In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal’s “Metal Global,” Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo discussed frontman Dave Mustaine‘s bold choice to cover “Ride The Lightning“. The song, which serves as the title track to Metallica‘s legendary 1984 album Ride The Lightning, features a co-writing credit from Mustaine before his early departure from the band. Now, Mustaine has decided to record his own version of the track for what will be the final Megadeth album, fittingly titled Megadeth.
When asked about his initial reaction to the idea of recording the classic track, LoMenzo admitted he was taken aback but ultimately thrilled to tackle it head-on.
“I was delighted. I was surprised. My eyebrows went up, but I was kind of delighted that he was gonna even go there, because there’s always that subliminal undercurrent tension — you know, ‘Oh, Metallica [versus] Megadeth.’ And I always thought, like, Megadeth, for God’s sake, I always thought Dave won in a way, because he’s built this giant thing all by himself. And it made a lot of sense to me logically. It seemed like if this is the last thing we’re gonna do, then we should go out, end with a bang, but also kind of address the full history of this band. And that’s like step one. So I thought it was great in the end. But yes, my eyebrow went up when I heard him say that. Yeah,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Botas then shared his personal opinion that Megadeth is superior to Metallica “when it comes to riffs and solos.” However, LoMenzo offered a highly diplomatic response, praising both bands:
“I can’t go on board with you there. I mean, I’m a company guy — sure, I think we’re better, but semantically, I don’t really believe that. It’s all about taste and approach, right? And I think if Dave had stayed there [in Metallica], it would’ve certainly been a lot more complex, but they would’ve not lost any energy that they had, Metallica. It comes down to, like, who do you like better — Motörhead or the Ramones? One seems silly, one seems really serious, but I love them both. You know what I mean? And it’s similar kind of driving music.”
The bassist also clarified that the band didn’t know Megadeth was going to be their final album until the recording process was nearly complete.
“No, no, no. This came about, like, three-quarters through. We were proceeding as if we were just doing another record, and as time went by… After we finished the record was basically when Dave had this meeting with us and said, ‘You know, guys, this is kind of where we’re at right now. And maybe instead of going out with a whimper, maybe we go out with a big, giant victorious thing.’ And I think it was probably easier to make that decision after hearing the music that we had. ‘Cause if we weren’t convinced with the record, who’d wanna say, ‘Oh, this is our last record. Sorry, this is the best we can do.’ No, we were pretty excited with it. So, it was afterward. And looking down the road, I guess with Ozzy [Osbourne] and all these bands [going away or retiring] — I mean, he had such an illustrious career. There’s so many bands that come and go, and they come back and they leave and all that stuff. And Dave‘s not that guy. So when he said that, I heard him loud and clear. It was, like, ‘No, we have to really go out the right way if we’re gonna do this at all.'”
According to LoMenzo, not knowing it was the end actually benefited the creative process. He also took a moment to praise the band’s newest member, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari:
“It was actually a pleasure making the record without any expectation” of knowing that it would be Megadeth‘s final album. “And those are the best albums.”
He continued: “I mean, the ones I love the best are when the band just jumps in, and everybody who’s got something throws it all together and then you see what you have. And people, the consortium of musicians in the band, they sort of give and take, and you kind of get the feeling about what shape the record’s taking as it goes along. So, this was a record that we had a lot of good stuff [Current Megadeth guitarist] Teemu [Mäntysaari], being a new member, we didn’t know what to expect. And my God — the kid came through with flying colors. He just has so many great riffs and his ability to perform is just unmatched. I’ve really not seen anybody who’s quite that fast, as far as picking things up and putting his own stamp on it.”
Megadeth opened at No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart with 73,000 equivalent units sold in the week ending January 29, according to Luminate, driven largely by 69,000 in pure sales. Released via Dave Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint through Frontiers Label Group’s BLKIIBLK label, the album also topped the charts in Australia and Austria, while landing top-five positions across multiple countries including the U.K., Germany, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
Megadeth Track Listing:
- “Tipping Point“
- “I Don’t Care“
- “Hey, God?!“
- “Let There Be Shred“
- “Puppet Parade“
- “Another Bad Day“
- “Made To Kill“
- “Obey The Call“
- “I Am War“
- “The Last Note“
- “Ride The Lightning” (bonus track)
- “Nobody’s Hero” (exclusive bonus track)
