Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live Blu-ray Movie Review

Metal in the raw.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 23, 2010

It's been twenty years since one of Metal's top bands, Megadeth, recorded its classic album Rust in Peace, and fans wouldn't know it by watching Rust in Peace Live, a 2010 concert marking the 20th anniversary of the release. Aside from the high definition Blu-ray presentation and a few more miles on the bands' odometer, there's no sign that Megadeth is slowing down with the turning of two decades since Rust in Peace began its march towards platinum status. It's clear from the opening minutes of Rust in Peace Live that Megadeth is as strong as ever; the band plays the same memorable anthems that sound as good and as fresh today as they did 20 years ago. With the same big hair, the same slicing guitar riffs that still deliver ear-splitting notes, the same timely and still-relevant lyrics, the same passion, the same energy, and the same intensely rabid fan base, Megadeth proves with Rust in Peace Live that they still have it, that they can still put on a great show, and that they remain one of Metal's top acts. There's no denying the band's place in Metal music history, and there's nothing quite like a dosage of Rust in Peace to remember why Dave Mustaine's band is tough to beat.

Thrashing.

Recorded on March 31, 2010 at the famed Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles where the Rust in Peace 20th anniversary tour came to a close, Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live was the culmination of a whirlwind 22-show North American tour that saw the band reunited with longtime bassits David Ellefson, who had left the group in 2002. The tour proved to be a massive success, but that should come as no surprise to longtime Megadeth fans. A top metal band reunited, touring the country, and promoting arguably its best album? For fans, the Rust in Peace tour was an easy sell. The original 1990 album would eventually gain platinum status and, with the songs Rust in Peace and Hangar 18, earn the band a pair of Grammy nominations in 1991 and 1992 for Best Metal Performance. Twenty years after the fact, and Rust in Peace still gets the blood pumping and heads banging like few others. Rust in Peace Live proves both the band's and the album's staying power with a show that's all about the music, emphasizing everything that's good about Megadeth and downplaying everything else in favor of the album's staying power and energy while foregoing the urge to dress it up with the usual concert antics.

Indeed, there's little in the way of pomp and circumstance during this live performance of Rust in Peace. Megadeth's high energy performance isn't masked by any excess stage pyrotechnics, special effects, lasers, or anything else that distracts from the music. The stage is built around a minimum set-up, and there's nothing masking the musicians or taking away from the sheer force of their performance. In Rust in Peace Live, the members of Megadeth appear in the figurative nude, exposing themselves and their music for who they are and what they sound like, armed only with their raw talent and amazing sound that's deservedly the single highlight of the show. The band lets its music do the talking, and it plays with all of the energy and emotion one would expect -- and demand -- of a top Metal group, even considering the group's age and the time lapsed since Rust in Peace dominated the charts. It's refreshing to see a band this big put so much faith in their music and in themselves, refusing to hide behind the typical concert distractions and instead give the fans exactly what they want, nothing more and nothing less. The result is a sensational concert that's one of the best around, its only fault an all-too-brief 47-minute runtime.

The playlist for Megadeth: Rust in Peace follows the original 1990 album, and appears on this Blu-ray release thusly:

1. Holy Wars...The Punishment is 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
10. Holy Wars -- Reprise

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live features a decent 1080i, 1.78:1-framed transfer. This isn't the best-looking concert disc out there; like the music, it's a bit rough around the edges, but is otherwise steady and pleasing. Details completely disappear underneath the heavy blacks as the camera pans around the audience and peeks into the shadows off to the sides of the stage, but fans will appreciate the solid details on clothes, guitars, stage equipment, and the band members' faces. Colors are ever-shifting under the harsh red and green lighting that dominates the proceedings. A fair bit of noise, a sprinkling of blocking, and a few instances of banding are visible around the frame. Objects like guitar strings and other straight-edged elements occasionally suffer through a light case of the jaggies, and intermittent shimmering is evident. For all the listed nitpicks, though, Rust in Peace is an overall fine looking disc. The 1080i video isn't as steady as one might hope, but there's little room for complaint, especially when the high quality soundtrack simply dominates the proceedings.

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

No surprise here: Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live simply rocks on Blu-ray. Shout! Factory's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a butt-kicker and name-taker. This track never lets up and literally engulfs the listener in a barrage of crisp and powerful sound that's got to be the next best thing to attending a live Megadeth concert. Sound spills form every speaker as guitar riffs tear through the listening area, Dave Mustaine's vocals flow from the center, and the subwoofer spits out an abundance of tight, aggressive bass. Crowd noise is kept to a minimum and heard only between songs and during low-volume intros; whether deliberately so by the audio engineers or simply lost under the raw power of the energetic metal music is anyone's guess, but the result is a track that allows every guitar riff, every screeching vocal, every deep low to invade the soundstage and send listeners into a dizzying, head-spinning barrage of sound that, for the Megadeth fan, is nothing short of pure sonic bliss.

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Special features for Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live include Behind the Scenes Footage (1080i, 8:25), a brief piece that features the fans assembling, the band preparing, and the show taking shape; and several bonus songs (1080i, 27:00): Skin O' My Teeth, In My Darkest Hour, She-Wolf, Trust, Symphony of Destruction, and Peace Sells.

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live is a no-frills concert that features the famed Metal band in the raw and playing the tracks off of their platinum album with no pomp and circumstance, no crazy side shows, and no visual excesses to take the audience's attention away from the music. Megadeth sounds as good in 2010 as it did in 1990, and Rust in Peace remains a quintessential listen within the Metal genre. Fans unfamiliar with Megadeth or who are in search of a good introductory album to 1980s/early 1990s big hair Metal can't do much better than Rust in Peace, and even better than the original album is this excellent live recording, presented in high definition courtesy of Shout! Factory. Featuring a steady 1080i transfer, a hard-hitting lossless soundtrack, and a few extras, Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live is a fantastic release that comes recommended to both Metal and Megadeth neophytes and longtime fans alike.