining achievements in thrash metal, opening the genre's gates to versatility and broadening its expanse. Over the years, the album would become a standard-setter for 90s thrash metal bands, and also Megadeth's finest hour till date.

Favorite Tracks: Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls, Holy Wars

10/10