Month of Megadeth: Rust In Peace

Conclusion

A masterpiece. All of the Chinese five elements are in perfect harmony, just like with this masterpiece:



Serrana, by guitar prodigy Jason Becker. He took sweep picking - a technique made famous by Yngwie Malmsteen - to a whole new level during his illustrious career.

Review

Rust in Peace reminds me of Taoism. The three jewels of the Tao, namely compassion, moderation and humility, have very little to do with most metal albums. Still, all the forces of the universe seem to be in perfect harmony when you listen to this album.

The truth about the Tao

Tao means path or way. This is the album where Megadeth clearly defined their path and went all the way too. By emphasising the link between people and nature, the need for rules and order is less pressing. Megadeth found a stable line-up for the first time, leading to a better understanding of their world and their surroundings.

Tao also means the flow of the universe, which is only achieved when things are in their natural order. Since So far, so good, so what? struggled to portray Megadeth in their natural order due to frequent line-up changes and more frequent drugs, a change was needed in order to cultivate the Tao.

How to De

De means active living, active cultivation of the Tao. Dave Mustaine did this by going through a 12 step program. Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies (don't feel bad if you don't know them, they're not great) once noted that Mustaine lived at the Betty Ford Center. This time, Mustaine was out long enough to cultivate the Tao. Yes, the force is strong with this one.

How to Wu Wei, or how to do by not doing

Wu Wei means action without action. The act of effortless doing managed to let some awesome music flow from these talented musicians.



Leah Dizon, the Japanese star. Wa wa wee wee wu wei!

All the tensions of giving up alcohol and other drugs created a less tense environment. Loose enough for Mustaine to allow bassist David Ellefson to contribute some songs.
Loose enough for the band to be like water, flowing with the Tao. Soft enough to move a dried leaf, hard enough to shatter stone.

The truth about P'u, the uncarved block

P'u is the uncarved block. In this case, new drummer Nick Menza and new guitarist Marty Friedman are the uncarved blocks. Marty Friedman needs no introduction as a guitar hero, and his leads are superb. By employing the true nature of their minds, Megadeth becomes stronger without using effort.

Truly, the one album that proves where all the talent in Metallica was hidden. This is the sound of one hand tapping.

Useless information

• Marty Friedman previously played in Cacophony with guitar prodigy Jason Becker. Their neo-classical feel and synchronised guitar harmonies took heavy metal guitar to a whole new level.


• Dave Mustaine nearly didn't hire Marty Friedman, because he had too many colours in his hair. I guess a fiery red mane is more metal.


• Jason Becker later played for David Lee Roth. He became diagnosed with the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and doctors gave him three years to live. Jason is still alive and well today, enjoying the envy of many guitar heroes and fans despite being in a wheel chair and unable to play guitar any more.


• "Hangar 18" is one of my favourite songs of all time.


• The title Rust in Peace refers to an anti-nuclear program bumper sticker Dave Mustaine had read. It supports the notion that nuclear warheads should rust in peace.

This is part of the month of Megadeth series on the Necro Files. All the posts of the series are listed below:

• Peace sells, but who's buying?


• So far, so good, so what?


• Rust in peace


• Countdown to extinction

Track listing

1. Holy Wars… the Punishment Due


2. Hangar 18


3. Take No Prisoners


4. Five Magics


5. Poison Was the Cure


6. Lucretia


7. Tornado of Souls


8. Dawn Patrol


9. Rust in Peace... Polaris

Note: The 2004 remixed and remastered version has bonus tracks which I omitted because I do not own that version. You can find the details of those tracks at the All Music Guide review of Rust in Peace.

Personell

• David Ellefson: bass.


• Marty Friedman: guitar.


• Nick Menza: drums.


• Dave Mustaine: guitars, vocals, rehab.

Rating

Unpleasant dreams, darling Vampira (1921 - 2008)

It is simply impossible to foster a love for B-Grades without developing a crush on Vampira at some point. Vampira (Maila Nurmi) was a Finnish-born actress who is best known for presenting The Vampira Show. She passed away on 10 January 2008, aged 86. I learned of the sad news from the Vault of Horror. Excellent blog, read it sometime.



The Vampira Show
Maila constructed the character Vampira from various sources, including the evil queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, several silent era actresses and Morticia Addams from the Addams Family. During the show, Vampira would drape herself over a double ended Victorian sofa, with skulls and a pet spider, Rolo, her only company. Skulls and sofa would bask in her aura while she presented a film for the night. The film would be suitable entertainment for the off screen ghosts, and similarly suitable to torment her advertisers. Sounds like a dream date!

Plan 9 from Outer Space
Directed by Ed Wood, he of the dubious title "worst director of all time", Vampira reputedly refused to utter a word of the script because she found it too terrible. Ed Wood merely took her lines out, allowing her to appear as a cameo zombie. Sort of. Since then, the film has earned the dubious title of "the worst film of all time". That is simply not true. I can think of at least 5 films worse than Plan 9: Jurassic Park III is worse; Gigli is worse; Napoleon Dynamite is worse; Spawn is worse; Catwoman is worse. Then there is The Rookie, which for all its recycled footage and leather faced Dennis Quaid can't possibly be better than any B-Grade. I wish I had seen the Disney logo before I watched that crap. I got free tickets and I still want to be paid damages for the hour and a half or so I can never have back.

Vampira's Attic
Vampira had several battles with the film industry. At some point, she wanted to sue series which took her likeness and capitalised on it. Sooner or later, film makers declined working with her, and she opened an antique shop called Vampira's Attic. Apparently she was adept at making jewellery and clothes. She made a few adornments for Grace Slick and Frank Zappa among others.

She came to star in a few documentaries about schlock. Eventually these culminated in a documentary all about her, entitled Vampira: The Movie. This documentary is said to contain the last recorded interview with Maila.



Unpleasant dreams, darlings
I offer my condolences to her family and friends. Her official site asks that those who wish to show their appreciation of her life forward donations to the Much Love Animal Rescue in her memory.

The amazing pavement Picasso

Julian Breever is an artist who employs trompe-l'œil techniques to create extraordinary 3D effects on an ordinary pavement - with chalk.


The technique most employed by Breever is anamorphosis. Anamorphosis involves using a distorted projection which requires a particular observation point to be effective. To create this illusion, Breever uses a camera on a tripod and keeps checking every mark he makes. Breever's pavement artworks usually take 3 days to produce. He works for the sake of entertainment and a satisfying photograph providing conclusive evidence of his labour at the end.In his quest for making objects appear out of pavements, he faces many challenges from the elements as well as the authorities, but generally his efforts are accepted well.

"Art shouldn't be locked away in galleries and libraries and books. Art should be for everybody and not just art boffins, historians and so-called experts."

That is true. I just wish the wannabe graffiti artiste in my neighbourhood would spend some more time with a pad and a pencil before he scribbles on our walls.

Here are a few links with more on Breever:
Julian Breever (official web site)
BBC pavement Picasso feature
The page with the time-lapse video showing Breever creating the whitewater rafting scene