Rust In Peace

Heavy Metal Heresy: Rust in Peace

Foreword

Allow me to commit heavy metal heresy: I think Rust In Peace is an overrated album. I'm probably alone in my opinion of this. That's fine. I will make a point of clarification: I do not think this album is lousy. It's actually quite decent. I just don't think it's one of the greatest albums of all time. I don't think it's Megadeth's best. Before you start chucking stones, let me try to explain why I don't like this album all that much.

Musicianship

Let me start off by saying that the musicians involved in this recording are truly talented. It is obvious that the musicianship is not the weakness of RIP. Indeed, it is its greatest strength. Dave Mustaine was always the heart of Megadeth and an excellent guitarist. Marty Friedman shredded alongside one of the greatest guitarists ever, Jason Becker. The bass work is audible and far above what normal bassists do. The drummers thump in a way that only a top notch metal drummer could. There is absolutely no deficit of talented musicianship here.

It's Even Catchy

What's also impressive is that we are dealing with talented musicians with a good sense of restraint. There is definitely a solid intuition guiding the band members into simply writing catchy riffs and songs without indulging themselves and wanking their instruments. There is enough technicality in here that music theory heads can appreciate. Yet, there is also strong melodies, headbanging rythms, and razor sharp riffs that will definitely get the musically illiterate rocking. It's a fine line between musical showmanship and accessibility to walk, and Megadeth walks it very well.

The Production Stinks

The musicianship is impressive, and the music is suitably memorable. Then why on Earth am I not enamored by Rust In Peace like everyone else is? I'll start off with the most obvious problem with the album: the production. It's professional, squeaky clean, and perfect. But Thrash metal is not squeaky clean, professional, and perfect. Thrash metal is raw, aggressive, gritty, low, and dirty. Having spotless production values deprives all those riffs of any testicular fortitude. Every instrument is thin and lacks bottom end. Even the bass sounds like its lacking that lower register. It all sounds twangy, thin, and bereft of any power or force.

It's Too Calculated

Of course, a good riff and great songwriting can easily overcome tinny production values, right? After all, Blessed Are The Sick and Breeding the Spawn has thin production values and both of those albums rocked hard anyways. Why are those albums still awesome but Rust in Peace not so much despite production values? My beef with RIP is quite simple: it's too calculated. Everything is composed in such a manner that metalheads everywhere will instantly approve of it and sing high praises about it. I can't read people's minds, but I can't help but feel that Mustaine and Co. sat down and asked themselves "would would metalheads like?" and allowed that thought to guide their music writing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I would rather a composer be guided by whatever he feels and sounds good without too much concern about what people think. (That's part of the reason why I admire St. Anger even though it's objectively the worst album ever made.)

Too Mechanical

Objectively, RIP is the greatest thrash metal album ever. But music is not some endeavor that can be measured objectively. I like to draw an analogy to drum machines versus real drummers. The drum machine will always be more precise than a real drummer. It's "better" than a real drummer. However, the flaws and imperfections that a real dummer will introduce are precisely what give it a certain human factor. That human factor is crucial to generating a certain intensity, power, passion, and emotion that machines could never match. That's how I feel about RIP: it's too mechanical and calculated and doesn't possess the power that I want it to have. I prefer an album like "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" even though it's sloppy and the guitar solos are almost quite literally just scratching noises.

Finally

Alright, I'm done. You can begin chucking stones now. Go to hell.