Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine recently discussed his decision to include his version of Metallica’s “Ride The Lightning” on the final Megadeth album. He explained his desire to end the long-standing feud with his former Metallica bandmates in a statement shared on Ibagenscast.
Mustaine’s comments focused on his motivation for covering the song and his efforts to show respect to the band he co-founded. This comes despite past conflicts over songwriting credits.
“That was one of the songs that I wrote with James [Hetfield], and just like the other songs that I wrote, something happened when I left,” Mustaine said. “Parts were changed, credits were assigned to other people, and I thought of all the songs, ‘Ride The Lightning’ showcased my guitar talents the best: the spider chord that I invented, the grunting chords.”
The guitarist emphasized that his decision was about closure and respect rather than continuing old disputes.
“Those were things that bands weren’t doing. And it happens in ‘Ride The Lightning’,” he continued. “And going back to why we did that song — it’s kind of closing the circle, paying my respects to the band that I was a founding member in. And love me or hate me, they’ll never be able to erase me.”
Mustaine made clear his intention to move beyond past conflicts with his former bandmates.
“And I think that when people can look with acceptance and fondness of the two bands and not try and keep something that I don’t wanna keep going,” he said. “I don’t wanna have a feud. I’ve put that to sleep so many years ago. So, yeah, I wanted to do something that was — just show some respect, ’cause it doesn’t matter to me if he cares, if he likes it; it matters what I do and that I show respect and close the circle.”
This statement represents Mustaine’s public effort to end decades of tension between the two metal bands. The gesture coincides with a significant milestone in Megadeth’s career.
VICE reported that Megadeth released their self-titled final album in January 2026. The album includes the cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning”—a song co-written by Mustaine during his time with Metallica in the early 1980s. The decision to include this particular cover came late in the album’s production process. Mustaine explained that they were “past the halfway point in the album” when the idea emerged.
The choice of “Ride the Lightning” was deliberate and personal for Mustaine. Blabbermouth noted that he selected this track because it was “the most emblematic of my guitar influence” and represented a song the band had never previously recorded despite Mustaine’s co-writing credit. The Megadeth version features notable modifications from the original Metallica recording. Fans appreciated how the band “sped it up or beefed up the drums and solos.”
Mustaine recently brought this cover to life on stage for the first time during Megadeth’s “This Was Our Life” tour. Revolver Magazine confirmed that the live debut occurred on April 26-27, 2026, during the band’s stop at Movistar Arena in Bogota, Colombia. The performance marked a significant moment for both the band and fans who had long awaited this particular cover.
Despite the symbolic nature of including this cover on Megadeth’s final album, Mustaine clarified his intentions were straightforward rather than strategic. “Our intentions were pure. I didn’t have any reason I was going to say, ‘Oh, hey man, this thing that we’ve had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things,'” he stated. This suggests the cover was not designed as a calculated peace offering to reconcile the long-standing feud between the two bands.
Notably, no response from James Hetfield, Metallica, or other Metallica members to this cover or Megadeth’s final album has been reported. This leaves Mustaine’s gesture as a unilateral effort to close this chapter of metal history.
