Seven albums and 16 years into their career, and Risk proved to be as much of a gamble in its nature as it was in name. Megadeth spent the 90s edging further and further away from their thrash metal roots, and since their breakthrough album, Countdown To Extinction, in 1992, Dave Mustaine and co had been in continual pursuit of radio-rock greatness. Risk was the next step in that quest. It’s true that Megadeth is a name that points to a particular style of music that is unforgiving when it comes to stylistic shifts. But, ultimately, Risk delivers everything Mustaine had promised throughout the 90s. It’s the mainstream metal album he’d been striving for all decade long, brimming with catchy hooks and infectious melodies while retaining something distinctively Megadeth. It has all the elements of a hit metal album.