Editing Risk (Megadeth album) (section)

== Critical reception ==
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name=2004RiskReview>{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|title=Risk (2004 Remix/Remaster) - Megadeth|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=risk-mw0000244020|pure_url=yes}}|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=October 17, 2011}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]''
|rev2score = 4/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |year=2007 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], [[Canada]] |isbn=978-1-894959-62-9 |page=269}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev3Score = B−<ref name=EWReview>{{cite magazine|last=Morgan|first=Laura|title=Risk Review|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1999/10/01/risk|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=October 1, 1999|access-date=November 11, 2012|archive-date=July 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731120841/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,270955,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
|rev4Score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref name="LA review">{{cite news|last=Masuo|first=Sandy|date=August 27, 1999|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-27-ca-4042-story.html|title=Record Rack: *** Megadeth, "Risk," Capitol.|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref>
|rev5 = ''[[Metal Forces]]''
|rev5Score = 6/10<ref name="Metal Forces">{{cite web|last=Arnold|first=Neil|title=Megadeth: Risk|url=http://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/album-review-megadeth-risk/|work=[[Metal Forces]]|access-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref>
|rev6 = ''[[NME]]''
|rev6Score = 0/10<ref name="NME">{{cite web|last=Wells|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Wells|title=Megadeth - Risk|website=[[NME]] |date=September 6, 1999|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19990806110049reviews.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817193105/http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19990806110049reviews.html|archive-date=August 17, 2000|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref>
|rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
|rev7Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=Q>{{cite web|title=Megadeth - Risk CD Album|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7778410&style=music&fulldesc=T|work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|publisher=[[CD Universe]]|access-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref>
|rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev8Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=RSAlbum>{{cite book|last=Brackett|first=Nathan|author2=Christian Hoard |title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2004|location=New York City, New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n547 534]|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac|url-access=registration|quote=rolling stone megadeth album guide.}}</ref>
|rev9 = ''Sputnikmusic''
|rev9Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=SputnikReview/>
}}

The album received a mixed response from music critics.<ref name="Metal Forces"/> [[AllMusic]]'s reviewer Steve Huey gave a sympathetic, if not exactly favorable, review of the remixed and remastered 2004 pressing of ''Risk''. Huey stated that the album had "aged gracefully," compared to Metallica's ''[[Load (album)|Load]]'' (1996) and ''[[Reload (Metallica album)|ReLoad]]'' (1997). However, he did note that the band had lost their edge on the album.<ref name=2004RiskReview/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' reviewer Laura Morgan compared "Insomnia" to ''[[Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)|Broken]]''-era [[Nine Inch Nails]] and gave the album a B−, though she criticized Mustaine's vocal performance on the album.<ref name=EWReview/> ''The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'' gave the album three stars out of five and noted that the album "had its moments".<ref name=RSAlbum/> Mike Stagno of Sputnikmusic, taking into account that the album has a different appeal, was somewhat positive in his review. Stagno cited the first few tracks as the album's "harder edge". However, he noted that some of the following softer tracks were "standout tracks" as well. Stagno did note, however, that some of the emotion on the album was "cheesy".<ref name=SputnikReview/> Amy Sciarretto of ''[[CMJ New Music Report]]'' noted that ''Risk'' marked another significant change in Megadeth's sound and called it a "logical stylistic progression" from their previous album. According to her, Mustaine's "biting lyrics" and "power riffs" were toned down, finding Megadeth "traveling out of [[thrash metal]] territory".<ref>{{cite journal|first=Amy|last=Sciarretto|title=Megadeth: Risk (Capitol)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCLLK8t9Ob8C&q=megadeth+risk&pg=PA34|journal=[[CMJ New Music Report]]|date=September 6, 1999|access-date=August 5, 2013}}</ref> [[Steven Wells]] of ''[[NME]]'' panned the album, giving it a 0/10 score and saying that the album was the American equivalent of the retro stylings of [[Travis (band)|Travis]] and [[Kula Shaker]], as well as calling the album "corporate mock rock".<ref name=NME/>

In a retrospective review, Jeff Treppel from ''[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]'' wrote that ''Risk'' was "definitely Megadeth's most adventurous record" and characterized it as a "decent [[hard rock]] album that should have never been put out under the Megadeth name".<ref name="Decibel">{{cite web|last=Treppel|first=Jeff|title=Justify Your Shitty Taste: Megadeth's "Risk"|url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2011/06/01/justify-your-shitty-taste-megadeth-s-risk/|work=[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]|date=June 2011|access-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref> Dave Mustaine has since expressed that, although he believes that ''Risk'' is a great record, it "should not have had the name Megadeth on it, because if anybody else's name was on 'Risk,' it would have sold".<ref name=Mustaine2001/> However, Mustaine has also stated that "Crush 'Em" was "probably the dumbest" song that the band has ever recorded and said that he was "not too fond of" it.<ref name="DumbestSong">{{cite web|last=Ramirez|first=Carlos|title=Dave Mustaine on the Megadeth Song He Isn't 'Too Fond' Of|url=http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/04/03/dave-mustaine-megadeth-song-he-regrets-writing/|work=[[Noisecreep]]|publisher=AOL Music|access-date=April 4, 2013}}</ref>

When speaking to [[Eddie Trunk]] on his ''Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live from the [[Rainbow Bar and Grill]]'' podcast in late November 2018, Mustaine said that the reason for ''Risk'' was him "capitulating to Marty's desires to be more of an alternative band, and we kept slowing down and slowing down and slowing down." He would again mention that if the album was released under a different name, it would've sold well, but that "People wanted a Megadeth record. They didn't wanna see Dave bending over backwards to keep Marty Friedman happy, 'cause Marty wanted us to sound like fucking [[Dishwalla]]." Mustaine says he doesn't regret making ''Risk'' or the song "Crush 'Em", and that he wanted Friedman and [[Nick Menza]] to be happy and remain in the band, "And after a while, I just figured, 'I don't need this shit.' And Marty went this way, Nick went that way, and we just all kind of broke up."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dave-mustaine-on-megadeths-risk-that-was-me-capitulating-to-marty-friedmans-desires-to-be-more-of-an-alternative-band/|title=DAVE MUSTAINE On MEGADETH's 'Risk': 'That Was Me Capitulating To MARTY FRIEDMAN's Desires To Be More Of An Alternative Band'|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=December 6, 2018}}</ref> Additionally, Mustaine would later state that he believed "Wanderlust" to be one of the best songs he had ever written, noting the song's country rock influenced style.<ref name="MusicRadar2019">{{cite web |last1=Sharma |first1=Amit |title=Dave Mustaine: "I suck at a lot of things, like walking across a tightrope, but I definitely don't suck at guitar!" |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/dave-mustaine-i-suck-at-a-lot-of-things-like-walking-across-a-tightrope-but-i-definitely-dont-suck-at-guitar |website=[[MusicRadar]].com |access-date=July 19, 2019 |date=March 19, 2019}}</ref>

Friedman says that he has no regrets about ''Risk'', and that "anything that needed to be said from me about that was probably said at the time. I haven't even thought about that since then, so I couldn't give you an intelligent answer. I'm barely thinking about what I did yesterday, much less back then." He would also say that everybody involved in the album "was doing the best that they possibly could" and assured that "anything was done with the best of intentions and the hardest work."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/marty-friedman-on-megadeths-risk-everybody-involved-with-it-was-doing-the-best-that-they-possibly-could/|title=MARTY FRIEDMAN On MEGADETH's 'Risk': 'Everybody Involved With It Was Doing The Best That They Possibly Could'|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=December 14, 2018}}</ref>