Before he helmed Megadeth, Dave Mustaine was briefly part of another definitive thrash metal band. Answering Lars Ulrich’s newspaper ad, the La Mesa, California-born rocker joined Metallica as lead guitarist in 1981. However, Mustaine’s new bandmates fired him two years later before he ever recorded a single album. Still a sore spot after more than 40 years, the incident has led to a longstanding feud between Megadeth and Metallica. And during a recent appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show, Mustaine reiterated his claim that the Kill ‘Em All artists ripped their most recognizable guitar riff straight from another thrash metal band’s song.
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“Hell, their biggest song, ‘Enter Sandman’ —go look up the band Excel right now,” said the Grammy winner, 63. “Look up their song—I think it’s something ‘Into the Unknown.’ Pretty similar.”
Mustaine was referring to “Tapping into the Emotional Void,” a track off Excel’s sophomore album The Joke’s On You.
Released in 1989—two years before Metallica’s groundbreaking self-titled album—you can decide for yourself just how much “Tapping Into the Emotional Void” resembles “Enter Sandman.”
Why Excel Never Took Legal Action Against Metallica
While it may be tempting to chalk Dave Mustaine’s claims up to bad blood, he isn’t the only one to connect the dots. Excel frontman Dan Clements told the Los Angeles Times in 1991 that he was “shaken by the similarities.”
Although the band contemplated taking Metallica to court, they ultimately decided against it. “A lawsuit, unfortunately, sucks everything else out of your life,” Jane Hoffman, Excel’s manager at the time, told the Times.
Metallica co-manager Cliff Burnstein said he had never heard of “Tapping into the Emotional Void.” He did say, however, that he was familiar with Excel.
[RELATED: Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Wants Big Four Revival with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax]
Dave Mustaine Once Confronted Lars Ulrich Onscreen
The recent interview with Shawn Ryan wasn’t the first time Dave Mustaine accused his former bandmates of plagiarism. The “Peace Sells” singer brought up his claims following a 2001 therapy session with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, which aired in the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster.
After the documentary’s release, Mustaine publicly slammed his former bandmates, saying the five-minute scene didn’t accurately portray his encounter with Ulrich.
Calling the Danish drummer “a f—in’ treacherous little man,” Mustaine said, “Their biggest song, ‘Enter Sandman,’ was ripped off from a band called Excel.”
Featured image by bahadir aydin/Shutterstock
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