Album Review – Megadeth: Risk

Greetings everyone and welcome to Rave Up Music. I am your host Barius, and for the first official review post, I had a really hard time deciding on what kind of music or artist I should review first. After all, the first review sets the mood of the blog, and it could make or break my future writing this blog, and it will either earn me great praise from all of you, or you will shun me away like many other internet reviewers.

After putting all of that into consideration, I said to myself, “screw it,” and I decided to take a look at an album by a band that seems to get a lot of praise in the metal genre, but is often ignored by the mainstream music fans. So, let’s look at our first vict-….volunteers…and look at one of my favorite thrash metal bands, Megadeth, and their 1999 album, Risk.

Megadeth: just their name alone sounds like this group can kick your butt with awesome heavy metal music. If you are not familiar with this group, allow me to give a little back story. Megadeth formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, California. Because of their unique sound and major contribution to heavy metal, Megadeth is considered a member of the “Big Four of Thrash Metal.”

Besides Megadeth, the other members of the Big Four are Anthrax, Slayer, and of course, Metallica, the world’s most well-known metal band. In fact, Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine use to be the lead guitarist for Metallica, but was fired for being too violent when consuming too much alcohol. Yes, Mustaine was fired for being drinking too much from the band who, in their early years, received the nickname “Alcoholica.” Because, you know, that makes a whole lot of sense.

Hypocrisy at its finest…

Despite his firing from Metallica, Mustaine bounced back and formed Megadeth and they were well-received in the metal world. However, from the perspective from many music listeners and reviews, Megadeth has never been able to meet the same level as success as Metallica. This does beg the question, “why has Megadeth not been as successful as Metallica?” The guys in Megadeth have the same speed and musicality as Metallica, if not at times even better than Metallica, and have some the most in-depth, personal lyrics ever sung in music.

I will say that there is one thing that does separate the success rate of Megadeth from the success rate of Metallica, which many of my heavy metal brothers will tend to agree on.  While Megadeth has maintained true to their thrash metal roots, Metallica has created albums that were more mainstream and commercial by music industry standards. These albums include their self-titled album, and twin albums Load and Reload. Because these are lighter metal albums, people who would never listen to heavy metal would be able to enjoy their music, and thus, it expands the Metallica fan base. 

The birthplace of "Enter Sandman"...

After the commercial success of their seventh studio album Cryptic Writings, Megadeth enter the studio with producer Dann Huff to give them even more success, as well as an album that would have more commercial appeal. Thus, on August 31^st, 1999, the album Risk was launched…like a nuclear bomb. 

Not as bad as Hiroshima, but still...

The title stems form a suggestion from, of all people, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who suggested to Dave Mustaine to take more risks with his music. As with any music artist who takes a chance with their sound, there is the issue of possibly alienating your hardcore fans, and Risk almost did that for Megadeth. The album was not a commercial success, and critics panned it, citing it to be one of Megadeth’s weakest albums. So, was Megadeth’s Risk really that bad as people say? Well, let us take a risk…please refrain from groaning…for now…and give the album a listen.

The Album Cover:

  

The cover is kind of boring. It looks like a mouse trap with a variation on the Megadeth logo. One thing I noticed is the absence of Megadeth mascot Vic Rattlehead, though he does return in the remastered version of the album.

 

 

If you look close enough, you will find him...

Album covers tend to give you a hint of what the album is about, but I just do not get that with either cover. They both seem very dull. Hopefully the album is not an indicator of the actual music on the album, right? Right?

The Songs:

 “Insomnia”

Right away, the song throws me off a bit with violin introduction. Honestly, when it comes to the thrash metal genre, I really do not think “violin.” Now cello on the hand, that is an instrument for thrash metal.

We will get to them some day...

Anyway, “Insomnia” is a catchy little tune. It has great lyrics that sell the issues of having insomnia, but instead of head banging, it makes me want to get up and dance. That might have to do with more techno feeling I get with the drumbeat of the song. Overall, it is a great start to the album. Let us hope it is an indicator for the rest of the album.

“Prince of Darkness”

I love the low down bass line that long time bassist David Ellefson lays down in the opening to this song. However, during the talking introduction goes on for way too long, and you feel like you just want to get to the meat of the song. When we finally do, it is a pretty good song. From the lyrics to the breakdown section fits the mood of song, being that of the Prince of Darkness, i.e. Satan himself. So, two good tracks so far, and this album is doing well.

 

“Enter the Arena”

Well, that was 55 seconds of my life I will never get back…Then again, I would probably waste them on something stupid anyway.

“Crush ‘Em”

So now we have reached the main single for this album, “Crush ‘Em.” This song was written with the intent to be a stadium song that would get any sports team pumped up for the game. It was featured on the soundtrack to the film Universal Soldier: The Return, which featured professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, who used for a while as his theme. To promote the song, Megadeth performed the song on the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling Monday program “Nitro.”

Yes, I am a wrestling nerd...

So, we have a professional wrestling organization, which was backed by Ted Turner at the time, as well as TriStar Pictures to back up the use of the song. Hmm…Well, let us listen to it.

The beginning of the song feels very disco-driven in its drums and bass guitar. Hmm, a rock band releasing a song that is more disco than rock…

Soon...but not yet...

Like the first two tracks, the main groove and tempo of the song is ridiculously catchy. Personally, it does not feel like an arena rock song. To be honest, the song does feel more like I should be going out to a Night at the Roxbury.

Just keep on bobbing your heads, guys…

It really does not capture that arena rock feel that other songs have, like “We Will Rock You” or “Crazy Train.”

One thing I noticed in the first few tracks is the lack of guitar solos, something that Megadeth is famous for using and creating some of the most technically driven solos ever. However, when we finally get a guitar solo in Crush ‘Em,” Dave rants over it. Come on Mustaine, if you are going to feature a guitar solo, do not talk over it. I think I am slowly seeing why fans and critics panned this album. But, maybe the rest is good. So, let us move on…

“Breadline”

I know for some Megadeth fans that this is a kind of a boring song, but I honestly do like it. “Breadline” is also one of the stronger lyrical songs on this album, as the band tells of a man who is down on his luck on the street, nearing the edge of not existing. It really touches home for a lot of people, whether they are homeless, have been homeless, or even fear what would happen if they become homeless. It is definitely not the fastest Megadeth song, but it is up there as being one of the best.

“The Doctor Is Calling” 

The intro to “The Doctor Is Calling” is a very weird one, particularly when you hear a child say, “Daddy! Daddy! The doctor is calling!” Honestly, which doctor are we talking about in this song? Dr. Teeth? Doctor Who? Dr. Claw?

"I'll get you next time, Dave Mustaine. Next time..."

All joking aside, this song just drags, and is not that interesting musically or lyrically. I would dub this as, “album filler,” in which a song was written for the album just to give an album a good run time, or to fill a track quota. I would also put “Enter the Arena” in this category as well, for it really was useless, and was only used to transition into “Crush ‘Em” and failed to do so properly.

“I’ll Be There”

  Sorry for the lyrics on scene. It was the best version I could find...

Honestly, I can think better songs that use a variation of the title “I’ll Be There.”

Yes, I went there...

Now, before we go on to the song, let me ask the Megadeth fans out there a question. When you think Megadeth, what are some of the classic Megadeth titles you can think of? There’s “Peace Sells, but Who’s Buying?” “Symphony of Destruction,” “Sweating Bullets,” “Hangar 18,” “Skin o’ My Teeth.” How about “Wanderlust?”

“Wanderlust”

The definition of the word “wanderlust” means “strong longing for or impulse toward wandering.” With this song, I have a strong desire to go out and wander around the desert that is right outside my house. Heck, I will wander out there for 20 years if I never have to hear that song again. It is another weak one from Mustaine and Crew. There are no guitar riffs that hook me into the song, and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired, particularly the chorus:

I'm an outcast riding into town alone
I got wanderlust branded deeper than the bone
I'm an outcast riding into town alone
I got a lust for wandering branded deeper than the bone

Honestly, for a song entitled “Wanderlust,” it is really lackluster in its production.

“Ecstasy”

Well, let us speed this up for my own sanity. The ninth track, “Ecstasy,” makes me realize what might have the inspiration for this track, if not the whole album.

“Seven”

The track “Seven” describes the Seven Deadly Sins, and the track feels very Megadeth in nature. This is one of the better tracks on the album, with really good lyrics, though I have to point out one flaw in the lyrics:

Greed, gluttony, pride, envy, wrath, sloth, death, deadly seven

Seven deadly sins of mine

“Death’ is not a sin. Mustaine replaced the sin of lust with death. But than again, maybe he covered lust in “Wanderlust.”

“Time: The Beginning” and “Time: The End”

Finally, we have reached the last two tracks on Risk. “Time: The Beginning” and “Time: The End” really feel they should have been one track called “Time” like what is posted here. They are musically sound, and continue the strong lyrically content of Megadeth, though I feel “Time: The End” (the more upbeat section) is really lacking and is really forgettable.

Overall Impression:

The album title of Risk is really appropriate in this scenario. Megadeth took a chance at a more mainstream, commercial sound to appeal to a wider audience. However, it ended up alienating the more dedicated fans. The first five tracks on the album, minus "Enter the Arena,"  have good beats to them, pretty musical guitar parts, and excellent lyrics. The track “Seven” is also a pretty strong beat and is quite enjoyable.

The rest of tracks are lacking in musical direction. Half the time I was dozing off because I was not intrigue by the ideas, particularly the slower songs. Slower songs can work in heavy metal, but it has to be musically good, and leave a lasting impression on the listener.

Furthermore, the lack of guitar solos in most of these tracks displays the repetitive nature of the songs. Regardless of the musical issues, the lyrics of all the tracks are pretty strong, and continue Dave Mustaine’s ability to convey strong messages in his singing. However, lyrics alone does not make the songs, resulting in a lack of interest in what Mustaine is saying.

So, is Risk a bad album? Not really, but it can be boring and forgettable at times. If you are in need of all Megadeth albums, I would get this album, but if you are just a casual heavy metal music listener, it is best to borrow it from a friend who has it for at least one listening. Otherwise, just ignore it all together.

Well, it looks like I have made it to the end of my first Rave Up Music post. As with all future reviews, feel free to leave constructive comments. Tune in next time when we pit a melodic death metal band against a 90s pop music princess in our first edition of “Cover Wars.” Again, I am Barius, and keep on rockin’. Take care!

 

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