Dave Mustaine says he wants Megadeth and Metallica to hit the road together in an effort to “make everything right”.
Before founding Megadeth, Mustaine served as Metallica’s lead guitarist, but he was dismissed from the band shortly before their 1983 debut album. He has long claimed he wrote “a lot of” the music that helped define Metallica, and the two camps have had a strained relationship ever since.
Megadeth are preparing to bow out with a final self‑titled album and farewell tour. The record features a cover of Metallica’s Ride the Lightning, a track Mustaine co‑wrote for their second album, and he says releasing his own version was meant as a gesture of “respect.”
Speaking to Revolver, he said: “I really respect James [Hetfield’s] guitar playing. And I think that Lars [Ulrich] is a tremendous songwriter. I really did enjoy my time with them. That’s why I had such a hard time when it ended. And this is me closing the circle, paying my respects.”
Mustaine stressed that the cover wasn’t intended as a farewell to his former bandmates.
He said: “I didn’t think that, no.
“I loved that time. It was very fun. We were dangerous. But no, there’s no hidden agenda… This is about showing respect. … I liked [Hetfield and Ulrich].”
He admits he would welcome a renewed friendship with Metallica, though he believes the “hurt and misunderstanding” surrounding their split would make it difficult.
Mustaine said: “If the friendship was restarted, it wouldn’t bother me.
“I would accept, and I think it would be nice to revisit some of those times. But… it would be difficult not to keep bringing up the past.”
Still, Mustaine thinks there is one scenario that could help mend old wounds: a joint Megadeth–Metallica tour.
He continued: “I think what needs to happen is there needs to be a Megadeth–Metallica tour. Period.
“That would, I’m sure, make everything right. We could hang out. Spend time together. But I know they don’t really tour like we do. I mean, when we go out on tour, we play many, many shows.”