A sobered-up
Mustaine returns with yet another lineup, this one featuring ex-
Cacophony guitar virtuoso
Marty Friedman and drummer
Nick Menza, for what is easily
Megadeth's strongest musical effort. As
Metallica was then doing,
Mustaine accentuates the progressive tendencies of his compositions, producing rhythmically complex, technically challenging thrash suites that he and
Friedman burn through with impeccable execution and jaw-dropping skill. Thanks to
Mustaine's focus on the music rather than his sometimes clumsy lyrics,
Rust in Peace arguably holds up better than any other
Megadeth release, even for listeners who think they've outgrown heavy metal. While the whole album is consistently impressive, the obvious highlight is the epic, Eastern-tinged "Hangar 18."