Despite its poor critical reception, David Ellefson says this album “remains one of the great Megadeth records”
True to its name, Megadeth’s 1999 release was a total Risk… but it didn’t exactly pay off. The record was widely panned, with NME even awarding it a harsh 0/10, deeming it “unlistenable, corporate mock rock”.
While many disliked Risk’s approach, former bassist David Ellefson insists he has a soft spot for the band’s most divisive album, even calling it “one of the great Megadeth records”.
READ MORE: “It would have been a very different band”: Slayer legend Kerry King explains how he nearly joined Megadeth
Speaking to Overdrive, Ellefson reflects on why Risk was received so negatively. “It still remains one of the great Megadeth records, even though it doesn’t sound like a Megadeth record of the past, leading up to that point,” he says. “But we didn’t have enough time to let it absorb into us.”
In his eyes, Megadeth just didn’t have the time to get acquainted with Risk’s sound. “Next thing you know, we’re right on the road playing these songs and it’s like, ‘Oh, shit. These songs aren’t really connecting so much’,” he continues. “[We needed] the time to let the material absorb.
“It took so much time crafting the other songs for the record that we didn’t really have the time.”
There also wasn’t enough time to bridge the gap and inject more thrash into the mix. “[We didn’t have] the mindset to make those metal songs that the record should have had to balance it out,” Ellefson admits. “So it tended to be a record that was skewed more as a crafted radio album.”
Ellefson isn’t the only member of Megadeth to mourn the squandered potential of Risk. In 2010, Dave Mustaine told Vice [via Metal Hammer] that the record was almost a “serious, career-ending mistake”, but he still loves it. “I like that record,” he admitted. “And a lot of other people do too.”
In Mustaine’s mind, Risk would have been far more successful had it been released under another project. “[Hardcore fans] prefer the heavier, faster stuff,” he reflects. “Because the album said ‘Megadeth’, they expected a certain type of thing and it wasn’t what they expected.”
The post Despite its poor critical reception, David Ellefson says this album “remains one of the great Megadeth records” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
