Former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine made controversial claims about Metallica’s iconic song “Enter Sandman” during an interview on The Shawn Ryan Show.
Mustaine suggested that the famous riff, credited to Kirk Hammett, might have drawn inspiration from another band’s work.
“Hell, their biggest song, ‘Enter Sandman’ — go look up the band Excel right now,” Mustaine said. “Look up their song, I think it’s something ‘Into the Unknown.’ Pretty similar.”
The metal community continues to discuss musical inspiration and originality. Metallica and their representatives have not yet responded to these claims.
These new accusations add to a complex history of disputes over Metallica’s songwriting credits and musical origins.
A report from American Songwriter revealed that the song in question is “Tapping Into the Emotional Void” by Excel. The band released it on their 1989 album “The Joke’s On You,” two years before Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” Excel’s frontman Dan Clements expressed his concerns in 1991, stating he was “shaken by the similarities” between the two songs.
Consequence noted that Excel considered legal action over the similarities. However, no formal claim materialized.
Sonic Perspectives documented Mustaine’s history with Metallica. He joined the band in 1981 after responding to Lars Ulrich’s newspaper ad. The band fired him in 1983 before recording their first full-length album. Kirk Hammett then took his place.
The creation of “Enter Sandman” involved multiple contributors. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich developed the primary riff and main structure. Kirk Hammett, though credited as a co-writer, focused on developing the song’s solos and additional riffs during the album’s recording sessions.
