Megadeth. Created and formed by Dave Mustaine solely as a force to out-shred, out-speed, and out-do Metallica in every way. Did they succeed? I'm not the one to say. Both bands are great, although Megadeth never lost their metal edge.
Indeed, in 1990, Megadeth dropped the epic 'Rust In Peace' album on us, an LP so fast and layered, it quickly cemented its' reputation as a modern classic. A year later, Metallica released 'The Black Album', also rightly seen as a legendary album. However, the key difference between the two is that Metallica moved away from their thrashy sound to give us more commercial, catchy tunes. Enter Sandman, Of Wolf and Man, and Sad But True are all brilliant songs, but not as adventurous or as technical as those on earlier releases. 'The Black Album' also has the song Nothing Else Matters - an overlong, boring ballad. Yes, I did just say that.
'Rust In Peace', on the other hand, is a complex, speeding, raging assault that utilises all of Megadeth's strengths and takes them to the next level. The standout song for me on 'Rust In Peace' is the immortal Tornado of Souls. The track, about breaking up with a lover, has all the raw power a thrash tune needs, but with a tight and focussed sound that quite simply kicks ass. But amid the frenzied riffage, screaming vocals of Mr. Mustaine, and the pounding drums, is the Marty Friedman guitar solo. The only way I can describe it is 'orgasmic'. It even knocked Mustaine for six when he first heard it.
So here it is, a live version of a classic track. If you don't like this song, you have to ask yourself, do you really like heavy metal?
