Megadeth's frontman spoke about the controversy surrounding songs from No Life 'Til Leather.
Last Thursday, the 8th, Dave Mustaine spoke out again about the copyright dispute over songs contained in Metallica's No Life 'Til Leather another show with the Big 4 (as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax are known, big names in Thrash Metal who created and popularized the genre in the early 1980s).
"Who knows. I'm not going to give royalties for songs I wrote while I was in Panic! At the Disco to Lars [Ulrich]," he replied , referring to the band he was in before joining Metallica.
Last November, Mustaine revealed that he had been contacted by James Hetfield , vocalist of Metallica, to discuss the "official" release of No Life 'Til Leather , but that the negotiation fell through due to disagreements over copyright. "Lars wanted credit for two songs that I wrote all the lyrics and notes for. I have the lyrics. That's why I refused."
The release of No Life 'Til Leather was scheduled for April 2015. At the time, the band also promised that unreleased versions of the demo would be sold on CD, vinyl, and in a special collector's kit. Featuring seven songs, it was recorded by the band's first live lineup as Metallica, which included Ulrich, Hetfield, Mustaine, and bassist Ron McGovney.
Mustaine was a member of Metallica for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being replaced by Kirk Hammett. Mustaine was not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica in April 2009. In an interview with The Plain Dealer, Ulrich explained the reason for this decision.
“[Mustaine] never played on any Metallica album. I don’t mean to disrespect him. But there are dozens of people who were part of our early lineup. So we decided that the fairest thing to do would be to include everyone who played on an album. Dave Mustaine was in the band for 11 months, predominantly in 1982… I’m not trying to diminish him. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his achievements since then.”
No Life 'Til Leather tracklist :
01. Hit The Lights
02. The Mechanix
03. Motorbreath
04. Seek & Destroy
05. Metal Militia
06. Jump In The Fire
07. Phantom Lord