Recently speaking to Heavy Consequence, Dave Mustaine expressed his opinion that Green Day and Pearl Jam should be considered pop bands.
After reflecting on the various subgenres within the metal community, the frontman questioned the labeling of bands like Green Day and Pearl Jam, saying:
“Y’know, it’s like metal has become a qualifying word just to signify a certain heaviness of music regardless of what original genre it is they come from. And I think if you can have people say bands like Blink-182 is like alternative metal. Or you see bands like Green Day, alternative metal. Pearl Jam, alternative metal. But are they? They’re pop bands.”
Mustaine then shared his definition of ‘pop’ as a genre, explaining:
“And what does pop mean? Is that a bad word? Well, some people think so. But what does it really mean? Well, pop is short for ‘popular.’ So if Megadeth had a really successful record with the population, it would be a popular record – like ‘Countdown to Extinction’ was.”
He also added:
“‘Countdown’ is a triple platinum record, and we’re probably going to be seeing some certification for that in the near future. And that was a popular album, which would make it a ‘pop album.’ Do you get what I’m saying? How weird all these terms are.”
In the rest of the interview, the guitarist also explored the connections between thrash and glam metal and referred to similarities between the first two albums of Metallica and Mötley Crüe. Dave also noted the resemblances in the vocal ranges of Vince Neil and James Hetfield. You can read the full conversation here.
