Megadeth - Risk (1999)

This is such a fitting title, because this album single handedly put Megadeth's dignity and credibility at great risk. This album has become so infamous, so notorious and so hated that fans around the world would not wish their mortal enemies to hear this album. It is a album that no one dares to speak off, little less want to hear off. This album is called "Risk", and was released in 1999 as Megadeth's 8th studio album and it was another obvious evidence of the band's blind quest on finding mainstream success.

So what it is with this album that has made it so hated? Well, besides the obvious and douchey "this is not thrash metal" answer, the music in "Risk" reeks of weird decision making and it leaves a confused feeling over the whole product. From the grunge vibes in "Prince of Darkness" to the soft country rock in "Breadline", this album is a complete gumbo of music styles that does not add up. Only a few genres has been left out and thrash is unfortunately one of those, sealing the break up between thrash and Megadeth that has gone on for more than half a decade. Probably a big reason to why Nick Menza left the band before the release of "Risk" (he was replaced by Jimmy DeGrasso).

The positives are extremely few in this records and none of those does not exactly make you jump up and down with joy. The scary groove in "Insomnia" is pretty decent and it is the song that has the hardest sound and best guitar solo, making it an instant winner among tons of losers. And despite its grunge vibes, the second track "Prince of Darkness" is still a decent, dark track with simple, effective riffing and a nice flowing chorus. After that, all hell literally breaks lose, and not in a good way.

The first single of the album, "Crush 'Em" is an obvious choice for that goal, but it is just such a bland song that you do not care for it one bit. It does have a stellar opening intro for it though called "Enter The Arena", but the cut off between the tracks is just stupid and does not fit at all. Another thing I do not fully understand is why Megadeth is trying to sound like a cover band for various bands, like in "Wanderlust", which is more or less a bad copy of "Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi, and in "I'll Be There", which could might as well have been a Dream Theater ballad. The weirdest part however is that they sing about all these dangerous things, like the seven deadly sins and ecstasy, with songs that are as harmful as a kitten. It is so mind boggling that I cannot comprehend it all, or rather do not want to comprehend it all. I just want to leave "Risk" be and let it rot somewhere far away.

Megadeth certainly took a lot of risks with this record, but none of those really paid off. This face palm of a record was supposed to further build the main stream success that the band had gotten, but the reaction became the opposite because of one, very simple reason. The music sucks! The band wanted to create something that would make everyone think "why didn't we think of this", but instead, the other bands think "thank god we did not think of this". This is the ultimate low point of Megadeth, and I just pray to god that this is the start of a turning point for the band, so that they can start making music that actually matters again. I am not talking about a full regression to the band's early days, just hoping that the band puts a stop to their urge to reach main stream success. No wonder why people believed that the world would end before the strike of the new millennium.

Song worthy of recognition: Insomnia

Rating: 2/10 Breadlines