So Far, So Good...So What!

VINYL FORMAT. On 180 gram vinyl! "Megadeth belongs right at the top of the thrash-rock heap. Like Metallica, Megadeth has taken the "Harder! Louder! Faster!" possibilities first suggested by Motorhead and Black Flag and pounded them into the most emphatic '80s speed metal extant. On its third LP the band continues to prove that in the right hands, sheer density and force of riffs can work as hooks unto themselves. True, the openings of "Mary Jane" and "In My Darkest Hour" come treasonously close to conventional melody, but thankfully things turn ugly soon enough, culminating in some of lead guitarist Dave Mustaine's most strident, bloodthirsty vocals ever.

On So Far, So Good ... So What! Mustaine and stalwart bassist David Ellefson are joined by two new members  guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler  who prove as creatively belligerent as their predecessors. This is obvious right from the LP's opener, an instrumental that Young's serrated guitar riffs help turn into an overture to hell. From there things just get bloodier, but that doesn't mean all subtlety gets slaughtered in the process. The tricky tempo shifts in cuts like "Mary Jane" are carried off with deft rhythmic skill, and even what seems to be the band's most anarchic moment  the guitar and drum jam at the end of "502"  retains a sure sense of momentum." - Jim Farber, Rolling Stone