Rust in Peace

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rust in Peace
Studio album by Megadeth
Released September 24, 1990 (1990-09-24)
Recorded 1989–90
Genre Thrash metal, speed metal
Length 40:44
Label Capitol
Producer Dave Mustaine, Mike Clink
Megadeth chronology
  • Rust in Peace
  • (1990)

Rust in Peace is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released on September 24, 1990 by Capitol Records. The album was produced by Mike Clink. Rust in Peace is the first album to feature guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza, following the departure of Jeff Young and Chuck Behler in 1989. Two singles were released from the album: "Hangar 18" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", which have become staples of the band's live performances.

Rust in Peace has received universal acclaim by fans and critics, and was responsible for bringing Megadeth to the attention of a mainstream metal audience. It has been cited as one of the best thrash metal records of all time by publications such as Decibel and Kerrang! and listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards.

A remixed and remastered version featuring four bonus tracks was released in 2004. In addition, in January 2010, the band announced a North American tour to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary. Their performance at the Hollywood Palladium was filmed and released as Rust in Peace Live on CD, DVD and Blu-ray later that year.

Background

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, performing to an audience of more than 100,000 people.[1] The band 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.[2] Due to further issues within the band, Dave Mustaine fired both drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young, and canceled their scheduled 1988 Australian tour.[3] Nick Menza, previously Behler's drum tech, was hired as the band's new drummer.[4] The search for a new guitarist was a drawn out process. Mustaine examined a number of guitarists for the job, including "Dimebag Darrell" Abbott of Pantera, who was initially offered the job before declining.[5] According to Mustaine, one of the last guitarists he had heard about, Marty Friedman, had sent him a CD, Dragon's Kiss. Upon listening to the CD, Mustaine had Friedman come in to audition and hired him.[4] This would become the band's first stable line-up.[6]

The title "Rust in Peace" was inspired by a bumper sticker that Mustaine saw on the back of a vehicle. In an interview from 1990, Mustaine remarked, "I was driving home from Elsinore... um, Lake Elsinore. I was tailgating somebody, racing down the freeway, and I saw this bumper sticker on their car and it said... you know, this tongue-in-cheek stuff like, 'One nuclear bomb could ruin your whole day' and then I looked on the other side and it said, 'May all your nuclear weapons rust in peace' and I'm goin', Rust in Peace. Damn, that's a good title. And I'm thinkin' like, what do they mean, rust in peace? I could just see it now―all these warheads sittin' there, stockpiled somewhere like Seal Beach, you know, all covered with rust 'n' stuff with kids out there spray painting the stuff, you know."[7]

Rust in Peace was recorded in Rumbo Studios with producer Mike Clink, while the mixing was handled by Max Norman.[8] The album's artwork was created by artist Ed Repka,[8] who previously had done the cover for Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? in 1986.[9]

Composition

Rust in Peace features songs with multiple sections, shifting time signatures and intricate riffing and soloing,[10] and is sometimes described as having a progessive style.[11] In this regard, the album has been compared with Metallica's 1988 album, ...And Justice for All, also noted for its technical complexity.[10] Additionally, the album features multiple lyrical themes: religion,[12] politics and warfare, as well as Mustaine's personal issues, such as his fight against drug and alcohol addiction,[13] UFO conspiracy theories[14] and even the Punisher,[15] of Marvel Comics fame.

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".[16] He liked how "the cause" sounded[17] and unknowingly dedicated a performance of "Anarchy in the U.K." to it, where the audience quickly started to riot. The band were forced to travel in a bulletproof bus after the show.[18] This incident, along with Marvel's Punisher,[15] inspired the Mustaine to write the song.

Drummer Nick Menza proposed the concept for "Hangar 18", a song about UFO conspiracies and Area 51.[14] Musically, the song features twin guitar solos after the lyrical part.[19]

"Rust in Peace... Polaris", addresses the topic of nuclear warfare,[20] with "Polaris" referring to the Cold War-era Lockheed UGM-27 Polaris intercontinental ballistic missile.[21] Mustaine has revealed that he had written the song as a teenager, and the song was one of his first compositions. The song was was originally titled "Child Saint".[14]

Release

Rust in Peace was released on September 24, 1990, and debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200, becoming Megadeth's highest charting album up to that point.[22] In 1994, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping one million copies in the United States.[23]

Rust in Peace, along with the rest of Megadeth's Capitol-released studio albums, was remixed and remastered in 2004.[24] During the audio mixing process, Mustaine found that the original lead vocal tracks for "Take No Prisoners", "Rust in Peace... Polaris", "Five Magics" and "Lucretia" were all missing. Mustaine was forced to re-record the vocals on "Take No Prisoners" and "Rust in Peace... Polaris", while alternate takes were used for "Lucretia" and "Five Magics".[25] Four bonus tracks were added: a previously unreleased song entitled "My Creation", as well as three demos of songs on the album featuring guitarist Chris Poland.[26]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [11]
Chicago Tribune [27]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music [28]
Entertainment Weekly B+[29]
Record Collector [30]
Rock Hard 9.5/10[31]
Rolling Stone [32]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [33]
Piero Scaruffi 7/10[34]
Sputnikmusic 5/5[35]

Rust in Peace was released to widespread critical acclaim.[3] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune called it Megadeth's "most accomplished album", praising its "instrumental virtuosity, thoughtful lyricism and punkish rage".[27] Allmusic's Steve Huey also named the album "easily Megadeth's strongest musical effort". While noting that the entire record is "consistently impressive", Huey picked the second track "Hangar 18" as the "obvious highlight".[11] Reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, Jim Farber described the music as "sheer velocity, combined with dexterity" and Mustaine's lyrics as "nihilistic whimsy".[29]

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".[32] 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 Marty Friedman's and Dave Mustaine's guitar performance, calling them "one of the most potent duos in the scene".[35] Jon Pareles of the New York Times said that Megadeth opted to stick to its standard formula: "salvos of rapid-fire, stuttering guitar chords and bashing drums".[36] In a review of the album's reissue for AllMusic, Jason Birchmeier observed that the record was a big step forward for the band. However, he criticized the album for being "too consistent" and noted that many of the songs were "sounding overly similar to one another".[26]

Spin reviewer Tom Nordlie described the record as "mature, complex, surprisingly consonant and sparely produced album". He concluded: "Simply put, Rust in Peace never sleeps".[37] 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".[31] Piero Scaruffi opined that the album features technical perfection that "only Metallica can match". According to Scaruffi, Rust in Peace was the "swan song" not only for Megadeth, but for the whole thrash movement.[34] Music journalist Kim Cooper wrote that Rust in Peace was a "mature thrash metal experience that transcended the hard rock genre and raised the bar to a whole new level".[38]

Retrospect

In retrospective analysis, Rust in Peace has been cited as an album that had big impact on its genre.[39] Heavy metal magazine Decibel labeled the album as a "genre-defining work",[40] while Kerrang! wrote that the record "set a new standard for heavy metal in the 90s".[41] 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".[42] Additionally, Martin Popoff ranked it eleventh among the best heavy metal albums of all time.[43] 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.[44] 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".[45] The album was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards.[46]

Legacy

Dave Mustaine in Moscow during the album's 20th anniversary tour.

The tracks "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" and "Hangar 18" have become almost permanent additions to Megadeth's live set, and are fan favorites.[47]

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.[48][49] Dates in South and Central America were later added to the tour, due to positive response from fans.[50] In 2010, Shout! Factory released a live recording filmed on the Hollywood Palladium stop of the tour,[51] entitled Rust in Peace Live. It was released on September 7, 2010 in Blu-ray, CD and DVD formats,[52] and debuted at number 161 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard DVD charts, respectively.[53]

Rust in Peace in its entirety was released as purchasable downloadable content in the rhythm game Rock Band, a part of the their "Rust in Peace Download Package".[54] 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.[55] "Holy Wars" was also featured in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,[56] while "Hangar 18" was featured in Guitar Hero II[57] and as downloadable content for Guitar Hero 5.[58] Both songs have been described as amongst the most difficult songs in the series' history.[56]

A sequel to "Hangar 18" titled "Return to Hangar" later featured on Megadeth's ninth studio album, The World Needs a Hero. It concludes the fictional narrative begun in "Hangar 18", where the life-forms said to be contained in Hangar 18 come back to life and kill those inside the building before escaping.[59] Both songs have been played back-to-back live, which can be heard on Rude Awakening and That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dave Mustaine, except where noted.[8]

No. TitleLyricsMusic 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
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 reissue)   5:36
Total length:
 40:44

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[4][8]

Megadeth
Production
2004 remix and remaster
  • Produced by Dave Mustaine
  • Mixed by Ralph Patlan and Dave Mustaine
  • Engineered by Ralph Patlan with Lance Dean
  • Edited by Lance Dean with Scott "Sarge" Harrison
  • Mastered by Tom Baker
  • Additional demo recording by Chris Poland

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[60] 47
Canadian Albums Chart[53] 70
Dutch Albums Chart[60] 72
Japanese Albums Chart[61] 29
New Zealand Albums Chart[60] 35
Swedish Albums Chart[60] 34
Swiss Albums Chart[60] 29
UK Albums Chart[62] 8
US Billboard 200[53] 23

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[63] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Accolades

Except where otherwise cited, all listed accolades attributed to Rust in Peace are adapted from Acclaimed Music.net.[28]

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Martin Popoff Canada Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of all Time[43] 2004 11
About.com United States Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990[65] 2012 1
Best Heavy Metal Albums Of The 1990s[45] 2012 1
Revolver The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time 2002 54
Robert Dimery 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 2006 *
IGN Top 25 Metal Albums[42] 2007 4
Kerrang! United Kingdom Albums of the Year 1990 11
Select 46
Terrorizer The 100 Most Important Albums of the 90s 2000 *
Classic Rock & Metal Hammer The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s 2006 *
MusicRadar The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time[44] 2010 6

References

  1. ↑ The International Who's Who in Popular Music. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 368. ISBN 1-85743-161-8. 
  2. ↑ Gray, Robert (February 20, 2010). "David Ellefson On Recording New Megadeth Album: 'That's The Plan'". Ultimate-Guitar.com. Retrieved January 1, 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Larkin 1995, p. 1654.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Rust in Peace liner notes (2004 re-release). Capitol Records. 2004. pp. 4–5. 
  5. ↑ "Dave Mustaine: Kerry King Hates My Guts". Blabbermouth.net. Ultimate-Guitar.com. August 16, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013. 
  6. ↑ Kajzer 2010, p. 320.
  7. ↑ "Dave the Human, Mustaine the Artist - Dave Mustaine Interview Archived at The Realms of Deth". "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" CD Single. Capitol Records. 1990. Retrieved December 25, 2013. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Rust in Peace liner notes (original release). Capitol Records. 1990. pp. 3, 16. 
  9. ↑ Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? liner notes (2004 re-release). Capitol Records. 2004. p. 4. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Pillsbury 2006, p. 82.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Huey, Steve. "Rust In Peace - Megadeth". Allmusic. Retrieved March 3, 2012. 
  12. ↑ Kajzer 2010, p. 322.
  13. ↑ Pillsbury 2006, p. 83.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Davies, Claire (September 29, 2010). "Megadeth interview (Monster Riffs Week)". MusicRadar. Retrieved January 1, 2014. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Rosenberg, Adam (November 18, 2008). "The Punisher A-Z". UGO Networks. Retrieved November 28, 2010. 
  16. ↑ "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 6, 2013. 
  17. ↑ Kajzer 2010, p. 317.
  18. ↑ "Megadeth Mainman Reacts To "The Cause" In Ireland". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. November 12, 2005. Retrieved December 19, 2013. 
  19. ↑ Wagner 2010, p. 44.
  20. ↑ Walser 1993, p. 158.
  21. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2002). The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time. ECW Press. p. 229. ISBN 9781550225303. 
  22. ↑ Grein, Paul (August 1, 1992). "Hot Debuts Mirror Diverse Tastes". Billboard 114: 116. Retrieved January 1, 2014. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "RIAA Gold and Platinum Database Search". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 1, 2014. 
  24. ↑ "Megadeth's 'Holy Wars' Remixed And Remastered". Blabbermouth.net. May 28, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2014. 
  25. ↑ Bienstock, Richard (September 17, 2010). "Megadeth: Rust Never Sleeps". Guitar World. Retrieved November 22, 2013. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Birchmeier, Jason. "Rust in Peace (reissue) - Megadeth". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2013. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Kot, Greg (November 8, 1990). "Megadeth: Rust in Peace". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2013. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Megadeth: Rust in Peace". Acclaimed Music.net. Retrieved January 3, 2013. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Farber, Jim (October 26, 1990). "Rust in Peace Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 3, 2012. 
  30. ↑ "Megadeth - Rust in Peace CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved January 3, 2013. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Stratmann, Holger. "Megadeth: Rust In Peace (1990)". Rock Hard. Retrieved October 28, 2013. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Palmer, Robert (November 15, 1990). "Megadeth: Rust In Peace : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2010. 
  33. ↑ "Megadeth: Album Guide". Rolling Stone (Jann Wenner). Retrieved January 3, 2014. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Scaruffi, Piero (1999). "Megadeth". pieroscaruffi.com. Retrieved August 6, 2013. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Stagno, Mike (August 6, 2006). "Rust In Peace - Megadeth". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 3, 2012. 
  36. ↑ Pareles, Jon (December 17, 1990). "Review/Music; Pick an Evil. Any Evil. And Then Scream.". New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2013. 
  37. ↑ Nordlie, Tom (December 1990). "Megadeth: Rust in Peace". Spin: 88. Retrieved October 28, 2013. 
  38. ↑ Cooper 2012, p. 148.
  39. ↑ Wagner 2010, p. 43.
  40. ↑ "Megadeth "Rust in Peace"". Decibel. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  41. ↑ "Megadeth - Where to Start with". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Spence D. and Ed T. (January 19, 2007). "Top 25 Metal Album". IGN. Retrieved October 27, 2013. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Popoff, Martin (2004). The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-600-2. 
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 MusicRadar team (April 28, 2010). "The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time". MusicRadar. Retrieved January 3, 2014. 
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Bowar, Chad (November 29, 2012). "Best Heavy Metal Albums Of The 1990s". About.com. Retrieved January 3, 2013. 
  46. ↑ "Awards Database". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2009. 
  47. ↑ Bansal, Andrew (2010-11-06). "Megadeth Enthralls Arizona With Last North American Show Of The Year". Metalassault.com. Retrieved 2010-11-07. 
  48. ↑ "Megadeth, Testament, Exodus To Team Up For North American Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-11-27. 
  49. ↑ "Photos Of 'Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Tour' Kick-Off Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. 2010-03-04. Retrieved 10/11/28. 
  50. ↑ "Megadeth To Perform Entire 'Rust In Peace' Album On Mexico/South America Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 10/11/28. 
  51. ↑ "Megadeth To Release 'Rust In Peace Live' DVD". Blabbermouth.net. 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
  52. ↑ "Megadeth to Release 'Rust in Peace Live' Blu-Ray, DVD and CD". Guitar World. 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2010-11-26. 
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 "Megadeth - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  54. ↑ Quillen, Dustin (2010-02-04). "Shred to Megadeth's "Rust in Peace" in Rock Band Next Week". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-03-18. 
  55. ↑ Fahey, Mike (2008-08-04). "The Full Rock Revolution Setlist". Kotaku. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 Dave Mustaine (speaker) (2010-09-01). Dave Mustaine Talks Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Flash video) (Trailer). Activision. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  57. ↑ Roper, Chris (2006-10-09). "IGN: Guitar Hero II Final Tracklist Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-24. 
  58. ↑ "The Guitar Hero(R) Music Library Rocks the Entire Month of August With Tracks From The Used, Sum 41, Weezer, P.O.D. and Megadeth". Activision. 2010-08-02. Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
  59. ↑ Huey, Steve. "The World Needs a Hero". AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2010. 
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 60.4 "Megadeth - Rust in Peace". australian-charts.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013. 
  61. ↑ "メガデス-ORICON STYLE ミュージック" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 30, 2008. 
  62. ↑ "Chart Stats - Megadeth". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013. 
  63. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Megadeth – Rust in Peace". Music Canada. 
  64. ↑ "British album certifications – Megadeth – Rust in Peace". British Phonographic Industry.  Enter Rust in Peace in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  65. ↑ Bowar, Chad (November 29, 2012). "Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990". About.com. Retrieved January 3, 2013. 

Bibliography

External links

Megadeth
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Extended plays
  • Live at the Cow Palace
  • Hidden Treasures
  • Cryptic Sounds: No Voices In Your Head
  • Live Trax and Live Trax II
  • Breadline
Songs
Video albums
Tours
Related articles
  • Book:Megadeth
  • Category:Megadeth
  • Category:Megadeth audio samples
  • Portal:Heavy metal
  • Commons:Megadeth

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.