Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? Is not only an interesting question, but is the title for Megadeth's second album. The album was released on September 19,1986, and was originally was going to be released through Combat Records. It didn't really go far on charts, as it only reached number 76 on the Billboard 200 here in the US, and only 182 on Japanese charts. They chose the title track, "Peace Sells" as the lead single for the album, and it automatically draws the attention and sets up a certain vibe for the album. The song talks about how people always question you, no matter what you're doing with your life. The perfect example of such questioning is found through out the song, starting with the first verse. "What do you mean, 'I don't believe in God'? I talk to him every day. What do you mean, 'I don't support your system'? I go to court when I have to. what do you mean, 'I can't get to work on time.' I got nothing better to do.' Nobody is ever happy with what you're doing, and yet they always claim to support you. Its backwards really, and such a shame. Its claimed to be "We the people", but really, its every person for themselves. This song expresses that perfectly. Something I've noticed while working on other albums Megadeth has done, is that their lyrics are very poetic. They always tell a story, usually in a very interesting, beautiful and dark way. It tends to be rather captivating, and that's what brings me to the next song I wanted to highlight. "The Conjuring." Now surely this one caused quite the stir back in the day, as it sort of sounds like its about summoning Satan, but yet it says "Don't summon the devil, don't call the priests. If you need the strength, the conjuring." Its a very interesting track that sounds sort of magical, and definitely draws the attention, but its definitely a bit controversial. That's something I like about it though! The entire album has an undertone of forbidden acts, and things you know certain people in society would not appreciate. I think that's what's so interesting about this album though. Its dark, and mysterious, rather than being full on political. It touches on that here and there, but they went about it with a different approach this time around. That's something I greatly enjoy. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you Megadeth's wonderful second album, Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? Go check it out if you haven't already and be sure to check out all of the reviews for Megadeth here on Immortal Music! This was the last album left to review from Megadeth or any Fort Rock artist as far as we know. The reviews for Megadeth are: Killing Is My Business-So Far, So Good, So What?- Rust In Peace- Youthanasia -Countdown to Extinction -Cryptic Writings- Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations -Endgame -Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia Also be sure to get excited because along with Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest.
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On September 24th, 1990, thrash giants Megadeth released their third album Rust In Peace. The name comes from a bumper sticker that lead vocalist Dave Mustaine had seen while driving one day saying “May your nuclear weapons rust in peace.” The theme of the album deals mostly with distrust of the Government, UFO conspiracy, religion, drugs, politics and warfare and even oddly enough Marvel Comics “The Punisher.” Rust In Peace is the first successful album from the group, going platinum in 1993 and has been cemented into metal history as one of the quintessential albums of metal. The opening track is called Holy Wars… The Punishment Due. Dave wrote the song after seeing bootleg shirts being sold at their show in Northern Ireland. He was going to ask to have them removed but was eventually persuaded otherwise when he learned they were being sold to support “The Cause” which is the IRA’s agenda to make Northern Ireland free. The opening lyrics: “Brother will kill brother. Spilling blood across the land. Killing for religion. Something I don't understand. Fools like me, who cross the sea and come to foreign lands. Ask the sheep, for their beliefs. Do you kill on God's command? A country that's divided surely will not stand.” The song is not specifically about the IRA, nor is it about any Holy War in particular, it is rather a statement that there are millions who will kill on command without a moments hesitation for their God, country or beliefs, without ever once considering the consequence. A country that acts this way will never be able to work together much less the entire world. Hanger 18 is the second track and single from the album; also it is the first Megadeth song I ever actually knew, and I have Guitar Hero III to thank for that as it was featured on the 2007 game. Hanger 18 could be argued as Megadeth’s most popular song. Dealing with the infamous Hanger 18 located in Area 51 the song is primarily about aliens being there and knowledge of them covered up by the Government. It’s honestly a very cut and straight to the point. There’s two verses and two repeats of the chorus. The second verse “Foreign life forms inventory. Suspended State of cryogenics. Selective amnesia's the story. Believed foretold but who'd suspect. The military intelligence. Two words combined that can't make sense. Possibly I've seen too much. Hangar 18 I know too much.” pretty much sums up the point of the song. While being a simple song lyrically, it is heavily complex musically, with multiple guitar solos, complex bass and drum riffs, there is a definite reason why it is such a prolific song. Rust In Peace, along with their many other albums, has inspired hundreds of musicians world wide and inspiration from their music can be found in bands from then till now worldwide. In the years since, Megadeth has gone through lineup changes, several new albums, some less successful than others, and has been touring almost nonstop for 26 years. Despite all of this, they remain to be one of the most solid metal bands of all time, releasing new material that is better than their original. Ever evolving and trying new things, Megadeth is a class act and will remain long into the future. Coming up very shortly, Megadeth will be performing at many festivals, such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. Also get excited because we have now reviewed all of Megadeth's albums, and we highly recommend you check out all of the reviews and use them as excitement fuel for the upcoming festivals we just mentioned! Reviews: Killing Is My Business-So Far, So Good, So What?- Rust In Peace- Youthanasia -Countdown to Extinction -Cryptic Writings- Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations - Endgame -Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia Written by Coby Andrews The twelfth studio album from Megadeth, Endgame came out on September 15, 2009. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2010, hit number one on the US Top Hard Rock Albums Charts and sold around 150,000 copies by April 2011. It did not win the Grammy, it sadly lost out to Judas Priest, but the fact that Megadeth can say they've been nominated for a Grammy Award eight times is freaking incredible! I think we all can agree on that. When asked to describe the music, Dave Mustaine was once quoted saying that it was a riff-oriented album, but less melodic than the material they released in the mid-to-late 90's. Its also been said that they actually refereed back to some old tapes from rehearsals back in the day in the creation of this album. So they really went back to their roots for this one. This album goes all over the place, lyrically. It talks about anything from The Lord Of The Rings to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, to insanity, torture and crime. The album had two singles, which are "Head Crusher" and "The Right To Go Insane." Both of which are very hard hitting, very "in your face" tracks that would be killer live. A track that stood out to me personally however, was "The Hardest Part Of Letting Go...Sealed With A Kiss." Because it doesn't talk about any of the things previously mentioned. It does talk about loving someone, letting them go, and then seaking revenge. Assumably they must have been very toxic, and now you want to not only let go but make them suffer some too. Perhaps not the most mature thing to do, but still fairly real. The song is very beautifully well written for what it is, and like a lot. It would also make a great music video, its a shame they didn't do one. Over all, its a great album that they very clearly had a lot of fun making. Be sure to check it out, and head on over to Megadeth's website to see all they've got going on. Starting this week will be many festival performances, and those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. Also be sure to check out all of the reviews currently on the website for Megadeth! Almost every album they've ever released have been reviewed and put on Immortal Music! There's only a couple more remaining, and they will be up very shortly! So far this is what has been done - Killing Is My Business- So Far, So Good, So What?- Youthanasia -Countdown to Extinction -Cryptic Writings- Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations - Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia On January 19, 1988, Megadeth released their third studio album, So Far, So Good....So What! It is the only album recorded with Chuck Behler and Jeff Young, as they were both released from the band just after a tour done in support of this album. Like a lot of Megadeth's work, it speaks of things wrong with the world, such as nuclear holocaust and the freedom of speech. Its definitely a much beloved album though, as it entered the Billboard 200 at number 28, and did not get a lot of commercial radio play. Its also been certified platinum here in the US and Canada. The first single for the album is actually a Sex Pistols cover. "Anarchy In The UK" was originally released by Sex Pistols in November 1976. The song has been covered by many bands and in several different languages, but their version in particular was very well loved. They played it live for many years, but dropped it at some point due to its Anti-Christian view point. A track that I actually thought stood out a lot was the second single for the album, "Mary Jane." Now when you hear the title, you assume its going to be pot related or reference drugs in some form. It goes so much deeper than that, and that was very impressive. It tells the story of a young girl who was murdered by her father. He buried her alive near a cemetery in Minnesota. There's a legend that says that anyone who dared to disturb her grave was doomed to a very sudden death. Its a very dark, but awesome track that opens with Dave summoning the girl's spirit. Its just extremely interesting and creative, so it stood out a lot. Plus, you have to appreciate just how much of a back story it has. The entire album is filled with deep lyrics o all sorts of subjects. From spirits, to rants to fast cars -which admittedly isn't that deep, there's a lot going on and its all wonderful! Be sure to give it a listen and head on over to Megadeth's official website to take a look at all they have coming up! Many festival appearances will be happening very shortly -starting this week in fact. They will be performing at Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. Also be sure to take a look at all of the reviews currently on the website for Megadeth! Almost every album they've ever released have been reviewed, and the last few are coming shortly! Here is what is up so far. Killing Is My Business - Youthanasia -Countdown to Extinction -Cryptic Writings- Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations - Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia On March 22, 1987, Anthrax released their third studio album, Among The Living. It was given a Gold certification in July 1990, and is arguably their biggest hit ever, and is often named as a fan favorite. Supposedly, their drummer Charlie Benante has also referred to this album as the "signature album" for Anthrax. The album had two singles, "I Am The Law" and "Indians." "Indians" is easily the band's most famous song. It recieved a lot o rotation on MTV in the late 80s, back when they actually played music videos. The song is honestly pointing out that America was taken by Indians, yet peace is what we strive to have. It actually flat out says, "Love the land, and fellow man. Peace is what we strive to have, some folks have none of this. Hatred and prejudice." Its all extremely backwards the way the nation works sometimes, and they express it in a very hard hitting, mosh pit inspiring way that's awesome. Interestingly enough, "I Am The Law", is actually a tribute to a comic book hero, Judge Dredd. The entire album has a similar vibe to the singles. It talks a lot about the nation, law, and almost all of it is mosh pit inspiring. I mean, shit, they even have a song called "Caught In A Mosh" on this album. They went full on for this album, and clearly its very well loved. Great job, Anthrax! You did amazing, and are still doing amazing today! Be sure to check up on their website sometime too because they have a lot coming up. Including several festival appearances! Those festivals are Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. The fun starts this week, so get excited! Also be sure to check out the rest of the reviews here on Immortal Music for Anthrax! There are reviews for Fistful Of Metal, Spreading The Disease, State Of Euphoria, Persistence Of Time, Attack Of the Killer B's, Sound Of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, We've Come For You All, Worship Music and For All Kings! On May 25, 1993, Anthrax released their sixth studio album, Sound Of White Noise through Elektra Records. The album did very well on charts all over the world, and reached as high as number 7. That was here in the US, on the Billboard 200. It also reached number 13 in Canada, 14 in the UK, 21 in Sweden, 30 in Australia, 35 in Germany, 40 in Swizterland, amd lastly 52 on Dutch charts. This album marked a massive revision to the band's sound because not only did they introduce some of their grunge influences but they also had a different singer this time around. Their original, and now once again current singer, Joey Belladona departed from the band before this album was recorded. John Bush joined and contributed to this album. The first single, "Only" came out just after the album was released. Its pointing out that "its you and no one else." They're trying to take you down, and you are trying to make it come to an end. The lyrics are paired with beautiful guitar work, and its all around awesome. If I'm perfectly honest this may be some of Anthrax's best work. John's vocals are strong, the writing style is catchy, and the instrumentals flow very nicely. I don't really want to pick out tracks that stand out more than others, because this entire album stands out a lot from other work. They made a great choice bringing John in, and having him around brought something fresh to the table. John contributed to four other albums with Anthrax, and did a great job! This though is probably my favorite work he's taken part of. I can't really explain it, it just sounds really clear and nice. Great job, Anthrax! Anthrax is still very active today, and have released several other albums with Anthrax. Almost all of those have been reviewed here on Immortal Music! Be sure to check them out below and head on over to Anthrax's website to see what all they have coming up. Here very soon they will be performing at many festivals such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. Reviews: Fistful Of Metal, Spreading The Disease, State Of Euphoria, Persistence Of Time, Attack Of the Killer B's, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, We've Come For You All, Worship Music and For All Kings! Iconic thrash metal band, Megadeth made their debut to the world on June 12, 1985 with their first album, Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good. The band signed with Combat Records, who gave the band $8,000 to record and produce their debut album. Supposedly, they spent half of the budget on drugs, alcohol and food and then were forced to produce the album themselves, which resulted in poor production. Whether or not that is true, I'm not sure, but a lot of bands self produce their first albums. Despite the quality, it was still a much loved album which launched Megadeth's rather impressive career. It also leant a massive hand in establishing the genre for what it is today. When I think of 80's metal music, this is pretty much what I picture. Due to the quality, everything sounds very far away. That being said, it doesn't sound bad, and I like that you can actually hear Dave Mustaine's vocals. Like a lot of metal bands, people accused them of promoting Satanism. Which of course were greatly denied in a wonderful way. "I mean, it's great to thrash and pound, cut yourself up, scream and have fun, but you don't have to take out a Pagan attitude. Why support the Devil? He's already there. I'd rather just fucking thrash and be a metalist and listen to whatever I want to than be forced to listen to one style of music." Very well worded there, sir! Honestly, while this is by far not my usual taste, I can see why despite its flaws, this album drew a lot of attention. The production may not be the best, but the music is all very well done! The lyrical content is all well worded, and makes peoples top and think about death, violence and occultism. Its a lot to think about, but rather interesting. If pressed to choose some stand out tracks, I would definitely say the title track stands out, so does "The Boots." "The Boots" actually doesn't go with any of the themes previously mentioned, and seems to be about breaking free from what appears to be a terrible relationship. Its just something about the way that its worded that stands out, and its definitely worth listening to. Megadeth has come a long way since 1985, but still, this album is worth checking out. If you want to fully appreciate their progress over the last thirty years, come check out this album! Also keep in mind that Megadeth is still very active today! They just released a new album, Dystopia back in January, and are very shortly going to be performing at many festivals here in the US! Those festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rock'n Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. Also be sure to check out all of the reviews here on Immortal Music for Megadeth! Many have already been posted, and soon the rest of their discography will be up as well! Stay tuned for that, the rest are coming in the next few days. Meanwhile, here is what is up so far. Youthanasia -Countdown to Extinction -Cryptic Writings- Risk- The World Needs A Hero -The System Has Failed - United Abominations - Thirteen -Super Collider -Dystopia In June 1991, Anthrax released a compilation album of B-sides, covers and rare tracks called Attack of The Killer B's. The album was also nominated for a Grammy in 1992, but lost out to Metallica for the second year in a row. Anthrax has actually been nominated for Grammy Awards four other times, but have yet to win one. Just to be nominated once though is a massive honor, so to have four nominations over the course of just over two decades is just amazing. This album is a mix of previously unreleased original songs from Anthrax themselves, as well as live songs, and a couple covers. One of the tracks I wanted to point out is the opening track, "Milk (Ode to Billy)", its quite the strange track really, and was written in part by Scott Ian, who is the band's rhythm guitarist and only original member. You would assume that the song would have nothing to do with the title, but if you did -you would be wrong. Its literally a track bitching about the milk being gone when he wanted some cereal. No idea who Billy is though, so I'm not sure why he's dedicating an ode about milk to him, but its all still humorous none the less. Another track I actually found to be amusing is "Starting Up A Posse." Because not only does it call out all of the haters, and tell them to suck his dick, but it also flat out goes and says some of the things people consider to be "offensive." They flat out just go "Shit, fuck, Satan, death, sex, drugs, rape. These are the seven words you're trying to take." Oh, how I love it. Censorship is stupid. Thank you Anthrax for calling it out, its great. Over all, this is wonderful. Its quite different from the work they've done before and is a lot of fun. Great job! Definitely give this one a listen, and then go check out the normal works Anthrax has out. They have a lot more where this came from, and many of those have been reviewed here on Immortal Music! More are still coming but so far we have done Persistence Of Time, State Of Euphoria,Spreading The Disease, Fistful Of Metal, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, We've Come For You All, Worship Music and For All Kings! Also get excited because Anthrax will be taking part in several festivals coming up. Starting with Fort Rock which is just a week away! They will be at Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. On May 6th of 2003, Lamb of God released their second album, As The Palaces Burn, through Prosthetic Records. Receiving much better reception than their previous album, Lamb of God truly began to thrive from its release, as of 2013 it has sold 270,000 copies. Much of the success to the album can be attributed to the fact they decided to drop the grindcore sound, of New American Gospel, to go with a much more musically concise sound in the groove metal genre. In total four singles were released from As The Palaces Burn, and to this day, the title track and Vigil are still fan favorites that are commonly performed live. The album opens with the first single from the album, ‘Ruin’, which sets the pace for the album. Beginning with a brutal guitar riff and a lengthy scream from lead vocalist Randy Blythe the listener is immediately thrown into the overall heaviness of the song and the rest of the album. The song is talking about how both self and political ruin is brought on by oppression. “The end of all progress. The death of evolution. It bleeds all life away. I will show you all that I have mastered. Fear. Pain. Hatred. Power. This is the art of ruin.” And it is no mistake that in the video they chose to perform in a run down Catholic Church as the “congregation” watches them perform. The video flashes between the band performing and the different members of the crowd alone suffering. While I could not find any interviews with the band on the topic of the song, I could imagine that the song holds a double meaning to the band. That of how self ruin was brought on by their alcoholism and how they believe that certain powerful people mean to ruin the world by abuse of power. The following track, As The Palaces Burn, doesn’t let up for one second, continuing the already hardcore sound of Ruin. Only with this song the meaning is far more clear. “The fiends have gagged a generation of pacified fools. Bound by our greed a nation enslaved as corporate tools. Arise and raze the legacy of their lies. To realize that this in itself is an ascension. Towards the day we revolt. As the seeds you've cast away take hold. War will be born.” Quite simply the song is about revolution and how one day the poor will rise up against the rich living in their “palaces” and how we will “dance as the palaces burn.” As is common in Lamb of God’s music this song is heavily anti-authority. Some of their anti-authority songs are less poignant and less obvious but this one couldn’t possibly give a clearer message. They want(ed) a revolution that purges the corrupt assholes from the world. Slowing it down for about 30 seconds before resuming the incredibly heavy sound of the album, we are treated to the best song of the album, Vigil. This song was written by Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton, who has always been coy about what he had in mind when he wrote it - he says many fans have told him what the song means to them, and he likes that it relates to their personal experiences. Lamb of God was writing a lot of political songs around this time, it's possible that the biblical references to "our father" are not about God, but a representation of the United States government and the president: “I've prayed to see the nation that I loved disintegrate” The song could be speaking out about the George W. Bush administration and the damage it was causing. In this interpretation, the soldiers who died under this administration are represented in the line, "in honor of the strife of those who've died." Going with that idea, the final line “smite the Sheppard and the sheep will be scattered” speaks to the idea of destroying our government and the sheep (blind American public) will no longer follow it blindly, and they’ll be forced to find their own ideals. It is also possible, yet unlikely, that the song is about religion. Though just as blindly as people follow and believe the Government, they do as well with their church, so the possibility is there but the lyrics seem to point in a different direction. Despite the success of As The Palaces Burn, it would be one more year before they would forever be cemented into the status of Metal Gods, in 2004 they released Ashes of the Wake and the rest is history. To read about Ashes of the Wake click here. Now, after releasing As The Palaces Burn, with a concise direction, sound and drive, Lamb of God was simply destined to become the legendary band they are today. Lamb Of God will very soon be going out on tour with Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity and will be performing at many festivals as well! The festivals are actually what kicks off the tour, as they perform at Fort Rock and Welcome To Rockville before going out on tour starting May 3. The tour goes through June 7 and in the middle of it is several more festivals. Those festivals include Carolina Rebellion, The River's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock N' Derby andRock On The Range. This was also the final album to be reviewed here on Immortal Music! Please be sure to check out the rest! New American Gospel - Ashes of The Wake -Sacrament -Wrath- Resolution -Vii:Sturm und Drang Written Coby Andrews From The Ashes is the seventh album Pennywise released. The album came out on September 9, 2003, and apparently most copies feature a DVD with behind the scenes footage of the production of the album. It wasn't quite as popular as other works from the band, but it still reached number 54 on the Billboard 200, and hit number 4 on the Top Independent charts. Which was actually the highest chart rating the band has ever had, initially. As with most of the albums Pennywise released, there were not any singles to be found. But that doesn't mean there weren't tracks worth mentioning, of course! One of the tracks I wanted to highlight was "Something's to change." Its very easy to get stuck in a routine, and then things start feeling very mundane. When that happens, you often start seeking a change and that's exactly what this song is about. "I'm waiting for my own salvation, I gotta get out. There's no time to waste, 'cause I need something to change, something to break. Some way to get out, some way to get away from you." Make it happen! Another track I wanted to mention was "Look Who You Are" because chances are many people would feel a connection to it. It kind of goes a bit with "Something's Gotta change", as it does touch on how it can just feel like the same old routine, but this one goes deeper than that. This one mostly focuses on who you are as a person and instead of being treated like your own individual person like you are, you get treated like just another nameless face. Of course, that's not true, but we all do sometimes just put on a tough face and get through the day. This song fully talks about that feeling, and while it doesn't seem to offer a solution, it was still very well done and is of course very real. Over all, this was a great album, and I am now very proud to say that this was the final Pennywise album to be reviewed for Immortal Music! All of the albums they have out have now been reviewed here on the site and are below if anyone is interested! Use all of their work, and the reviews to get excited for all that Pennywise has coming up! Very shortly, they will be performing at several festivals such as Fort Rock,Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range! Get excited and check out all of the reviews below! Pennywise, Unknown Road, About Time, Full Circle,Straight Ahead, Land Of The Free?,, The Fuse, Reason To Believe, All Or Nothing, and Yesterdays! |
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