Risk

To put it simply, this is Megadeth's version of Metallica's LOAD. Long time fans are probably going to hate it, but they'll make some new ones too. Risk cashes in on some cheap trendy studio effects instead of relying on hooks. In many cases the effects overshadow the music. It lacks the punch of the great riffs from Cryptic Writings and the aggression from earlier Megadeth work, but the songs are still well written. While I'm glad to see Dave less concerned with playing faster and heavier, I think this time, he went a little too light, and a little too far off to the left. It's not a bad album, but I would only recommend it to the extremely open-minded listener. Megadeth fans beware... --Scott