In a new interview with Premier Guitar, legendary Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine – who served as Metallica’s guitarist from 1981 to 1983 – recalled auditioning for his future Metallica bandmates. Despite landing the gig, Mustaine said he never received what he considers a proper audition.
“When I went to Norwalk [California] the day that I met James Hetfield and [original Metallica bassist] Ron McGovney, I didn’t know what was gonna happen,” Mustaine said. “Nobody did. But I had my style, and it was based around the riff.”
“I went in there and I didn’t have any Marshalls yet because I was just starting to get serious. I had these Risson amps — they were tan, so from the moment I set up my stack, I was different,” he continued.
“I plugged in my guitar and I started warming up, and I kept warming up and warming up. And I finally said, ‘Where the f*ck are these guys?’ I set my guitar down and switched my amp to standby. And then I went out there and I said, ‘Man, where’s my audition?’ They said, ‘You got the gig.’ So I got my job just by warming up.”
Before founding Megadeth, Dave Mustaine served as Metallica’s guitarist from 1981 to 1983. During his short time with the band, the musician co-wrote several of the songs featured on the group’s first two albums, including the track “Ride the Lightning.”
Last year, it was revealed that Megadeth would include a rendition of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” on their upcoming final album – which is set to be released on January 23. In a recent interview with Premier Guitar, Mustaine explained his decision to record his own version of the song, saying it was done in an effort to “pay respects” to his former band.
“As I come full circle on the career of a lifetime, the decision to include ‘Ride the Lightning,’ a song I co-wrote with James [Hetfield], Lars [Ulrich], and Cliff [Burton], was to pay my respects to where my career first started,” he said. “It showcases the spider riffing and the grunting fretting — you fret a G flat power chord and you slide up into the G — technique that I brought [to the band]. I thought it was just a great way to pay my respects to James and Lars and to close the circle.”
While many may consider Megadeth’s rendition to be a cover of the original, Mustaine doesn’t see it that way.
“No, because I wrote the song too,” he said. “I think other people will say that, but if you’re asking me, I don’t think it’s a cover song. When we played it for people who are fans of that band and that song, the consensus has been that we did a fitting homage. I think we did it at least as good. … It’s a little faster.”
