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Megadeth are set to release their final album this Friday, and slated to embark on a long-running farewell tour beginning next month in Canada. Before the legendary thrash band calls it quits for good, frontman Dave Mustaine is hoping that a full-circle moment can happen in the form of a tour with Metallica.
Of course, Mustaine was an early member of Metallica before he got kicked out of the band in early 1983 due to his excessive drinking and erratic behavior. In a new interview with Revolver, Mustaine was asked about his decision to record and include a new version of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” on Megadeth’s self-titled final album.
“I wasn’t trying to do anything disrespectful, that much I can tell you,” said Mustaine of the new recording of “Ride the Lightning,” a song that he is credited with co-writing during his time in Metallica. “I really respect James [Hetfield’s] guitar playing. And I think that Lars [Ulrich] is a tremendous songwriter. I really did enjoy my time with them. That’s why I had such a hard time when it ended. And this is me closing the circle, paying my respects.”
Asked whether it’s his way of saying goodbye to Metallica, Mustaine replied, “I didn’t think that, no. I loved that time. It was very fun. We were dangerous. But no, there’s no hidden agenda… This is about showing respect. … I liked [Hetfield and Ulrich]. If the friendship was restarted, it wouldn’t bother me. I would accept, and I think it would be nice to revisit some of those times. But I just think because there was a lot of hurt and misunderstanding around our time together that it would be difficult not to keep bringing up the past.”
Mustaine then brought up the possibility of hitting the road with his former band, saying, “I think what needs to happen is there needs to be a Megadeth-Metallica tour. Period. That would, I’m sure, make everything right. We could hang out. Spend time together. But I know they don’t really tour like we do. I mean, when we go out on tour, we play many, many shows.”
For now, Megadeth’s farewell dates kick off in February with a headlining tour of Canada. Later in the year, Mustaine and company will support Iron Maiden’s North American tour in the summer. Get tickets here.
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