The guitar on this album is pretty damn killer, as can be seen with the opening instrumental track "Into The Lungs of Hell." It starts with a tension building intro and then progresses into a finger blistering riff which really does make you feel like you're going into the lungs of hell. Drumming is pretty mediocre. I mean, Behler keeps the rhythm tight and everything, but does nothing impressive, it just doesn't tickle your ears. The bass for this album is, of course, very good, but Ellefson doesn't appear to be up to par from previous releases, which is a real let down.
Lyrically, this album is quite impressive. The themes deal with science fiction, drug addiction, social rebellion, remorse/regrets, and of course, politics. The last of these themes mentioned can be seen with their beautiful cover of "Anarchy In the UK" by the Sex Pistols. Perhaps the most touching thing about this album, though, is the song "In my Darkest Hour" which deals with the long regretted loss of friend and former band mate Cliff Burton. This is clearly seen with the line "Everlasting life for me in a perfect world, but I gotta die first, please god send me on my way!" We can also see a link to drug addiction with the song "Mary Jane"
In all honesty, the two most impressive elements to this album are the guitar and lyrics. The other parts of instrumentation are sub-par. However, because guitar and lyricism are so stellar, this album still gets above an eight, especially seeing as how there's unique song structure, as well as a slightly progressive element.
While this album may lack certain qualities, it's still very good, and still a recommended buy for almost any Megadeth fan. Trust me, when you learn to appreciate this album, you'll set the world afire and willingly walk into the lungs of hell.
Album Highlights: Into The Lungs Of Hell, Set The World Afire, Mary Jane, 502, In My Darkest Hour.
