Composer Reacts to Megadeth - Holy Wars...The Punishment Due (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

[@UltraMegaSeaMonkey]

All I have to say is that Rust in Peace is the perfect thrash album.

[@revylokesh1783]

Perfect album, period.

[@Coinmancer]

Pretty much the ultimate metal album ever made start to finish.

[@brandoncrow3741]

It's the best Thrash album ever. You are correct!

[@HalfUnder]

All I have to say is that you're correct lol. Cheers fellow Droogies.

[@pantsedjuniorhayseed4816]

angry again is my personal favorite Megadeth song. i know it's not their best song but damn i love that chorus melody.

[@jarunia17]

When seeing them live that song was the highlight!

[@thegrimner]

SO much good stuff going on in this song, even from a "historical" analysis stand point. It always struck me as very curious how the US and the rest of the world had such fundamentally different interpretations of thrash as a genre. North American bands, for the most part, were a lot "tighter" and technical from the onset in a way that took german thrash years to pick up ( Kreator and, if you want to label them thrash in their early work, Blind Guardian, were just about the only bands showing some modicum of technical chops by the turn into the 90s), and that kind of kept up into the genres that were natural successors of thrash: The US gave birth to death metal, particularly technically minded death metal, while Europe would eventually spawn black metal. Much as I later fell from the Megadeth bandwagon in later years, there's no denying just on top of their game they were at this point, and how they actually proved that you don't necessarily need the fastest drumming or the lowest tuning to sound relentless. This song actually leaves me a bit exhausted in a way faster, heavier tracks do not and it's all credit due to the excellent songwriting on display. No one out of the big four was this hungry at this point in time, and it showed. It actually saves his vocal delivery, even. Good call out on the solos, one can really tell Dave from Marty, the other guitar player. Marty actually came from a Yngwie Malmsteen/Steve Vai kind of environment, but he ended up generating a great contrast with Dave's rawer style. As for that sound, not sure how it's called in english, but in Portugal we would call it "false harmonic". I guess it's also called like that over there? The specific sound Mustaine was producing is achieved by palm muting with the right hand and touching the strings at the edge of the fret between the notes without actually pressing down as we normally would. This guy here shows how it's done at 9:20 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3WllHeqZpx0oK8&ab_channel=The-Art-of-Guitar

[@CriticalReactions]

That's quite interesting to hear about the evolution of not just Thrash but also it's offshoots. That guitar technique is neat. Utilizing two different techniques together to achieve a unique sound. Very cool.

[@cheekycupcake5616]

GREAT lyrics. Great music. Great bullet belt.🌿

[@lauscho]

Yeah, what's happening just before that last solo isn't pick scrapes at all, just harmonics somewhere near the 3rd fret. It's a harmonic that on an acoustic or unamplified guitar is very high, but also very difficult to hit, so it sounds muted, but with an amplifier and a lot of volume and gain, comes through much clearer. But it still sounds "muted" compared to the ones at the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 12th frets which are more bell-like.

[@Coinmancer]

It’s also a super aggressive picking of a harmonic while they are usually hit very lightly for clarity

[@finfogel.382]

not a big megadeth fan but their new album is very good well worth a listen.

[@CriticalReactions]

It's on my 2022 list. I'll probably get around to it later this week.

[@metaltildeth6783]

Great breakdown of the song. All of the questions have pretty much been answered already by those posting before me. While 'Holy Wars... the Punishment Due' is the most well known Megadeth song, it is not the most, symphonic for not knowing a better word, song from Megadeth. I believe that would be 'In My Darkest Hour', which like 'Holy Wars...' builds up to an apex near the end before melodically finishing the song ending without a fade. Definitely worth your time to review.

[@romansingleton8831]

The riff you are wondering about on the break...he's pumping on the Low E string with his finger over the string/fret about the 3rd fret, producing a natural harmonic. The sound of his pick scraping/laying into the string is pretty strong so you are picking up the pick attack against the string with the resonance of the harmonic. This harmonic also doesn't have the tendency to be as strong as some of the others on a string, depending on the tone. His choice here is certainly by design of course.

[@neck_acrobatics]

I know next to nothing about music theory so I really appreciate you explaining terms like chromatic scale. 👍

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Not only is this their biggest song, it's often voted as one of the top 5 metal songs ever, with Rust in Peace often vying with Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood for the best thrash metal album ever. Personally, Megadeth were always my favorite of the major thrash bands: they were the certainly the most technically adept and at their best were every bit as good of songwriters/composers as Metallica were. I also think they had the deepest discography, and even when they left thrash I loved their early 90s alt. rock/metal albums (Countdown to Extinction and Youthnasia... not so much the albums after), and I think their return to thrash starting with The System Has Failed has been damn good and really underrated, with Endgame especially being a kickass album (their last two with Kiko have been damn good too). I think the only thing that held them back from being even bigger was Mustaine's very limited voice. Still, this is pretty much a perfect metal song. One of my absolute favorites to play on guitar (I can play everything but Marty's fast solo and that acoustic transition). It really takes stamina and practice to get it up to speed; that main riff is just murder on your picking hand! FWIW, pretty much every song on Rust in Peace is like this in terms of every song being jam-packed with riffs. Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls, Five Magics, Lucretia... it's just a perfect metal album. 6:14 It's just harmonics on the third frets starting on the low E-string. I think it sounds odd because of the guitar tone (Dave's tone on this album is very distinct; I've never been able to replicate it) and the fact you don't often hear harmonics played as a bar chord on the low strings. EDIT: As for the lyrics, this is two different songs: Holy Wars is about, well, holy wars; The Punishment Due is the part you're describing with "a change in perspective" and it's actually about the comic book character The Punisher whose family was killed and he became a mercenary who was also out for vengeance.

[@CriticalReactions]

The System Has Failed is such a good album. It's the only full Megadeth album I've heard (like I said, I got into them with a greatest hits album) but I had that on repeat a ton. I've heard Hanger 18 but the others you listed from Rust aren't even names I recognize. One of these days I owe it to myself to get through their discography (yup, lemme toss that in my 100+ album list of stuff I really, really NEED to dig into 😅). I can't understand the decision to shift from the holy wars to the Punisher. It undercuts so much of the song and makes me think a bit lesser of it. It's still musically a powerhouse but dang.... it's such a weird segue.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@CriticalReactions Unless you're a diehard fan or a completionist (like myself) I don't think Deth have one of those discographies that demand you hear everything. They're very much a band that have "tiers" in terms of the quality of their output: S-tier would be Rust in Peace, Peace Sells, and (IMHO) Endgame; A-tier would be Countdown to Extinction and Youthnasia; then I think B-tier (which is still really good/solid) is most of the rest: Killing is My Business, So Far So Good So What, Cryptic Writings, Dystopia, The Sick The Dying and the Dead... I think The System Has Failed is right on that edge between A and B-tier; over time I've really come to appreciate it as their album that best melded their alternative rock/metal style of the 90s with their classic thrash style. They've had a few duds as well (Risk and Super Collider are both pretty awful), but overall a really solid discography. As for Holy Wars, I can understand your reaction about the shift undercutting the song, but I've always enjoyed songs/suites that stitched different songs together: Bohemian Rhapsody, Paranoid Android, I Want You... She's So Heavy, etc. You almost never see it in metal and I think maybe that's part of the reason why Holy Wars is such a fascinating song. Maybe the switch doesn't make thematic sense but musically I think it works just fine.

[@CriticalReactions]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 I don't mind stitching together drastically different styles. She's So Heavy is a perfect example of that done right, where the shift in both lyrics and music help to support the track's ideas. Here I just feel it's two wholly different sets of lyrics that don't add much being put side by side. Musically it's totally solid though.

[@SpookyApparition]

Megadeth "at their best" may have been as good at songwriting as Metallica, but coherent compositions were never Megadeth's strength. Ex. Wake Up Dead rules, but it's a riff salad song where the different parts have very little connecting them. This is true of a LOT of early Megadeth, and rarely ever true of early Metallica.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@SpookyApparition Thing is that I don't necessarily see what you describe as a weakness, especially in thrash and other extreme metal genres. The ideal of "smooth transitions" is desirable in many genres, but in extreme metal I've always thought that whiplash transitions actually fit better with the entire aesthetic. I'm not saying Metallica's smoother coherency is bad, merely that I don't think Megadeth's "riff salad" style is innately worse. Death is another band that tended to do that who I also loved. It's also worth keeping in mind that many of the songs/riffs on Metallica's first album were written by Dave anyway.

[@krazycrismore]

The lyrics are specifically about the Irish Troubles. It was ongoing at the release of this song/album. I don't know much about it, but I know it is a sensitive issue.

[@MaaZeus]

The sound is called harmonic. If you have guitar you can try it yourself. Lightly bar your fretting finger right on top of 12th fret (mute them all basically) and pick a string. You get the same note as the string you are picking but in a ringing fashion. You can do the same ringing harmonic effect in different places around the fretboard but the 12th fret is useful to remember because it is handy when tuning the guitar. The harmonic is a stable sounding note that isn't affected by your picking much so your tuning equipment do not swing wildly back and forth.

[@SpookyApparition]

Dave loved his solo so much that he reused the licks for the next 20 years!

[@slayer91340]

It sounds like a pick scrape because it's being palm muted at the same time as his finger is barely hovering over the end of the 3rd fret on the low E string

[@machinegunhippy]

Its still so good

[@tausigmanova]

The alarm thjing is just alt picked/galloping natural harmonics. The pre-first verse riff actually repeats at the very end too.

[@FreeMTrider]

I've been listening and studying this song (also the album) since it was released. I've seen it live a few times and the interpretation has changed for me personally a little here and there, but your breakdown has opened more to this song even decades later both musically, technically and the overall feeling. Excellent reaction.

[@Rafals1993]

06:10 Slowpoke reply, but since you asked (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) - it's a guitar technique called pinch harmonics. You hit the string with the pick, and immediately follow it by touching it with your thumb. So effectively it just comes down to how you hold your pick. Zakk Wylde is your guy if you want to check out someone who applies it religiously in their music.

[@wesmantooth9686]

Just took my son to see them live for his first metal show. He loved it

[@BMSUCKS]

Hangar 18 has to be next

[@biorythmicshifter]

This is like the song Painkiller or Master of Puppets, it’s one of the most perfectly written metal songs in existence. A song that sets the bar…

[@christosgeorgiou8322]

6:15 , its a natural harmonic + the guitar pick being in an angle that produces the scrape sound to perform a natural harmonic , there's only a few locations within the fretboard that allow you(as far as i remember most common at 4 5 and 7, you simply put your finger to rest on top of the string on those frets and it produces that sound + you angle your guitar pick maybe 45' degree or more to produce a rather scrape like sound , most metal guitarists also use this when performing gallops or triplets , it adds percussion effect and makes the note sound more aggressive

[@leonardokalinci9894]

Next misspelled band: KREATOR 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@deaconj3406]

1st section "Holy Wars" is about the Irish Republican Army and a good story about how the band got caught up in "The Cause" and had to be escorted out in an armored bus cuz Dave started a riot. 2nd section, "The Punishment Due" is about Marvels "The Punisher" comics. The Harmonic section is done by playing a natural harmonic on the 3.5 fret and alternate picking it with some palm muting. The scrapes are the sound the pick makes naturally doing that.

[@vampmode9132]

That riff in the first verse is the greatest shit ever

[@TheGiiant]

This is on of the best albums ever made!!! Im not the biggest Megadeth fan but shit... this album rule them all!!!! Dave is the King of Thrash!

[@pekkalaakkonen1163]

Beautiful reaction sir❤Turned me into a fan. Mustaine is definetely one of the most intricate composers of heavy metal.

[@Blady99]

I’m not a megadeth fan but loved listening to your reaction

[@jpaulcrosby]

The new album is surprisingly good! My favorite tracks are the title track, dogs of Chernobyl, and mission to mars!

[@blindguardian1979]

Can't go wrong with this song. Loved this song when it came out and still find it interesting to this day! The entire album is worth reacting to! As for Lyrics, this song was inspired by one of their tours in Northern Ireland where Dave caused a riot due to comments made on stage which was inadvertently pro- IRA

[@annodomini1991]

Top quality thrash metal.

[@Trollberg]

balls to the wall- best metal album ever

[@williamreynolds3487]

Honestly, I'd call a lot of their stuff "progressive." Same with Metallica (i.e., Master of Puppets). For example, I don't know of any other thrash bands (at least out of the Big 4) that used acoustic/clean guitar. The songs just go in so many different directions.

[@muskett00]

Excellent analysis on this one. I love the song, but I found it interesting how this iconic classic breaks quite a few of your own typical preferences. Perhaps the rhythmic structures, growth and maximum riffage do a good job of highlighting something lacking in much of the modern 'heavier' metal.

[@CriticalReactions]

I wondered if someone was gonna pick up on that. I think my love for Megadeth is purely driven by nostalgia. Some of the earliest music I can remember hearing was Loverboy, Metallica's Black Album, Megadeth, and Ozzy's No More Tears. So there's definitely a part of me that enjoys this kind of riff heavy, rule of cool metal. But I'm not sure if it's me that has been distanced from this style or if the modern metal is the much different, sonically, despite still mostly leaning on texture and riffs over moving melodic structures.

[@tausigmanova]

if you're doing misspelled names, how about some Queensryche?

[@KitWriter]

Well? Did you listen to the new album? We’ll Be Back is FIRE, right??

[@ronbent]

Man you've got to do Ashes in Your Mouth. It was made to be analyzed by you

[@ekskafeas]

Not really misspelled actually if there is a meaning and exist in the dictionary though

[@CriticalReactions]

The English word 'megadeath' does have a definition. This band omits the a in death though.

[@michaelclarke4393]

Megadeth is an actual event.not misspelled..

[@jay-remedy-plz]

Misspelled bands….. Staind , mudshovel ?

[@jarunia17]

Digging into the new album might not be the best idea😂

[@CriticalReactions]

Is it bad? The only full Megadeth album I've heard is The System Has Failed and I really dug that. I've also heard two of the singles from the new one and while I wouldn't say they stand out, they're both good songs.

[@Coinmancer]

@@CriticalReactions id say it’s really good personally. He is still out shredding all the kids and has Kiko on guitar with him who seriously shreds. There is one song that sounds like a movie soundtrack but the rest of it shreds more than many recent albums.

[@jarunia17]

@@CriticalReactions Oh ok, then we need to change the topic - you gotta hear Rust in Peace in full man xD I also really dig The System Has Failed, underrated one IMO

[@jarunia17]

@@CriticalReactions The new album is not embarassing in any way, just very unexceptional to me. I'm glad they are making music that doesn't suck, just a shame I don't enjoy it much anymore.

[@CriticalReactions]

@@Coinmancer Sounds great to me!

[@henksaenen1662]

There is no real rythm on a battle field! Maybe only a perceived one

[@HALberdier17]

'The Punishment Due' part of the song is about the Punisher from Marvel Comics.

[@CriticalReactions]

Huh....I would never have guessed that. In fact, unless Punisher was drastically different in the 80s that I can't see him as a mercenary type person fighting against those who would "take his voice away." Though the killing his family to control him line does kinda line up.

[@Blady99]

Megadeth is pure incel music