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Slayer’s legendary guitarist and songwriter Kerry King is pulling no punches when it comes to his preference between Megadeth and Metallica. Despite playing in Megadeth in 1984 for a handful of shows, he chose Metallica as the better band. The topic came up during an interview with Reigning TV when he and Mark Osegueda, who is the lead singer for King’s solo band, were bluntly asked, “Metallica or Megadeth?” Without missing a beat, Oseguedo blurted out, “Metallica!” “Hang on, hang on…,” King began. “I’m going to be brutally honest. Metallica has a singer.” The criticism of Dave Mustaine’s vocals is not new. The Megadeth singer’s vocal talent has long been talked about. However, there’s no debate about Mustaine’s guitar skills. Even he boasts that he is “a very advanced rhythm guitarist who can play complicated rhythms and sing over the top of them.” Metallica and Megadeth Feuded For Decades The heavy metal feud between Metallica and Megadeth started in 1983 when Mustaine was fired from Metallica, with the band citing Mustaine’s heavy drinking and inability to get along with other band members as the reason. Mustaine went on to form Megadeth, and with a chip on his shoulder, declared that his new band would be bigger and better than Metallica. That never materialized, and Metallica has consistently been more commercially successful than Megadeth. The Megadeth frontman also complained that his music was used by his former band following his departure, despite his request that they not use it. Adding insult to injury, Mustaine also claimed that the band’s replacement guitarist, Kirk Hammett, was receiving royalties for his work. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield No Longer At Odds In recent years, Mustaine and Metallica’s lead singer James Hetfield have mended fences. In 2022, Mustaine told Consequence of Sound, “It took a while for James and Lars and I to kind of come around and become friends again.” He continued, “But I would say we’re probably better off now than we’ve been for a long time. And it comes and goes.” Recently, Mustaine revealed that Megadeth would be covering a Metallica song, “Ride the Lightning,” for the thrash metal band’s final album, which is due out in 2026. Mustaine is credited as a co-writer on the song and calls the decision to remake it a tribute, saying he is ready to “close the circle.”
