Megadeth

So Far, So Good… So What! (Capitol)
by Tim Den

Stuck between the album that broke the band and the best album they would ever release, So Far, So Good… So What! has always been the forgotten middle child. Unjustly so, since it contains some of my personal favorites. Opener “Into the Lungs of Hell” used to scare the shit out of me in middle school with its intimidating title and spiraling-tapping melody, painting nightmares of high-speed crashes and 100 ft. flames. When the verse riff of “Set the World Afire” rears its “mosh pit ready!” head, who doesn’t bolt upright and prepare for the onslaught?

“Liar” is fucking ferociously complex, “Mary Jane” cryptically enchanting, and “In My Darkest Hour” one of the band’s finest ever. Only weakness, as with Peace Sells… before it, is the inclusion of an unnecessary cover. Last time: Random honky tonk. This time: Metalified version of The Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” Not even diehard fans, in my opinion, have ever figured out why the band chose to cover such an easily-fuck up-able song. But the other seven entries more than make up for it (that’s what the skip button is for!).

Bonus tracks: Again, nothing much to report, save for a butchered version of “Mary Jane” that’s full of surprising stops and weird arrangements. Kudos to Dave for including such a Frankenstein to illustrate just how much a song can change before arriving at its final state. If So Far, So Good… So What! wasn’t exactly how some fans wanted Peace Sells… followed up (new members, less memorable songs), then the next album would silence the world.
(www.capitolrecords.com)