KILLING IS MY BUSINESS IS GOOD ! ALBUM REVIEW

 

As good as killing business! 

By lostinbeauty, April 26th, 2020

Ah, Megadeth. Perhaps the best thrash band of all time and eternally destined to be compared to Metallica. Today they are definetly famous, but in the 80s they were still an unknown group struggling with their first album, hoping that it was good enough to bring them to light.

And Killing is my business ... and business is good! probably met expectations, although fortunately they made better records over time.

Among the prominent elements of this album there is immediately the intro to Last rites / Loved to deth. The first thing the listener hears, in fact, is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, played with the piano and guitar. It is a pleasant surprise, and it introduces the atmosphere well. The actual song has a quick and acid riff, a violent and overwhelming trend and great power and catchiness. It is certainly one of the most successful songs not only of the disc but of the subgenre itself. The crazy and gloomy atmosphere is a huge advantage. The titletrack is slower and smoother for the first few moments, then accelerates suddenly, and the tempo keeps changing until the end. In any case, it remains effective, well supported by a high quality riff and a memorable refrain. His only flaw is being too short, only three minutes.

The skull beneath the skin is simply brutal. Slow and threatening, dark and suffocating, with a guitar that is more acidic than ever and an additional dose of sadism in the voice. The incessant rhythm and the abrupt ending contribute to the sensation. Rattlehead is probably the fastest, less violent than the previous tracks and with particularly successful solos. About halfway it becomes a mid-tempo, but then it accelerates again and remains constant. It is the most catchy song and in some way it can also be considered proto-power metal. Chosen ones is another mid-tempo that is closer to heavy metal. Unfortunately, in some moments it almost seems to go out of tempo, there is a sudden slowdown which is quite mild but not so much as not to be noticed. Fortunately, a good part of the song is occupied by a solo as technical as it is fascinating, and at the end the speed increases allowing to forget the small defects.

Looking down the Cross, in addition to having highly interesting lyrics, is very gloomy, with a beginning marked by the threatening gait of the bass. The atmosphere is maintained throughout the piece, of which the instrumental part, almost hypnotic, is appreciable. Mechanix is ​​basically an accelerated version of Metallica's The four horsemen, and is officially its first version. It is a pleasant listening, given the excellent, fast and harsh instrumental structure, but suffers from the bland lyrics. The last song is a cover of These boots by Nancy Sinatra in an interesting thrash version and with the modified text. It is a successful experiment. The only problem is the remastered version of the album which has horrendous censorship. And not simply missing parts of the vocal lines, but an authentic whistle. The general advice is to avoid this version as much as possible.

As for the technical side, this record is an exceptional effort. The musicians are all extremely talented and competent, especially the guitarists. Moreover, Mustaine is certainly not known for the pleasantness of his voice, but the latter, in its roughness and violence, is fit for the genre.

Killing is my business ... and business is good! is not Megadeth's masterpiece, nor the best thrash metal record of all time, but it's still essential and, although too short, an excellent album.

Best tracks: Last rites/Loved to deth, Looking down the Cross, The skull beneath the skin

Track List  :

1. Last Rites / Loved to Death

2. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!

3. Skull Beneath the Skin

4. These Boots (Nancy Sinatra cover)

5. Rattlehead

6. Chosen Ones

7. Looking Down the Cross

8. Mechanix

***Disclaimer*** 

I do not own any copyright for any of this material!

Copyright belongs to Megadeth and Capitol Recordings! 

Purchase your remastered copy today!

MEGADETH - KILLING IS MY BUSINESS IS GOOD ! FULL ALBUM 

( Poor Quality )