After a monstrous debut album, Megadeth came back the very next year with a more refined, distinctive sound.
Bandleader Dave Mustaine, along with the rest of the group, suffered from drug addiction during the early stages of their career. Without any place to call home, Megadeth continued working on a follow-up release before being approached by a representative of Capitol Records.
Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? became their first major label record and marked one of heavy metal’s most important albums of all-time. Clocking in at 36 minutes long, Peace Sells flies by just as fast as the riffs and solos that make it such a prominent contribution to thrash.
From the opening track, Megadeth comes out swinging with a relentless amount of speed and energy. Wake Up Dead is practically an instrumental powered by technicality and intense tempo changes, overwhelming listeners with the genius arrangements composed by Mustaine himself.
What follows is the menacing intro to The Conjuring. In just a couple of seconds, the song builds up anticipation with the iconic line, “Don’t summon the devil… Don’t call the priests… If you need the strength… The conjuring… Obey!!” Everything afterwards is nothing but pure, young hostility in the name of black magic and Satanic rituals. The title track offers the first dose of Mustaine’s political views within Megadeth‘s music, which became a trademark for the band. It’s also one of the more melodic tracks on the album with catchy lyrics that embodied their attitude and humor.
Black Friday is arguably the climax of Peace Sells, being their heaviest song at that point in time. Beginning with an instrumental called Good Mourning, it perfectly sets the tone and leads into the epic 6 minute powerhouse. Describing a mass murderer going on a killing spree, this came from the darkest depths of Mustaine’s mind and the subject matter is reflected in the lightning speed rhythm section.
Halfway through the album, some critics have singled out the cover of Willie Dixon‘s I Ain’t Superstitious. Many have called it filler and claim that it brings down the value of Peace Sells altogether. However, there’s plenty to appreciate in this quick 2 minute blues tune. It completely reshapes the original composition and dials everything up to 1000. Poland is the main driving force since he handles practically all of the guitar independently. Overall, the entire band made the song their own with a unique blend of blues and thrash.
As a final farewell, Megadeth saved a special track for the closer. My Last Words takes listeners through the internal anxiety of playing Russian Roulette. Armed with a merciless riff, the adrenaline level finally reaches its breaking point when Mustaine’s last solo kicks in. It’s often hailed as their greatest solo and it’s not hard to see why.
A key trait that kept the band tight was their jazz influence from drummer Gar Samuelson. His complex drum patterns were a centerpiece in the lineup. Especially on Bad Omen, you can hear his unorthodox playing method that not only solidified his position in Megadeth, but also made him a pioneer figure for all of thrash metal.
In fact, Chris Poland harnessed his own playing style based off of Samuelson’s qualities. They even had their own jazz fusion group formed before meeting Mustaine.
Once they both joined Megadeth, a legendary duo was born: Mustaine and Poland. As you can imagine, Mustaine was shredding beyond anyone’s expectations. Meanwhile, Poland focused on feel and the emotion he could deliver out of each individual note. Together, they were an unstoppable team among the best.
But the original partnership that built the band from the ground up was none other than Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson. They were the backbone who tested the limits at all times and met one of their career peaks in 1986. Alongside Slayer‘s Reign In Blood and Metallica‘s Master Of Puppets, Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? was ahead of the pack and lead the thrash metal movement.
This album has remained undefeated because it’s consistent, technical and filled with musical integrity. You can hear the effort that was put in from each member along with the sweat and exhaustion that fueled the passion to create it. That’s why Peace Sells will forever be considered a monument in heavy metal history.
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