Tensions have very a lot died down now, however Metallica and Megadeth don’t precisely have a very amicable historical past. Because the story goes, Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine was Metallica’s lead guitarist from 1982 to 1983, earlier than being ousted from the band for alcoholism, drug abuse and aggressive behaviour.

However throughout his time with the group, Mustaine helped write lots of the band’s early tracks, together with Journey the Lightning, the title observe from Metallica’s sophomore album, launched a yr after his departure.

Mustaine lately revealed how the division of songwriting credit on a few of the band’s early tracks turned a “bone of rivalry” between him and Metallica frontman James Hetfield, contributing to their fractured relationship.

Final month, Megadeth launched their last-ever album, and with it got here a landmark cowl of Journey the Lightning, the observe Mustaine helped write a long time in the past. And in a brand new interview with Portugal’s Steel World, bassist James LoMenzo remembers listening to from Mustaine of his plans to document the duvet.

“I used to be delighted. I used to be shocked,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “My eyebrows went up, however I used to be form of delighted that he was gonna even go there, as a result of there’s at all times that subliminal undercurrent pressure – you already know, ‘Oh, Metallica [vs.] Megadeth.’

“And I at all times thought, like, Megadeth, for God’s sake, I at all times thought Dave gained in a method, as a result of he’s constructed this large factor all by himself. And it made a number of sense to me logically. It appeared like if that is the very last thing we’re gonna do, then we must always exit, finish with a band, but in addition form of handle the total historical past of the band. And that’s the first step.

“So I assumed it was nice in the long run. However sure, my eyebrow went up once I heard him say that, yeah.”

Elsewhere within the interview, LoMenzo is requested whether or not he believes Megadeth is healthier than Metallica “in the case of riffs and solos”.

“I can’t go on board with you there,” he replies. “I’m an organization man – positive, I feel we’re higher, however semantically, I don’t actually imagine that. It’s all about style and strategy, proper? And I feel if Dave had stayed [in Metallica], it could’ve actually been much more advanced, however they’d’ve not misplaced any vitality that that they had. 

“It comes all the way down to, like, who do you want higher – Motörhead or The Ramones? One appears foolish, one appears actually severe, however I like them each.”

Watch the total interview under: