In 1986 Big Four thrash legend Megadeth put out its second studio album Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?; the last with its original line-up of Dave Mustaine on rhythm guitar and vocals, David Ellefson on bass, Chris Poland on lead guitar, and Gar Samuelson on drums. This was the band's first album to make a real impact and get the band's name out there, boosting them out from the woodwork that their debut album had kind of kept them in in the underground thrash community.
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? has much better studio production than its predecessor Killing is My Business...and Business is Good!. This time around there is a lot less murkiness to the sound. Everything (the guitars especially) packs a lot more punch and sounds a great deal more crisp and defined. The lyrics in this record are also very aware of the great multitude of social issues going on in the world at the time, making it that much more relevant and poignant of a record.
The title track Peace Sells has one of the most iconic intros in all of heavy metal with that bass line and that simple stomping bass drum. Hell, MTV even used that intro as their intro for their news program for a while. Aside from that though, it talks about Mustaine's personal political/social beliefs and how the American political system needs a new structure. Even if politics aren't really your shindig though, it has some formidable riffs and some absolute killer guitar solos with hints of jazz scales here and there from Poland.
Wake Up Dead is another one of my personal favorite Megadeth tracks. Although the lyrics are less political, it's made up for in the riffage department. Mustaine uses a guitar technique called spider chords where he plays a power chord on one set of strings but has fingers free to play the lower ones, thus giving him more range and ability to play the harder stuff. As a guitarist myself I really admire it sheerly for its technical aspects, though aside from that it's one powerhouse of a tune that grabs you by the balls and won't let go.
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? is definitely a Megadeth hallmark classic for a reason. From start to finish it is packed full of young Dave Mustaine's rage fueled riffs and lyrics while also featuring the astounding talents of three other hungry musicians. If you were to want to get started with Megadeth, this would be the record I would recommend going to as much as I love its predecessor. Plus, if you love blues it also has a Willie Dixon cover on it that the man himself actually liked.
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. Wake Up Dead
2. The Conjuring
3. Peace Sells
4. Devils Island
5. Good Mourning/Black Friday
6. Bad Omen
7. I Ain't Superstitious
8. My Last Words
Buy the album on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Sells-But-Whos-Buying/dp/B000TGZRUS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475222847&sr=8-1&keywords=peace+sells+but+who%27s+buying
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