After some speculation, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has confirmed he covered Metallica‘s “Ride The Lightning” for the band’s final album due out in 2026. “Ride The Lightning” is one of two songs on Metallica‘s 1984 record of the same name with Mustaine credited as a co-writer – the other being “Call Of Ktulu”.
So why now? According to Mustaine in an interview with Rolling Stone, it’s all about closing his career down right: “I wanted to do something to close the circle on my career right now, since it started off with [Mustaine‘s band before Metallica] Panic and several of the songs that ended up in the Metallica repertoire, I wanted to do something that I felt would be a good song.”
Mustaine confirmed in the same interview that Megadeth will not play the cover live, and that Metallica had no idea he was even doing it: “It was not for lack of having the thought or the courage or anything like that. I know the last time James and I talked, we were talking about some business stuff and I haven’t spoken to him since,” Mustaine said.
“So I was hoping that we could get his approval on this before we release the track. But when it turned out the way that it did, I think there were so many people that were happy that we did this, that we just went for it. And I’ll be more than happy to talk to him when I get the opportunity, but I don’t have his number anymore.”
Part of me wants to call this bitter, but I can see where Mustaine is coming from as well. The guy wants to end his career on his terms, and part of that is doing a rendition of a song that he had a hand in creating four decades ago. Whether or not Metallica approves of that is a different story, but I have a strong feeling Mustaine doesn’t give a shit about their approval.
And again, none of this is surprising. Mustaine has long felt that he doesn’t get enough credit for his work in Metallica – so much so that it tanked the No Life ‘Til Leather reissue, which Mustaine thought about re-recording. Mustaine has also stated that he feels Metallica is coasting off his music, so this cover isn’t exactly the craziest and most unexpected news.
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