Dave Mustaine recruited guitarist Marty Friedman from the (mostly) instrumental shred act Cacophony, and drummer Nick Menza from his own road crew (he was drummer Chuck Behler’s tech), for Megadeth’s fourth album, and the result was the band’s most musically complex release, and arguably the one that defines their entire career. The songs are absolutely ferocious, but executed with pinpoint accuracy and rigorous discipline; there’s not a note out of place, the arrangements are intricate but crystal-clear with no one getting in anyone else’s way, and when it’s guitar solo time, strap in. Friedman’s spotlight turn on “Tornado of Souls” in particular is one of the greatest guitar performances in metal history. But every element here serves the song. Granted, Dave Mustaine’s vocals will always be a stumbling block for many, but if you want to hear speed metal played with almost inhuman virtuosity without ever seeming airless or antiseptic, Rust In Peace is mandatory listening.