Risk is the eighth studio album by the American thrash/heavy metal band, Megadeth. The album lasts a duration of 51:34. It was released on August 31, 1999, under the record label known as Capitol Records.
Lineup:
Dave Mustaine - lead and rhythm guitars, lead vocals
Marty Friedman - lead and rhythm guitars
David Ellefson - bass, backing vocals
Jimmy DeGrasso - drums
Production:
Produced by Dann Huff; Co-produced by Dave Mustaine
Mixed and engineered by Jeff Balding with Mark Hagen
Mastered by Bob Ludwig
Background:
Risk was meant to be a breakthrough for Megadeth on Alternative rock radio, but due to the band's large departure from their previous sound, the album has been largely criticized. With this release, Megadeth completely abandoned their thrash and heavy metal sound and replaced it with an alternative rock sound. This would also be the last album to feature guitarist Marty Friedman.
The title of the album stemmed from Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's suggestion to Mustaine to take more risks in his music. The overall experimentation on this record was fueled by guitarist Marty Friedman's desire to indulge his pop sensibilities and the band's desire to do something different. The album certainly has some very poppy choruses and an alternative rock sound that is not heavy at all.
Risk debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200. The album has since gone Gold in the United States. Each track will be rated as follows: Awful, Very Poor, Poor, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Good, Great, and Superb. Here are my thoughts on each track:
Track Listing:
1. "Insomnia" 4:34
With this song, it is obvious that Megadeth has completely changed their sound. The chorus is very simple and the entire song has a somewhat poppy feel to it. It also has some strange electronic music elements as well. I do not think Mustaine's vocals are well fit for this song and the lyrics lack creativity. "Insomnia" is a somewhat poor track that is just a catchy and simple tune at its core.
Grade: Poor
2. "Prince of Darkness" 6:25
"Prince of Darkness" is one of the best tracks from the album. It definitely has more inspired lyrics and is far more creative than most of the songs from the album. The guitar riff is a slow chugging one and the drum beat is catchy as well. The chorus is very poppy again, but is pretty catchy. The guitar soloing is well timed and keeps the song a bit heavier.
Grade: Average
3. "Enter the Arena" 0:52
"Enter the Arena" is a short interlude that is really not needed on this album.
Grade: Not Graded
4. "Crush 'Em" 4:57
The opening bass line to this track is very groovy and I love the sound of the guitar licks at the beginning of the song. The chorus is extremely catchy and easy to sing along to. The guitar solo is really good as well. The song is overly simple for Megadeth, but it happens to work on this track.
Grade: Average
5. "Breadline" 4:24
"Breadline" is a bit different from the rest of the album up to this point. It has a pleasant feel to it and Dave's singing is definitely not as harsh as usual. The guitar soloing is simple and effective. The chorus is definitely repetitive, but is solid. This is definitely one of the better songs from the album, but is pretty average.
Grade: Average
6. "The Doctor Is Calling" 5:40
This song is a strange tune. It definitely is one of the disjointed efforts from the album. The chorus is catchy, but the verses are uninspired and boring. After a while, I definitely feel the urge to skip the song. The guitar solo is good though. This track is a bit of a mess because of how mixed and disjointed it is.
Grade: Below Average
7. "I'll Be There" 4:20
For the first few seconds, I thought this song would be heavy, but it completely changes its tone and becomes pretty soft. The chorus is very poppy and is really cliche and unoriginal. The verses are somewhat of a drag as well. There's nothing that feels particularly bad about this song, it's just a track that lacks energy and originality.
Grade: Below Average
8. "Wanderlust" 5:22
The electronic feel comes back at the beginning of this song. I do like how the song builds at the beginning with its slow and booming drum beat. The song soon becomes a bore though, because all of the verses are like this until the more upbeat chorus occurs. This is just another simple rock song that has nothing special about it.
Grade: Poor
9. "Ecstasy" 4:28
This song suffers the same fate as so many on this record. It has boring verses with a catchy chorus. At this point in the album, I am bored with the same song structures over and over again. It is not a terrible tune, but it is not creative and is a bore to listen to.
Grade: Poor
10. "Seven" 5:00
I do like the beginning of this song, because it actually has some energy and that "Dave" personality to it. The chorus is very catchy and the verses are at least upbeat. I do like the main guitar riff and Dave's personality. The guitar soloing is actually really fast as well. This is still a pretty average song though.
Grade: Average
11. "Time: The Beginning" 3:04
The first song of the two part song series starts with a slow pace with acoustic guitar and sincere vocals from Dave Mustaine. The song may be slow, but lyrically is better than the rest of the album. It is the softer intro to the next track, but as a stand alone song holds up pretty well.
Grade: Average
12. "Time: The End" 2:28
The second track of the two part song series is the heaviest from the album. The guitar riffing is a faster paced chug that the rest of the album basically does not have. I do not like the lyrical approach in certain parts of this song, but musically this is the closest thing to thrash metal, this album has. The guitar soloing is fantastic and is probably the best part of the entire album.
Grade: Average
My Verdict:
Risk fails because of its uninteresting and boring sound. I do not blame Megadeth for experimenting with an alternative rock sound, but I do not think they execute this style very well. For the most part the album is not necessarily bad, but feels uninspired musically and lyrically.
The band really lost their edge with this album and I think the pop rock feel of this record does not fit in the box of things Megadeth does well. I commend the band for not being afraid to do something different, but it just does not work well on this record.
