Dave Mustaine Says Metallica And More Were “Holding Him Back” When He Started Megadeth

During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dave Mustaine reflected on launching Megadeth following his departure from Metallica. According to him, his former band and more were “holding him back” at the time and “it very much was [him] against the world.”

Mustaine said the following:

“Think of it. Where would I be right now if I didn’t have one of the biggest bands in the world spending their time trying to hold me back? They don’t do it anymore, but most of the time when they did, it just made me shake my head. And it wasn’t just Metallica, it was everybody. For a long time, it very much was me against the world. It was like, OK, if you’re not with me, you’re against me.”

He also discussed his cover of “Ride The Lightning”:

“There may not be a chance to ever say hello to James or Lars again. I knew some people would have a hard time with me doing the song, but that’s OK because I wanted to pay tribute and show my respect. If they like it, fine. If they don’t like it, fine. If they listen to it, fine. If they don’t, fine.”

He added:

“You know, I had a great time when I was in Metallica, and we did something tremendous. It’s a shame what the booze did, but we were all kids and, aside from Lars, we came from pretty broken families. Lots of stuff has happened over the years, but I felt like it would be great to make everything good with them before we stop. We should be friends. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be friends.”

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