If you have the original version of
Megadeth's debut record,
Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good!, then there is no reason to go out and buy this slightly remixed 2002 version. Only the most hardcore fan would want to own both. It is a classic
metal album, as good if not better than
Metallica's or
Slayer's debut records. Songs like
"Looking Down the Cross" and
"The Skull Beneath the Skin" are heavy, while sillier tunes like
"Killing Is My Business" and
Megadeth's cover of the
Nancy Sinatra hit
"These Boots" are a lot of fun. The guitar playing all over the record absolutely shreds. This was music from the glory years of
metal and
Megadeth was at the top of the game with many more and even better albums to come. But this 2002 version released on the
rap label
Loud suffers because the song
"These Boots" has all the bad words bleeped out of it, because the song's original writer,
Lee Hazelwood, found them offensive.
Rap fans are used to hearing songs with all the bad words bleeped out on the radio, but on this version the bleeping is done very poorly and completely ruins the song.
Megadeth could have challenged
Lee Hazelwood and released the record as it was, and may have even won if he chose to take them to court or they could have left the song off the record. The least they could have done is have the song properly edited. Otherwise, the new album cover as it was originally meant to be isn't an improvement, the remixing job is not very noticeable, and the demo versions sound very much like demos. Still, this is an awesome album and if it's the only version one can find, it's very worth getting. ~ Adam Bregman
