Band:	Megadeth
Album:	Risk
Style:	Hard rock
Release date:	August 1999

01. Insomnia
02. Prince Of Darkness
03. Enter The Arena
04. Crush 'Em
05. Breadline
06. The Doctor Is Calling
07. I'll Be There
08. Wanderlust
09. Ecstasy
10. Seven
11. Time: The Beginning
12. Time: The End
13. Duke Nukem Theme [Japanese bonus]

In the liner notes of Risk, Mustaine claims that had this album been released with some other band's name on it, it would have been a success; yeah, that's not really the case. The same album by another name would be just as bad.

While not the worst thing Megadeth would put out, it isn't that far away from being so. While the change of direction isn't great, what gives this album its reputation is that most songs are just boring. If you want one song to sum up what's wrong with this record, then give "The Doctor Is Calling" a spin, a plodding meandering track that goes nowhere slow. This is a recurring theme for most of the album; "Prince of Darkness" mis-steps while trying to be atmospheric and comes off as cheesy and boring, before eventually picking up the pace. "Wanderlust" does have a good chorus and ends on a high note, but it feels like a chore to hang in there to get to that point.

The songs that seem to have some life in them are devoid of anything interesting; "Insomnia-nia-nia" in particular springs to the fore here. It's competent and doesn't leave me dozing off, but it does little to compel me to re-listen to it. The same can be said of songs like "Breadline"; beyond it being a competent song there isn't much that enamors it to me. They tend to blur into the background and come and go without much notice.

Where the album does click and hold my interest beyond things to cringe about is in tracks like "Crush 'Em", "Ecstasy" and "Time, The Beginning", which are the least Megadeth-sounding songs on the album. "Crush 'Em" may be cheesy as hell but at least it isn't boring, having a bounce to it that is like an oasis in a desert on this album. "Ecstasy" and "Time...." are acoustic numbers that seem to have some heart in them to give you something to latch onto. They won't go down as some of Megadeth's better songs. but they're enjoyable nonetheless.

Sure, everything sounds crisp and clear, but it only serves to sterilize the songs; nothing is out of place and everything's in order, leaving nothing to jump out at you and stick in your brain after it's been and gone.

Sometimes risks aren't meant to be taken, otherwise you end up putting out an album like this.