From My Collection #125: Megadeth – So Far, So Good…So What!

Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. This Friday will see the release of Megadeth’s new eponymous studio album: The 17th and final in their canon (or so they claim). Do you believe it? I sure as hell don’t. That being said, as we countdown to both extinction and what MIGHT be Megadave’s last hurrah, I figured the occasion would be a good excuse to go back in time and revisit one of my favorite Megadeth albums of yesteryear, So Far, So Good…So What! Nearly 40 years on, and this album still doesn’t seem to get its due. Perhaps it was yet another example (as I’ve pointed out in past retrospective essays) of an album that had the misfortune of falling in between two landmark releases, in this case, 1986’s Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? and 1990’s Rust in Peace. Well folks, today we’re taking the narrative back and paying homage to what is a (mostly) great album. Let’s “Set the World Afire”, shall we?

By 1988, thrash metal mania was in full swing. The extreme genre, known for its defiant lyricism, mosh-friendly riffs, and double-bass drumming, was no longer isolated to small clubs and your hesher friend’s homemade mixtapes. It had officially reared its greasy head into major label rosters, MTV rotations, and eventually, arenas. Young thrash bands were popping up across the land as far as the eye could see, eager to combat the “enemy”, which usually consisted of the church, school, D.C., and most importantly, “poser” hair band wimps who didn’t embody the “true” metal spirit.

At the helm of this movement is Dave Mustaine: A man who was thrashing before “thrash metal” had even been coined. For a guy who had been kicked out of the genre’s biggest act, Metallica, he was doing pretty well for himself come ’88, riding high with his own band, Megadeth. Their 1985 debut, Killing is My Business…and Business is Good! became an overnight underground staple. Come ’86’s Peace Sells, their tech-thrashing ways reached even larger masses as the album was distributed by Capitol and the title track became the band’s first genuine hit. Like all great success stories, this is the part where our tale takes a sharp left turn.

See, Megadeth were a young, raging thrash band. Like other acts of their ilk, they had their fair share of their vices. And also like other acts of their ilk, certain members had a weaker resistance to these vices than others. This led to Dave Mustaine (perhaps out of legitimate reason, perhaps out of drug-fueled paranoia himself) firing guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson. The crime? Selling the band’s equipment for heroin money. Now to this day, this is a “he said, she said” story, but having dealt with my fair share of tweakers in my own lifetime, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Nevertheless, Mustaine and his fellow Dave, bassist Ellefson, soldiered onwards. After all, this is a guy who guy booted out of Metallica; he wasn’t going to let a couple of junkies hinder the greatest revenge arc in metal history. The two Daves were soon joined by drummer Chuck Behler, who travelled with the band on the last leg of the Peace Sells Tour in the event Samuelson couldn’t perform, and guitarist Jay Reynolds of L.A. trad metallers, Malice. However, six weeks into the recording of what would become So Far, Reynolds was dismissed, ironically replaced by his guitar teacher, Jeff Young. Together, Mustaine, Ellefson, Behler, and Young stood tall, determined to craft a stronger, harder, and sharper Megadeth than ever before. The result of their efforts arrived on January 19th, 1988.

In the scope of Megadeth’s catalog, So Far remains a very unique album. It isn’t a complete deviation from the band who released Killing and Peace Sells (Helen Keller could pick out Mustaine’s voice from a lineup), but it certainly is a rebirth. For one, the songs at time almost boast a traditional metal bend, as if Mustaine dusted off his old Maiden and Mercyful Fate albums prior to bringing these songs to the studio for completion. The arrangements, riffs, and melodies certainly boast an old school flair, even by 1988 standards, albeit played with thrash metal aggression.

The album opens with one of the greatest guitar clinics in metal history, “Into the Lungs of Hell”. Maybe it’s just me, but I always felt Mustaine not only penned this song, but had it open the album as a middle finger at Chris Poland. As we know, Mustaine will be the first to tell you how every new Megadeth guitarist is “the best they ever had”. Jeff Young was no exception to this rule. On this instru-metal tour de force, Mustaine and Young unleash some flashy, ripping, classic metal soloing that goes toe to toe with Yngwie or any other superstar shredder of the era.

Following this prelude is the absolutely unhinged “Set the World Afire”, which has to be one of the most underrated songs in the Megadeth catalog. It builds upon “Lungs” perfectly, walloping the listener with a speed metal barrage before those muscular mosh riffs take hold, daring the listener not to thrash. If we’re ranking Megadeth songs by toughness alone, this might be the toughest Mustaine ever wrote. We’ve got pure hate riffs coexisting with machine gun riffage, guaranteed to snap necks in half. This right here is what old school thrash is all about.

Unfortunately, this triumph is followed by the sole dud on the album, a cliche-ridden cover of Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.”. Between Megadave and Mötley Crüe, back in the Headbangers Ball days, this seemed to be the obligatory cover choice of metal bands who wanted to say, “Hey man, we’re into punk too!” Come the ’90s, Dead Kennedys’ “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” took its place, and seems to be the go-to punk cover tune for metal bands to this day, but I digress. Compared to the original Pistols version, Megadeth’s rendition is sterile, streamlined, and predictable: A real lowlight on an album of highlights, much like past Megadeth covers.

Thankfully, side A rebounds fast with the haunting “Mary Jane”. Cowritten by the two Daves, this song is a prime example of the Mercyful Fate influence I spoke of earlier. The band tones down the thrashing tempos and aggression, crafting a traditional metal song that’s dark, dense, and dynamic. While the last minute of the song does pick up the pace, “Mary Jane” is largely defined by its early prog metal maneuvers and Mercyful Fate-esque atmosphere, which are two traits that help make So Far the monolith that it is.

As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the defiant speed attack of “502”. With its lyrics chronicling a reckless run-in with the law, full speed ahead riffs, and nonstop drumming, Mustaine certainly tapped into his inner “Highway Star”, penning his own anthem tailormade for tearing up the road and giving the lawmen a run for their money. In line with the album as a whole, “502” is an cut that I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone, even Megadeth diehards, namedrop as a favorite, and that’s just criminal to me. It doesn’t get better than a simple, textbook speedster done right!

When people do speak of So Far, the song that first comes to mind, and for good reason, is “In My Darkest Hour”. There are some who consider this to be Megadeth’s greatest song, and while I’m not sure I’d completely agree with that take, I’m also not disgusted by it. Yet again, Mustaine channels his early ’80s traditional metal influences, crafting his own epic suite, complete with dramatic atmosphere and painfully autobiographical lyricism. During the making of So Far, Mustaine was consumed by drug addition and depression, both spurred on by the passing of former Metallica bandmate Cliff Burton, as well as a recent split. Put these tragedies together, and you’ve got the impetus for one of metal’s greatest creative triumphs.

The rage continues with the nonstop thrashing of “Liar”. Mustaine has never been one to sing about sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, and “Liar” is no exception. Mustaine spits pure venom, talking shit and tearing a certain “Liar” a new one against an equally aggressive backdrop of crushing mosh riffs. In some ways, it’s the quintessential Mustaine song, embodying the piss and vinegar ethos that has fueled this man and his band for over 40 years now. Interestingly enough, last time I caught Megadeth in 2024, they dusted off this classic. Needless to say, yours truly wasted some kiddos in the pit.

Just as it opened, So Far closes with one last blazing slab of speed-thrash, “Hook in Mouth”. While the song itself is a no frills, headbanger classic, it’s the guitarwork of Mustaine and Young that yet again takes centerstage. While it isn’t as overly techy as some of the moments on Peace Sells, it’s a far cry from the Neanderthalic attack of bands like Slayer or Dark Angel, razor-sharp in its delivery and sandwiching in enough notes to make Steve Vai blush. It’s no wonder Mustaine was destined for the cover of many Guitar World issues.

Although time has not been the kindest to So Far, at the time of its release, it was Megadeth’s biggest album to date. It peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200, and like its predecessor Peace Sells, was certified platinum. As quickly as the So Far lineup came together, they imploded, setting the stage for yet ANOTHER incarnation of Megadeth, as well as their eventual global takeover come the early ’90s, but that’s another story for another day. Until then, we implore you give this hidden gem another listen, and wish Dave Mustaine a happy maybe, sort-of, probably not really retirement. What? Can you blame me for my skepticism?