Megadeth

Risk

The Beginning of the End

Review Score:

(4/10)
For more than 10 years (mid 80's - '90s) Megadeth were one of the very best metal bands in the world. Even when Metallica veered recklessly off track with Load and Reload, Megadeth continued to put out great albums like Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings.

Sure, the Megadeth of the early to mid 90s was different than the band that produced one of thrash's great high points, Rust In Peace, but they were still a top notch metal band. This point couldn't have been made any clearer than the night I saw Megadeth at the old Ritz Ballroom in New York City back in the Fall of 1992. Touring behind the Countdown to Extinction album, Megadeth were absolutely on fire - I don't know if I've ever seen a band execute their songs live with such precision. Each song flowed seamlessly into the next and the intensity of the show was just incredible. The only major pause I recall was when Dave Mustaine stopped to scold an annoying audience member in his own inimitably irritated way. Megadeth were at their best.

When have they been at their worst? That's easy - with the release of Risk. This bizarrely soft, uninspired, and ultimately unsatisfying album marked an unfortunate fall from grace for Megadeth. There is only 1(!) memorable song - `Breadline' - on this disappointing album. The remainder consists of filler and experiments gone awry. `Crush Em' was clearly written for mass consumption between innings at baseball games - it annoyed me from the first time I heard it. A lot of other songs - too many to mention by name - are just plain boring.

Megadeth has given us a lot of great albums for which we should be thankful. Especially since the news recently came out that the band has called it quits. They will ultimately be remembered, not for the disappointing Risk, but for their pioneering role in the thrash metal movement and for their evolution into a top notch, straightforward heavy metal band in the early to mid 90s. Thanks for all the great music over the years, guys.

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