During a recent appearance on “The Shawn Ryan Show,” Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine claimed that his former band, Metallica, stole the “Enter Sandman” riff from crossover thrash band Excel and their 1989 song “Tapping Into the Emotional Void.”
This is not the first time Mustaine has accused Metallica of ripping off Excel’s track, and fans have been drawing comparisons between the two songs for years. Members of Excel also previously noticed the songs’ similarities, and even once allegedly considered taking legal action against Metallica.
Mustaine’s accusation came while he was recalling his time with the James Hetfield fronted band, saying:
“I made sure not to ever say that I quit, because I wanted people to know that I was unfairly dismissed and that I didn’t give a shit. Because we may not be as big as they are. Hell, their biggest song, ‘Enter Sandman’ — go look up the band Excel right now. Look up their song, I think it’s something ‘Into the Unknown.’ Pretty similar.”