Published on Sep 2, 1999
Two years ago, Dave Mustaine and Megadeth roared back to life
with
Cryptic Writings, an album that dared to suggest that one of
the leading metal groups of the ’80s could be a commercial success.
With tracks like “Trust,” “Almost Honest” and “A Secret Place,” the
band gained something which they hadn’t often seen in their career:
commercial acceptance, especially on commercial radio.
But something happened to Megadeth in between the success of
that album and the release of their latest album
Risk. First, long-time drummer Nick Menza was shown the exit
door while the band was on tour, and Jimmy DeGrasso stepped in to
fill the drun throne. Second, former band member Gar Samuelson
died; if a cause of death was announced, I haven’t heard it. And,
possibly the most tragic move of all: Mustaine listened to an
indirect comment from former Metallica bandmate Lars Ulrich, who
said he wished Megadeth would take more risks. (You mean like
wimping out a la… naah, that potshot is
too easy.)
Whatever the case,
Risk is a major step – no, change that – a tumble backwards.
Although I’ve seen lines touting some of the songs on this disc as
the heaviest the band has ever done, this disc almost seems more
flaccid than
Countdown To Extinction.
I kind of knew, but didn’t want to believe, that Megadeth was in
trouble when I first heard “Crush ‘Em,” the song off the
Universal Soldier: The Return disc and the
soon-to-be-overplayed-at-an-arena-near-you sports anthem of the
’90s. While you can still hear the distorted guitars, a lot of the
power that the band had even on
Cryptic Writings is gone, and what is left is
watered-down.
What caused this sudden shift in quality? It’s not the addition
of DeGrasso behind the skins (though I’ll admit I was more fond of
Menza’s work with the band). It’s not that the band went through a
sound change; they linked up again with producer Dann Huff, who did
their last album. No, the problem here lies with the songwriting
and the chances the band took by screwing with their successful
formula.
And that, kids, is a shame, ’cause tracks like “Prince Of
Darkness” and “Seven” could have been real screamers, had there
been more decent songwriting and less of a focus on being
commercial. In a way, Megadeth has now done what Metallica did
around the time of
Load: they sacrificed their unique and successful style for
the almighty radio.
Tracks like “I’ll Be There,” “Breadline” and “The Doctor Is
Calling” all confirm the diagnosis that
Risk is one weak, sick album. Even after repeated listens, I
could not believe that this was the same band who, just one album
previous, was kicking my butt with almost every number. I mean, the
vocals don’t have the same Mustaine bite, the guitar solos have
taken a hit – all the warning signs are there.
I’d be a fool not to realize that the band is getting older, and
music must change along with the times in order to survive. But
with the resurgence in hard rock/heavy metal popularity, as well as
the success that Megadeth had with
Cryptic Writings, one would wonder why Mustaine and crew
would want to tamper with something that works.
Megadeth might have wanted to do something different with
Risk, but the final product shows clearly that it wasn’t
worth the risks. All in all, a major disappointment.