"Risk" is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on August 31, 1999, by Capitol Records. The album is the band's last release on the label. It is the first Megadeth album since 1990 to feature a lineup change. It marks the studio debut of drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and the final appearance of longtime guitarist Marty Friedman, who left the band the following year. The album was intended to achieve a breakthrough on alternative rock radio. It received a mixed response from critics and fans due to its significant departure from the band's traditional thrash metal sound. This reaction led the band to return to a heavier style on their next album "The World Needs a Hero". Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine later attributed the album's commercial performance to its release under the "Megadeth" name. He stated that "if anybody else's name was on 'Risk', it would have sold". The album debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 74,000 copies in its first week. Like other Megadeth studio albums released by Capitol, "Risk" was remixed and remastered in 2004, with several bonus tracks added and a different cover artwork. Risk followed the band's 1997 album "Cryptic Writings", which had sold 850,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan and received praise from rock radio programmers. Capitol Records vice president of marketing Rob Gordon expressed optimism that the new album would generate multiple tracks for rock radio, similar to the pr