The battle between Metallica and Megadeth ensues – and well into the year of our Lord, 2023. Both bands have been belting out mean tunes for going on four decades. Isn’t it time one finally knock the other off their pedestal and determine unequivocally – who is the king of heavy metal. James Hetfield will say “it’s us”. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth will say “No, tiss I”. Either way, Dave Mustaine states Metallica are afraid of playing with them.
As per Blabbermouth, In a new interview with Guitar World magazine, Dave Mustaine was asked how he views the perceived competition between Megadeath and his former band Metallica. The Megadeth leader responded: “In my mind, there is no competition between Megadeth and Metallica. “We’re different bands, and I believe Megadeth has been more consistent. But the sad thing is that the drama between us has been more popular than the music ever was. And remember, Metallica got a big head start, and they did so on the back of what I helped create. They became one of the biggest bands in the world, and here’s one of the biggest bands wasting their breath trying to discredit me by saying, ‘Dave’s not a good guitar player.’ Excuse me, what the f**k did you say? [Laughs] I think I wrote many of the songs that made you famous, so you probably should recheck that bullshit statement. But this is the shit those guys say, and you’ve got the sheep who follow them around believing it.”
Asked who he thinks is at fault for perpetuating the issues, Mustaine said: “The issue is that people don’t know their history and take sides. I never wanted to take sides; I wanted things to be reconciled and to be friends, but for whatever reason, they didn’t. And Metallica is represented by the same agent as Megadeth, and I’ve asked our agent, ‘You’re Metallica’s agent, too; why won’t those guys play with us? What are they afraid of?’ And they’ve confirmed they’re going out [this summer] with Five Finger Death Punch and the Pantera thing, so it’s clearly about the money. The fact is simple: the world wants to see Megadeth and Metallica play together. And in case anyone is wondering: there’s fucking money in that. The fans want to see Metallica and Megadeth share the stage. Does Megadeth need Metallica? No. But Metallica talks about their fans, but they don’t give them what they’ve been asking for. What are they afraid of? I don’t know. It’s not me; it’s them.”
When is the next Battle of the Bands – we need Bill and Ted to officiate. Station!