Masochist Music Review: Megadeth - Risk

What can I say, I’m a masochist when it comes to music.  I like to have complete catalogs when it comes to my favorite musicians.  Sometimes this is a good thing (Alice Cooper, AC/DC) but oftentimes it’s not.  Not only that, but I used to fall into the trap of hearing one or two great songs and purchasing a whole album because of it, which sometimes produced a diamond, but usually only coal.  During this series, we will dwell on some of the albums I have in my collection that are downright terrible.  I will re-listen to them all and give you my impression of them.

Now this is only my opinion, so don’t take it as gospel.  If you like a particular album in this series, let me know, we’ll open up a discussion about it.  I’m always open to discussing the merits of any particular album, and if you have any suggestions (and especially if you have the album itself and are willing to share your views) then let me know and I’d be happy to add it to the list.

Album Name: Risk

Artist:  Megadeth

Release Date: August, 1999

Why you bought it:  This was actually my first Megadeth album.  I think I bought it in 2001 after I saw the Megadeth “Behind the Music” on Vh1.  I think it was the only Megadeth album in the store at the time or something, so it was my first by default.  I liked the music that was included on the “Behind the Music” show and went in search of it. 

First impressions:  While I didn’t find any of the classic Megadeth tracks on this album, I didn’t mind what I did find.  Honestly, at this point I didn’t know any better as I didn’t have anything to compare it to aside from a few snippets of the band’s music on the Vh1 special.  I remember listening to it quite a bit during the spring of my senior year as I drove to and from work. 

Impressions upon listening to it recently:  If you listen to all of the Megadeth albums released before this one, and then all of the ones released since this one, it’s easy to wonder where this musical direction came from.  For awhile, the band seemed to be getting more and more of a “mainstream” sound to it, yet they still had that edge.  This album erased that edge completely.  For someone that had never sat down and listened to Rust in Peace or Killing is my Business... this was fine.  Now, I know better.  While I don’t get filled with venom over the direction of the record like many of the hardcore Megadeth fans did upon its release in 1999, I rarely seek out this album when I am looking to listen to some Megadeth. 

Any saving grace?:    The best part about this record is that it was such a colossal bomb that Dave Mustaine basically took the band back over.  Instead of collaborating with producers on the album, he has been the sole creative force ever since.  This has returned Megadeth to their previous form and created memorable albums since then.  The fact that practically every album in Megadeth’s catalogue is represented in their live set except for this one is a good representation of how Risk is viewed.  

Was it worth the purchase?: At the time it opened my eyes to a new band that I have grown very fond of.  In that respect it was well worth the purchase.  I wouldn’t (and didn’t) pay full price for it though, so think of that what you will.

Music Review – Megadeth: Super Collider

                Dave Mustaine and Megadeth are nothing if not consistent.  The band has consistently released music every two to three years for their entire career.  This is with multiple lineup changes as well as health problems for Mustaine (he suffered a nerve injury in his arm in 2002 leading the band to break up and many people to believe that Megadeth was done for good).  By 2004 The System has Failed was released and Megadeth just kept churning right along.  They have proven to be an unstoppable touring and recording machine, and with the return of David Ellefson on bass offer a consistency that is pretty foreign to this band.  This brings us to Super Collider, the newest offering from Dave and the boys.  One thing to understand about Megadeth is that despite the consistency in the timing of new albums, the quality of the total album is not always there.  For the most part, the last four discs 2004’s The System has Failed, 2007’s United Abominations, 2009’s Endgame and 2011’s Th1rt3en have been decent discs that have two or three really good songs on there and the rest are just okay (this can actually probably go back through 2001’s The World Needs a Hero and 1999’s Risk, though the formula is not as consistent with those two). 

                When Megadeth is on, they are really on, as the recent Grammy nominations can attest (though they don’t mean much if you have seen the Grammys in the last ten years or so).  The main problem with Megadeth over the latter half of their career is a stunning bout of inconsistency within the confines of each individual album.  A lot of the inconsistency, in my opinion anyway, is the political side of Megadeth that has always been present but was never quite so venomous or direct as in The System has Failed or United Abominations.  Most of the time you can tell when a song is coming up that won’t be too good, it usually starts with spoken word (by Mustaine or others) and generally has a decidedly political slant to it. 

                While Super Collider does not get too political in terms of the subject matter, at least not too overtly political, it still suffers from average songwriting in spots.   The music is great, don’t get me wrong, it’s the lyrics that weigh things down.  There’s something to be said about being able to guess which word Mustaine is going to say next based upon his rhyming scheme, and not in a good way.  This is fine, I suppose but when there are songs on the album that have an incredible beat and decent lyrics, to hear a song that is only adequate to good is a letdown.  Sure, if it was one song that would be acceptable as asking for a full ten to twelve top notch songs on an album is not always practical, especially when many of those songs will never see the light of day beyond that album anyway.  The problem is that usually makes for a disjointed listening experience for someone like me that actually still buys the albums and still enjoys listening to them straight through. 

                I read a few reviews before I picked up the album that stated that Super Collider was too mainstream and not really thrash metal.  While I completely agree with that statement, when was the last time Megadeth put out an album of thrash metal?  Maybe Countdown to Extinction in 1992, but probably more like 1990’s Rust in Peace.  What I’m trying to get at is that there are still people out there that are waiting for Megadeth to return to the roots that they all but abandoned nearly two decades ago.  While this does not live up to the lofty standards and expectations of people still wearing their “Killing is my Business…” T-Shirts from 1985, it does come across as a decent record.  The first two tracks, “King Maker” and “Super Collider” are by far the best, along with “The Blackest Crow” and the cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Cold Sweat”, and they provide a solid foundation, even when Mustaine goes back to his old habits of spoken word or predictable rhyming.

                This isn’t the best Megadeth album by far.  It is, however, one of the better ones of the last ten to fifteen years or so.  If you are a Megadeth completist, you probably already own it; if you want a solid rock album it is definitely worth the money.  Even the Best Buy exclusive with three bonus tracks is worth it.  The bonus tracks are good and if you get it soon it won’t be jacked up too high in terms of price.