The year in 1986 and the American Thrash Metal movement was in full swing. Bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax were reaching alienated kids just as Hardcore Punk did a few years then. 1986 would be the year the "Big Four" of Thrash would release seminal albums. "Master of Puppets" by Metallica, "Spreading the Disease" by Anthrax, "Reign In Blood" by Slayer, and of course "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?" by Megadeth. Sure it's a classic then, but how does it hold up now? Read on for my track by track review!1. Wake Up Dead- What a way to open up and album! Solos all over the place and catchy chords and vocal melody. This song is about Dave Mustaine himself trying to sneak in to his room after cheating on his girlfriend, but his girlfriend is sleeping on his bed! Yikes!
2. The Conjuring- This song has an evil tone to it. Sinister guitar work by Mustaine and Poland. This song is about summoning the Devil's righthand man.
3. Peace Sells- One of Megadeth's best known songs, this song is about the idea of selling peace but no one will actually buy it. It also talks about common misconceptions about the band. It's a tad bit slower than the first two but packs a powerful punch! Love the political lyrics as well.
4. Devil's Island- This song speeds thing up a bit after the last song. This song is about a prisoner about to be executed at a prison. More cool riffs.
5. Good Mourning/Black Friday- My favorite song off the album. It opens up slow but speed things up and then you're in Thrash heaven. The riff midway during the song is insane! This song is about a mass murderer on a rampage with gory lyrics by Mustaine.
6. Bad Omen- Another song that has a creepy tone. Again, starts slow, but speed up halfway. This song is about a Satanic cult.
7. I Ain't Superstitious- This song is a cover by Willie Nixon, I believe (Could be wrong). This is an old blues song done Thrash Metal style! This song is about superstition being balderdash.
8. My Last Words- This is last song on the album. Nice riffage by Mustaine. This song is about Russian Roulette.
Well that does it. Keep in mind that I have the re-release with bonus tracks (Wake Up Dead, The Conjuring, Peace Sells, and Good Mourning/Black Friday). I won't review them though as they are the same song with minor differences. So is it worth buying? For the most part, yes. The only thing hold the album back from getting a perfect score is the bonus tracks. They're good and all but adding them only makes the album longer than it needs to be. If you have a chance, I would buy the original 1986 version wothout the bonus tracks but it's up to you. Paint the Devil on the wall!
4.25 out of 5
