Five Nice Things Dave Mustaine Has Said About Metallica

Believe it or not, there are at least five nice things Dave Mustaine has said about Metallica.

The rocker was fired from Metallica in early 1983, a few months before the release of the band’s debut album Kill ‘Em All. Kirk Hammett was brought in as his replacement and Mustaine formed Megadeth in the wake of the split.

Both bands went on to be huge pillars of 1980s thrash metal and both are still going strong today. But early on, Mustaine didn’t bite his tongue when it came to talking about his former bandmates.

“I think that when Metallica have got all their gold and platinum records, they should have the decency to say, ‘Here, send one to Dave too, ’cause he wrote all the shit and Kirk played every one of his solos’,” Mustaine told Metal Forces Magazine in 1985.

“How can people vote this guy number one guitar player when he’s ripped me off? If anyone should have been voted number one it should have been me. Not that I’m jealous. I mean, I’m glad they’re doing well as I’m getting paid for it.”

Of course, he’s patched things up with the members of Metallica quite a bit over the years and has admitted that he would have fired himself if he were in their position as well.

READ MORE: How Old Legendary Rockers Were When They Made Their Masterpieces

“I had a problem with alcohol and it cost me my job and cost me two very dear friends,” he admitted to Metal Hammer decades later.

Since Mustaine has said a lot about Metallica throughout his life, we thought it would be interesting to compile some of the positive remarks he’s made about his former band. There are at least five — but probably many more. The ones we have listed below are from more recent years.

Scroll to read the nice things he’s said.