Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently reflected on his early years with Metallica, saying the part he missed most after his departure was the “brotherhood and the fun” the band shared. The comments surfaced in a recent interview as Mustaine discussed Megadeth recording a cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” and how he views that history today.
Speaking with Louder Sound, he addressed whether he expects any response from his former bandmates, Mustaine said he hasn’t heard from them and doesn’t anticipate it, adding that it would be up to them whether they chose to listen “without prejudice” if the topic came up.
“No, and I don’t expect to,” Mustaine said. “I know they’re pretty aware of what’s going on in the world, and I’m sure at some point someone will say something to them, and it’s up to whether they want to listen to it without prejudice or not.”
“Honestly, that band was about having fun, and that’s one of the things that I missed, the brotherhood and the fun,” he continued.
Mustaine then described what he felt was missing once he was no longer in the group, saying Metallica, at that time, was largely about enjoying themselves. “Honestly, that band was about having fun, and that’s one of the things that I missed, the brotherhood and the fun,” he said.
He also framed the “Ride the Lightning” cover as a decision rooted in appreciation rather than bitterness, explaining that he respects and loves James Hetfield’s guitar playing and that he wanted to revisit a song he helped write and “put my DNA on it.”
“Well there isn’t any resentment now,” he said. “I’ve always respected and loved James’s guitar playing, and that’s why we did the last track on the record [a cover of Metallica’s Ride The Lightning]. I’ve got my own band that I love, and it just felt right to do a version of a song that I had written earlier with Metallica, and put my DNA on it.”
Mustaine has discussed shifting perspectives on that era before, including times when he claimed Metallica were “trying to hold me back” as his career moved forward.
Mustaine’s latest remarks underline how closely his Metallica past still intersects with Megadeth’s present, particularly when the band chooses to reinterpret material from that formative period. For fans, the comments add another piece of on-the-record context to one of metal’s most enduring and complicated origin stories.
