Dave Mustaine recently revealed details about his last conversation with Metallica’s James Hetfield regarding a longstanding money dispute. He shared his account in an interview with Louder Sound.
The Megadeth frontman discussed the publishing credits controversy that has persisted since his departure from Metallica. He specifically addressed songs he claims to have written or co-written.
“I wrote all the music on Phantom Lord, all the music on Metal Militia, all the music on Jump In The Fire and The Mechanix. And I wrote the lyrics for Jump In The Fire and The Mechanix,” Mustaine said. “So do the math: if I wrote the music and James [Hetfield] wrote the lyrics, then the credit is 50 per cent me, and 50 per cent James. Well, that’s not what went down when I left.”
Mustaine explained how the credit distribution became a source of ongoing tension between him and the band.
“James and Lars figured out that they were going to give Lars some percentage of the songs he didn’t write anything on, and that happened on all four songs,” he continued. “This was a bone of contention for me going forward with Metallica on anything because, you know, it just wasn’t fair. You guys got more money than God, why do you have to take my money?”
The guitarist then recounted the final conversation he had with Hetfield about resolving the publishing issues.
“So James called me up, and he says, ‘Hey, man, we want to release this No Life ‘Til Leather thing, and we want to get all this publishing stuff straight, and, you know, we really don’t remember what went down. And I said, Well, that’s good, because I do. I remember what went down, and I can help with that,'” Mustaine recalled.
However, the conversation took an unexpected turn that effectively ended their communication.
“And then the conversation took a turn. James goes, ‘Well, that’s not the way that we remember it’. And I went, Well, James, honestly, there’s three ways to look at this: there’s your way, my way, and the truth, which is some combination of the two,” he said. “And that was the end of the conversation. He took offence to that, and we hung up, and I don’t remember speaking to him since then.”
This latest revelation adds another chapter to the decades-long saga between Mustaine and his former bandmates. It highlights the complex financial and creative disputes that have defined their relationship since his departure from Metallica in 1983.
Metal Injection reported that Mustaine has previously claimed that Kirk Hammett received royalties for songs Mustaine wrote, including “Metal Militia,” for many years. “Kirk got my royalties for ‘Metal Militia’ for many, many years. And he has to see the check, so I know somebody saw that I wasn’t getting paid,” Mustaine stated in earlier interviews.
The publishing dispute stems from Mustaine’s contributions to Metallica’s early material before his dismissal from the band. Metal Injection noted that Mustaine specifically asked Metallica not to use his music after he left, which they did. He has received writing credits for his contributions over the years.
Despite the ongoing financial disagreements, recent reports suggest Mustaine’s perspective on the matter has evolved. Metal Wani revealed that Mustaine has opened up about his evolving relationship with Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. He reflected on reconciliation and growth in recent interviews.
The financial success both parties have achieved since their split has added another layer to the dispute. Metallica became one of the world’s biggest metal bands. Mustaine found his own success with Megadeth, including a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017 for “Dystopia.” This proves that both musicians ultimately thrived despite their acrimonious separation.
