So Far, So Good... So What!

So Far, So Good... So What! is the third album on which Megadeth collides sharply twisted riffs, sharp-angled development and Dave Mustaine’s prickly singing head-on. Made after lineup changes, it holds a raw air, yet a sure constructiveness that does not end as mere chaos breathes in the songs. In the aggression of the epic “Set the World Afire,” following the opening instrumental “Into the Lungs of Hell,” and the classic “In My Darkest Hour,” thrash aggression and deep sorrow fiercely contend at the same intensity, while a cover of the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” and a cut like “Hook in Mouth” convey the band’s rebellious spirit. Including its rough texture, it is a record that inscribes the precarious yet appealing energy on the way to the next great leap. The tension of a period when the band faced difficulties such as drug problems gives the record a raw conviction instead. With sure talent shining amid the chaos, it is an important transitional early Megadeth work.