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Holy Wars: Quite possibly the best thrash song ever.

12K views 92 replies 48 participants last post by  dlsmith976 
#1 ·


Seriously, what doesn't this song have? Fucking awesome riffing, technical ability everywhere, great drumming, Mustaine at his peak and Marty laying down ridiculously technical leads that fit the song perfectly, all with bad fucking ass lyrics over it.

For non-musicians, it's just an asskicker of a song. For guitarists, it's pretty much the benchmark for thrash rhythm playing. It's technical as hell without sacrificing the song structure for the sake of being technical, and you need both a monster picking and fretting hand to pull it off. Not to mention that the album mix is fucking awesome (though this YT video is shitting on it).

This album is right up there with ITP/Symbolic for being the high water mark for the genre. Say what you will about Mustaine these days, but if you write this album you can do whatever the fuck you want if you ask me. :metal:
 
#4 ·
And all kidding aside, you nailed the shit out of it. Between you and Cassidy, who was insane enough to learn every solo on the entire album, I pretty much just fucking give up, haha.

However, one of you could claim the title by covering the classical interlude bit, but I don't blame you one iota for skipping it. :lol:
 
#7 · (Edited)
Marty at the peak of his powers as far as I am concerned. Some of the best riffs and solos ever put on a metal/thrash album !:agreed:



^^ This right here may be one of the best songs ever...haha.:metal: Marty shreds the fuck out this!
 
#14 ·
Marty at the peak of his powers as far as I am concerned. Some of the best riffs and solos ever put on a metal/thrash album !:agreed:

Megadeth - Tornado Of Souls (HQ) - YouTube

^^ This right here may be one of the best songs ever...haha.:metal: Marty shreds the fuck out this!
That solo is easily in my top 3 of all time. So fucking good, much like the rest of the album.

And if we're talking about the best thrash songs of all time, I gotta say that Take No Prisoners doesn't get nearly enough love. That track absolutely slays.
 
#10 ·
Hell fucking yes, absolute beast of a job by both of you. :metal:

Part of what makes this song so difficult is that Dave never packs it in and just repeats little sections of the rhythm behind the verse sections. He's constantly doing something just a little different each time, and it makes everything so much more interesting to listen to. There's also the way that the rhythm root notes match the picking/timing of the little harmonic part that we all love to play - it's just so fucking tastefully done all the way through. IMO it's an absolute clinic on good metal songwriting.

How the hell he actually manages to SING his oddly timed lyrics while playing that is just astounding to me.
 
#15 ·
The mixing it up on the riffing thing did for me when I was first starting out. I bought the tab book for it and tried to learn it. I gave up after a while, as it just seemed to be like a memory test.

Yeah, singing whilst playing this is pretty demanding, man. And he used to do a fucking great job live, too.

Saying all this, I might actually put Set The World Afire above this as my favourite rhythm by him. It's nowhere near as demanding, but the first verse riff in that track is crystalised brilliance.

 
#11 ·
I had been listening to Megadeth prior to this album and was very exited when Marty joined the band since I was a Shrapnel record fan anyway. But when I went to see the Judas Priest Painkiller Tour Testament and Megadeth opened up and I will tell you they played this album flawlessly and blew my mind. I had seen Yngwie and every other great shred player of the day but like Chris said, the combination of Nick Menza's drumming, Dave's riffs and Marty's unique phrasing and technical mastery was mind blowing. I had brought a friend who wasnt a musician and he left there wanting to know who the hell that was (Marty). I cant think of a more influential musical moment in my life.

The only other musical breakthough moment was being so pissing that some band from long island stole my idea (so I thought) to combine Metallica and Rush..bastards.
 
#22 ·
I would have to say Holy Wars would be my pick for all-time best thrash song, hands-down. I always thought the story behind the recording of Mustaine's solo was cool, the fact it was done in one take:

Examiner: We only have a minute left, so which guitar solo are you most proud of?

Dave: My favorite studio solo would've been the solo for Holy Wars, because that was the only time I've ever done a solo in one take. And basically what happened, when we were doing that solo, we were getting ready to record and we were having problems at the time, the guy who was producing the record with us, his dog had just knocked over my guitar and I was pissed. So we went in there to track everything, I said just turn everything all the way f*cking up. So I turned every knob on the Marshall all the way up, even the ones that shouldn't be turned up, and I said "Do me a favor, when the song starts I'm just going to open my volume up and go from there. It's going to feed back because there's so much gain coming through." So that's why in the beginning of the solo you've got <whistles> that squealing feedback sound, because that amplifier was vibrating while we were doing that solo.
Set The World Afire... that song is SICK

 
#24 ·
I disagree 100%. I actually don't even like it as a song. The structure of Holy Wars fucking blows. I don't see all the hype this and Hanger 18 get. They are both lackluster songs with awesome soloing. The structure on Holy Wars isn't very good either IMO. There are good riffs here and there, but a lot of the actual "song" part falls flat. Megadeth was the first concert I ever saw too, and even back then it did nothing for me.

There is no single greatest thrash song. But this is about as close as it gets.

 
#27 ·
Rust In Peace is a solid album, and there are songs on it that melt faces (Tornado of Souls), but 50% of the time you see it listed as "Greatest Thrash Album of all time" the person saying it is like, an instrumental guitar fan who doesn't even listen to real thrash. It's like a dentist keeping a Harley in his garage he rides around the neighborhood once a year to appear dangerous. I know you listen to Flotsam and Jetsam like a real man, but 50% of the people citing Rust In Peace as the greatest thrash album of all time are just middle class white males searching for a safe choice to look cool. They literally haven't been exposed to anything that thrashes harder than Rust In Peace, so it gets the nod. It's like a food critic boldly naming a gourmet sweet and sour chicken dish the greatest meal ever prepared, the literal apex of oriental flavoring, when his entire past experience in the genre is Panda Express and TV Dinners. Albiet a gourmet sweet and sour chicken dish with fucking awesome lead playing.

Luckily there are plenty of us middle class white males who listen to real aggressive thrash to balance it out.
 
#33 ·
Then let me... I agree it gets alot of praise but I dont think its quite the stereo type you lay out Greg. I have been into thrash since it began (being old as fuck) and can tell you I am as far from a follower as you could be and take ecception with being lumped in with everyone making safe bets on the best thrash etc. To me the ones you posted suck ass for the most part cept Sepultera and they only have moments of glory. I will qualify that with your own standards as listed when you slam the songwriting structure etc.. you have listened to the videos you linked havnt you?? So your rules dont apply to them..they can suck because they are more heavy?? I always found that super heavy bands are usually super heavy because they arnt the best musicians not because they are super talented. Why not do both like Megadeth did...because they cant. Bad structure? Again have you listened to those videos?? I will bet you dimes to dollars you ask any of the musicians in the B/C grade bands you mentioned and a vast majority of them will list rust as a top 5 album.

There is simply no best, the concept of best is from a mindset that is very limited and is usually from those who suck and need to grasp onto things they admire and defend them. There is a reason why Rust in Peace gets the respect it deserves from so many and its not because we are soft ass pussys who are taking the safe bet. I hate safe bets...much like picking "heavy" sounding music to represent me because Im so badass. (which I am BTW) lol

All said in the spirit of a fellow guitar nut who doesnt make picks based on what people think. Fuck people they suck.
 
#31 ·
RIP was overrated when it came out, and it's worse now. The album is full of great riffs, and great solos strung together in a haphazard manner that makes for terrible songs.

It can't be the greatest thrash album ever because it's not even Megadeths best album.

A short list of thrash albums better than RIP:

Peace Sells
Master of Puppets
Twisted Into Form
Punishment for Decadence
No Place for Disgrace
Comma of Souls
The New Order
Arise
Horrorscope
Reign In Blood

Etc...
 
#34 ·
I have no need to flex my thrash cred. :wub: I hated RIP when it came out, and still don't like it today. My roommate (and bass player at the time) LOVED that album, so I heard it all the time. It does nothing for me, I honestly don't like a single song on it.
 
#39 ·
I held back until Greg posted, figuring everyone already knows my opinion. However, I can't let Greg get ganged up on by himself. He's an impressionable youth, with a bitchin wolf blanket!

Also, I don't hate Megadeth, Peace Sells... Is one of my favorite albums of all time.
 
#43 ·
:agreed:

I like Rust in Peace but I'm not in love with it. There's some songs I like but there's a lot of stuff I think sucks. It's good but compared to say Master of Puppets it's not even close.
 
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