Risk - Megadeth

Game    :RISK

Team    :MEGADETH

Players :

David Ellefson(Bass)

Jimmy DeGrasso(Drums)

Dave Mustaine(Lead Vocals, Rhythm, and Acoustics)

Marty Friedman(Lead, Rhythm, and Acoustic Guitars)

’’I think part of the reason we survived is that we dont take any s**t from anybody’’

Dave Mustaine

The press once quoted Metallica’s Lars Ulrich as saying , he thought Dave Mustaine was talented but he should take more risks . Well, thats literally what they did with this album . Risk , released in 1999 by Capitol Records , signifies the end of the speed metal thrashfest synonymous with Megadeth since the release of Rust in Peace . Its a new Megadeth, singing radio - friendly , mainstream rock numbers with a keener drift towards melody . They have taken a risk , alright , they have risked the entire fan base , ever so popularly called the ’Dethheads’. It is a far more adventurous outing than their previous effort . Cryptic Writings . Once a band becomes as popular as Megadeth is , they usually dont dare change their style and try to reap the fruits of probably their initial albums . Its nice to see a band trying something new for a change .

Being a big Megadeth fan , it was kind of difficult for me to figure out which album I wanted to review. I guess the choice was between Rust in Peace and Risk ’cause both of them are trendsetters in their own might . I guess I settled for the later because its one thing to set a trend and another thing to change its mould .

The cover art shows a mouse walking slowly towards a mousetrap dodging the killer eyes of a cat. This theme of risk is well explained in a brief documentary video (in multimedia form) that comes within the CD .

Thrash and speed metal fans might have been a wee bit disappointed because this album doesn’t feature any ’’really heavy’’ stuff that is so easily identifiable with Megadeth . No Sweating Bullets or Symphony of Destruction . The album starts with Mustaine singing Insomnia with some digitally enhanced violins that give a whole new dimension to this song . Its lyrics are pretty good not just lashing out at the society or parents or education , actually throughout this album there has been a great impetus on lyrics . Insomnia is inspired by a lot of English rave and techno bands and as Dave himself admits ,   speaks about his life during the 80’s ....

’’I’m running in quicksand

My mind won’t let me sleep ’’....

The biggest risk taken is probably with the song Ecstasy which is the softest song of the album and done with a lot of experimentation . Mustaine strums a clean tone guitar and a tambourine incorporated to get that slowrock ballad feel to it . But this is not the only occasion where Megedath sway from their usual ’’hard’’ course. Tracks like Time:the Beginning , Time :The End & Wanderlust are metal ballads usually common to bands like Poison or Scorpions . Megadeth proves they can take a walk on the slower side as well and walk away with all the accolades . Mustaine , sings these songs as deftly as he has always done and pens some great lyrics   which are mellower than before but at the same time more intense .

’’Time taking time, it’s taken mine

Time has brutal hunger ’’

Enter The Arena a 52 seconds track which crossfades into Crush ’em is Mustaine’s ode to sports , ’cause Arizona , where the guys hail from is famous for its sports teams .The track sounds like a metal version of ’’ We are the Champions ’’ . WCW fans would recognize this as Bill Goldberg’s theme .

All said and done , to me the best track of this album is Prince of Darkness . The only song in the album which would surely please the Dethheads . Done in ever so popular Megadeth style , Death Metal doesn’t get much better . Reminds me of Ozzy everytime I hear it. Mustaine said about this song ...

’’ This song to the layman, to someone who’s not really going to look very much farther than what they are listening to, its gonna sound like it’s about the devil. But for me, it’s about my own personal devil. For all of us, we all have own demons. This has nothing to do with the devil per se... but my own personal demons. Which happen to be very private to me, but it’s very renowned to anyone who knows me.’’

The entire song seems like an ode to the dark side of mankind ......

I am yeah, yeah, I’m evil I am

The album is well punctuated by tracks like The Doctor is Calling , Breadline , Seven etc. which are not show - stoppers but   usual metal music that sounds good to hear if you like that kind of music . Jimmy DeGrasso for whom this is the first outing with the band sounds pretty good on the drums . The others do their best which is good enough . I think one major cause why this band has stayed unified for such a long time is that, no one member is bigger than the band itself . People have been in and out , but Mustaine , the earliest member along with Ellefson ,   has not let the band fall apart

When this album was released , many fans wrote it off as soft stuff and nowhere near the examples that Megadeth has set .But in the end this album did pretty good business . I guess the reason for that is this is one of those albums which gradually grow on you. It’d take you some time to get in the groove . I personally heard it for a week non stop before coming to any conclusion . The band has definitely grown over the years . I think of Risk as the ’’musical outing’’ of a metal band . And what’s more the band is totally acceptable in their new avatar .

Overall , if you like only death and speed and thrash metal you may buy this album for collection purpose .Otherwise there’s a good chance you’d like   it .