Rust in Peace | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 24, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
Studio | Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, California [1] | |||
Genre | Thrash metal | |||
Length | 40:44 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | ||||
Megadeth chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rust in Peace | ||||
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Rust in Peace is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 24, 1990, by Capitol Records. [2] It was the first Megadeth album to feature guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza. The songs "Hangar 18" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" were released as singles. A remixed and remastered version of the album featuring four bonus tracks was released in 2004.
Since its release, Rust in Peace has often been named as one of the best thrash metal records of all time, by publications such as Decibel and Kerrang! , and listed in the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards. At the 1991 Foundations Forum, the album received a Concrete Foundations Award for "Top Radio Album" and the single "Hangar 18" won "Top Radio Cut" award. [3]
In 1988, Megadeth appeared at the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park in the UK, alongside Iron Maiden, Kiss, Helloween, Guns N' Roses, and David Lee Roth. The band performed to an audience of more than 100,000 people [4] and was soon added to the "Monsters of Rock" European tour, but dropped out after the first show due to bassist David Ellefson's drug problems. [5] Further issues within the band caused frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine to fire drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young, and cancel their scheduled 1988 Australian tour. [6] Nick Menza, previously Behler's drum tech, was hired as the band's new drummer. [7] The search for a new guitarist was a drawn out process; Mustaine examined a number of guitarists for the job, including Dimebag Darrell of Pantera, who was initially offered the job before declining, as he requested that his Pantera brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, also be hired. [8] Jeff Waters of Annihilator was also considered. [9] Mustaine had asked original Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland to rejoin the band, [10] with Poland tracking lead guitar parts on demo versions of all the songs that ended up on the studio album. [11] According to Poland, he was "99 percent going to join" the band but was talked out of it by his manager. [10] According to Mustaine, one of the last guitarists he had heard about, Marty Friedman, had sent him a copy of Dragon's Kiss , on which Friedman played. Upon listening to the record, Mustaine had Friedman come in to audition and hired him. [7] This would become the band's first stable line-up and, as recognized by fans, the 'classic' Megadeth lineup. [12]
The album title Rust in Peace was inspired by a bumper sticker that Mustaine saw on the back of a vehicle while driving home from Lake Elsinore, California. The sticker read: "May all your nuclear weapons rust in peace". Mustaine liked the concept and decided to use it as a title for Megadeth's upcoming album. [13] Rust in Peace was recorded at Rumbo Recorders with producer Mike Clink, while the mixing was handled by Max Norman. [14] Clink was brought in for his work on both Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction and UFO's Strangers in the Night . [15] The producer's work dealt mostly with the bass, drums and Friedman's guitar. [16] In a 2002 interview, Mustaine declared that they "really didn't make the record with [Clink]" as at the time he was focused on Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I and II – which were also being recorded at Rumbo – and stated most of the work in the album was done by himself, Norman, and engineer Micajah Ryan. [17]
The album artwork was created by artist Ed Repka, [14] who previously had done the cover for Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? in 1986. [18] It references "Hangar 18", and depicts band mascot Vic Rattlehead and world leaders of the era viewing an alien body. In addition to creating the album's cover, Repka also supplied artwork for the album's two singles. [19] The object Rattlehead is holding was confirmed by Mustaine to be a material resembling Kryptonite. [20]
The men featured on the cover are, from left to right: an unidentified British representative, Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, German President Richard von Weizsäcker, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, and United States President George H. W. Bush. [21] [ dubious – discuss ]
The album features multiple lyrical themes: religion, [22] politics and warfare, as well as Mustaine's personal issues, such as his fight against drug and alcohol addiction, [23] UFO conspiracy theories [24] and even the Marvel Comics character Punisher. [25]
The opening song, "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" finds its thematic inspiration derived from the Northern Ireland conflict, in which the largely Catholic nationalist community were in conflict with the mainly Protestant loyalist community over the sovereignty of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Mustaine has said that at a show in Antrim, Northern Ireland, he discovered bootlegged Megadeth T-shirts were on sale. He was dissuaded from taking action to have them removed on the basis that they were part of fund raising activities for "The Cause", [26] explained as something to bring equality to Catholics and Protestants in the region. Liking how "The Cause" sounded as was explained to him, Mustaine dedicated a performance of "Anarchy in the U.K." to it, causing the audience to riot. [27] The band were escorted in a bulletproof bus back to their hotel in Dublin after the show. [17] [28] This incident, along with Marvel's Punisher, inspired Mustaine to write the song. [25]
"Rust in Peace... Polaris", addresses the topic of nuclear warfare, [29] with "Polaris" referring to the Cold War-era Lockheed UGM-27 Polaris intercontinental ballistic missile. [30] Mustaine has revealed that the song, originally titled "Child Saint", was one of his earlier compositions, having been written before his tenure with Metallica (1981–83). [17] Menza proposed the concept for "Hangar 18", a song about UFO conspiracies and Area 51. [24] Musically, the song features twin guitar solos after the verse. [31]
In 2017, more than 25 years after the album was released, Dave Mustaine revealed the majority of "Holy Wars" tabs on the web did not transcribe the main riff correctly, and posted the correct transcription himself. [32]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [33] |
Chicago Tribune | [34] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10 [35] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [36] |
Record Collector | [37] |
Rock Hard | 9.5/10 [38] |
Rolling Stone | [39] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [40] |
Sputnikmusic | [41] |
Select | [42] |
Rust in Peace was released on September 24, 1990, by Capitol Records. [43] In 1994, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping one million copies in the United States. [44] Rust in Peace, along with the rest of Megadeth's Capitol-released studio albums, was remixed and remastered in 2004.
Upon release, the album received widespread critical acclaim. [6] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune called it Megadeth's most accomplished album, praising its "instrumental virtuosity, thoughtful lyricism and punkish rage". [34]
Robert Palmer of Rolling Stone wrote that the album is demonstration of how far the "nasty speed thrash" concept can go without being "formulaic and boring". [39] [45] Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly , Jim Farber described the music as "sheer velocity, combined with dexterity" and Mustaine's lyrics as "nihilistic whimsy". [36] Mike Stagno from Sputnikmusic agreed that the songwriting was "top notch" on the album, as well as the fast and technical musicianship. He also spoke highly of Friedman's and Mustaine's guitar performance, calling them "one of the most potent duos in the scene". [41]
Spin reviewer Tom Nordlie praised the album, deeming it a "mature, complex, surprisingly consonant and sparely produced album", and concluded that Rust in Peace "never sleeps". [46] Music journalist Kim Cooper also noted the album's maturity and wrote that Rust in Peace "transcended the hard rock genre and raised the bar to a whole new level". [47] Another positive reaction came from Rock Hard, whose writer Holger Stratmann stated that the record was "pure Megadeth", filled with "razor sharp guitars" and "snotty vocals". [38]
In retrospective analysis, Rust in Peace has been cited as having a large impact on its genre. [48] Heavy metal magazine Decibel labeled the album as a "genre-defining work", [49] while Kerrang! wrote that the record "set a new standard for heavy metal in the 90s". [50] IGN named Rust in Peace the fourth most influential heavy metal album of all time, commenting that the album "displays Dave Mustaine's finest writing ever". [51] Additionally, Martin Popoff ranked it eleventh among the best heavy metal albums of all time. [52] In a reader poll organized by MusicRadar in 2010, Rust in Peace was voted as the sixth best metal album ever. The MusicRadar staff explained that the record saw Megadeth moving "into the big league", while staying true to their intricate sound and lyricism. [53] In a list compiled by Chad Bowar of About.com, Rust in Peace was placed as the best heavy metal album of the 1990s and named a "thrash masterpiece". [54] The album was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards. [55] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. [56]
The tracks "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" and "Hangar 18" have become staples of Megadeth's live set, and are fan favorites. [57] The guitar solo on "Tornado of Souls" is considered to be one of the greatest solos in heavy metal music. [58] [59] In 2010, the band announced a 22-show North American tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rust in Peace. The band performed the entire album at every show. [60] [61] Dates in South and Central America were later added to the tour, due to positive response from fans. [62] In 2010, Shout! Factory released a live recording filmed on the Hollywood Palladium stop of the tour, [63] entitled Rust in Peace Live . It was released on September 7, 2010, in Blu-ray, CD and DVD formats, [64] and debuted at number 161 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard DVD charts. [65]
Rust in Peace in its entirety was released as purchasable downloadable content in the rhythm game Rock Band , a part of their "Rust in Peace Download Package". [66] It was released a little more than a year after the release of Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? on the game's download store. A cover version of "Holy Wars" by Steve Ouimette was featured in Rock Revolution . [67] "Holy Wars" was also featured in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock , [68] while "Hangar 18" was featured in Guitar Hero II and as downloadable content for Guitar Hero 5 . [69] [70] Both songs have been described as amongst the most difficult songs in the series' history. [68] "Holy Wars", "Hangar 18" and "Tornado of Souls" were also released as downloadable content for Rocksmith 2014
A sequel to "Hangar 18" titled "Return to Hangar" later featured on Megadeth's ninth studio album, The World Needs a Hero .
In 2015, satire website The Onion published an article titled "Humanity Still Producing New Art As Though Megadeth's Rust In Peace Doesn't Already Exist". [71]
All songs written and composed by Dave Mustaine, except where noted. [14]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" | 6:36 |
2. | "Hangar 18" | 5:14 |
3. | "Take No Prisoners" | 3:28 |
4. | "Five Magics" | 5:42 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
5. | "Poison Was the Cure" | 2:58 | ||
6. | "Lucretia" | Mustaine, David Ellefson | 3:58 | |
7. | "Tornado of Souls" | Mustaine, Ellefson | 5:22 | |
8. | "Dawn Patrol" | Ellefson | 1:50 | |
9. | "Rust in Peace... Polaris" (5:44 on remaster) | 5:36 | ||
Total length: | 40:44 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
10. | "Breakpoint" | Ellefson, Menza, Mustaine | Ellefson, Menza, Mustaine | 3:29 |
Total length: | 44:13 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "My Creation" | Mustaine, Menza | 1:36 |
11. | "Rust in Peace... Polaris" (demo) | 5:25 | |
12. | "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" (demo) | 6:16 | |
13. | "Take No Prisoners" (demo) | 3:23 | |
Total length: | 57:24 |
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [7] [14]
Megadeth
Additional musicians
Artwork
| Production
Management
| 2004 remix and remaster
|
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [73] | 47 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [74] | 70 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [75] | 72 |
Irish Albums (The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) [76] | 18 |
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [77] | 19 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [78] | 21 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [79] | 29 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [80] | 35 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [81] | 34 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [82] | 29 |
UK Albums (OCC) [83] | 8 |
US Billboard 200 [84] | 23 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [85] | 35 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [86] 2004 release | Gold | 20,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [87] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [88] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [89] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [90] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Year | Publication | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | 2004 | Martin Popoff | Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of all Time [52] | 11 |
United Kingdom | 1990 | Kerrang! | The 50 Best Albums From 1990 [91] | 1 |
1990 | Select | Albums of the Year[ citation needed ] | 46 | |
2000 | Terrorizer | The 100 Most Important Albums of the 90s[ citation needed ] | * | |
2006 | Classic Rock & Metal Hammer | The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s[ citation needed ] | * | |
2010 | MusicRadar | The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time [53] | 6 | |
2014 | Metal Hammer | 50 Hottest Thrash Albums of All Time[ citation needed ] | 3 | |
United States | 2002 | Revolver | The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time[ citation needed ] | 54 |
2011 | Robert Dimery | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die [92] | * | |
2007 | IGN | Top 25 Metal Albums [51] | 4 | |
2012 | About.com | Best Heavy Metal Albums of 1990 [93] | 1 | |
2012 | Best Heavy Metal Albums of the 1990s [54] | 1 | ||
2017 | Rolling Stone | 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time [94] | 19 | |
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along with Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, responsible for the genre's development and popularization. Their music features complex arrangements and fast rhythm sections, dual lead guitars, and lyrical themes of war, politics, religion, death, and personal relationships.
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on June 12, 1985, by Combat Records. At the beginning of 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat to record and produce its debut album. The band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album by themselves, after spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol, and food. Despite the poor production, the album was a well-received effort that obtained strong reviews in various music publications. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! played an essential role in establishing thrash metal as an authentic subgenre of heavy metal music. It explores themes of death, occultism, and violence.
Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 25, 1986, through Capitol Records. The project was originally handled by Combat Records, resulting in the original mix of the album being co-produced by Randy Burns. Capitol Records then bought the rights to the album and hired another producer named Paul Lani to mix it himself. The recording of the album was difficult for the band, because of the ongoing drug issues the members had at the time. Drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Chris Poland were fired shortly after the album's promotional tour for drug abuse, making Peace Sells Samuelson's last Megadeth album. Poland reappeared as a session musician on Megadeth's 2004 album The System Has Failed. The title track, noted for its politically conscious lyrics, was released as the album's second single and was the band's first music video. The album's cover art, featuring the band's mascot Vic Rattlehead in front of a desolated United Nations Headquarters, was created by Ed Repka.
So Far, So Good... So What! is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on January 19, 1988, by Capitol Records. It was the band's only album recorded with drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young, both of whom were fired from the band in early 1989, several months after the completion of the album's world tour. So Far, So Good... So What! features music performed at fast tempos with technical ability; lyrically, frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine addresses a variety of topics, including nuclear holocaust and freedom of speech.
The World Needs a Hero is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on May 15, 2001, by Sanctuary Records. After the critical and commercial failure of the previous album Risk (1999), The World Needs a Hero represented a change back to a heavier musical direction. Subsequently, the album charted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 upon release.
David Scott Mustaine is an American musician. He is the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Mustaine has released sixteen studio albums with Megadeth, sold over 38 million records worldwide, with six albums platinum-certified, and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017 at the 59th Grammy Awards, for the title track of their fifteenth studio album, Dystopia.
David Warren Ellefson is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist and backing vocalist for thrash metal band Megadeth across two stints.
Chris Poland is an American guitarist, best known as the former guitarist of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Since 2002, Poland has been the guitarist of the instrumental rock/jazz fusion bands OHM and OHMphrey, among others, and has appeared on several projects and albums from a variety of different genres.
"Tornado of Souls" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on their 1990 studio album Rust in Peace. Despite never being released as a single nor having any promotion surrounding it, the song remains a staple of the band's discography. The song is well-known for its distinctive guitar solo played by Marty Friedman, which is regarded as one of the greatest metal guitar solos of all time. It is also widely considered to be one of the hardest songs to play on guitar.
Vic Rattlehead is the illustrated mascot of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. Vic is a skeletal figure wearing a suit who embodies the phrase "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" as well as a symbol of censorship. His eyes are covered by a riveted-on visor, his mouth is clamped shut, and his ears are closed with metal caps.
Greatest Hits: Back to the Start is the second greatest hits album by Megadeth. It was released on June 28, 2005, via Capitol Records. The title "Back to the Start" is a reference to lyrics in "Rust in Peace... Polaris" from Megadeth's 1990 album Rust in Peace: "The day of final conflict/All pay the price/The third World War rapes peace/Takes life back to the start." The cover art is an edited version of the Castle Romeo H-bomb test.
United Abominations is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. Released on May 15, 2007, United Abominations is the first Megadeth release distributed through Roadrunner Records and, with the exception of the band's frontman Dave Mustaine, was recorded with an all-new line-up. It is the first album since The World Needs a Hero (2001) to be recorded by a full-time line-up as the previous studio album The System Has Failed (2004) was recorded by Mustaine alongside session musicians. While touring to promote the album, guitarist Glen Drover left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Chris Broderick, leaving this as the only Megadeth studio album to which he contributed.
"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. Released in 1990, it is the opening track off the band's fourth studio album Rust in Peace (1990).
Endgame is the twelfth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was produced by Dave Mustaine and Andy Sneap and released through Roadrunner Records on September 15, 2009. Endgame was the first album to feature guitarist Chris Broderick, following Glen Drover's departure in 2008, and was the band's last studio album with bassist James LoMenzo until he rejoined after 2022's The Sick, The Dying, and The Dead, as original bassist David Ellefson rejoined the band several months after Endgame was released.
"This Day We Fight!" is a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth, which appears on their twelfth studio album Endgame, which was released on September 15, 2009, written by frontman Dave Mustaine. It is the second song on the album, and has been played live together with album's first track, "Dialectic Chaos", which has brought positive comparisons to the two opening tracks "Into the Lungs of Hell" and "Set the World Afire" from Megadeth's 1988 album, So Far, So Good... So What!.
Thirteen is the thirteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was first released in Japan on October 27, 2011, and worldwide on November 1, 2011. It is the first Megadeth studio album since The World Needs a Hero (2001) to feature bassist and founding member David Ellefson, who returned to the band in 2010. Thirteen debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 42,000 copies in its first week. The album broke into the top 20 in several other markets as well. It has sold about 120,000 copies in the United States as of December 2012. The album has received positive reviews from critics.
Super Collider is the fourteenth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on June 4, 2013, and is Megadeth's first album to be released on Tradecraft, a Universal label created for frontman Dave Mustaine. In the U.S., a special edition of the album was made available exclusively through Best Buy retailers. The album features a guest appearance from Disturbed vocalist David Draiman. On April 23, 2013, the title track was released on iTunes as the album's lead single.
Dystopia is the fifteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released on frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine's Tradecraft label via Universal on January 22, 2016. It is the first Megadeth album to feature guitarist Kiko Loureiro, the only album with drummer Chris Adler, and their last with bassist David Ellefson. The album was produced by Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw and features cover artwork by Brent Elliot White.