Dave Mustaine explained the situation on his Twitter.
On his official Twitter account, Megadeth vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine revealed the reason why the re-release of No Life 'Til Leather didn't happen.
The extended version of the 1982 demo features Mustaine on guitar and was scheduled for release in 2015. At the time, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said that for legal reasons, they had to cancel the re-release.
Now, Mustaine reveals his side of the story:
“James [Hetfield] contacted me two years ago. We were going to officially release the demo 'No Life Til Leather' as an album. 27 tracks, photos and everything. The talks ended because Lars [Ulrich] wanted credit for two songs where I wrote every note and word. I passed on the opportunity.”
James contacted me 2 years ago. We were going to officially release the “No Life Till Leather” demo as a record, w/27 tracks, pics, the whole enchilada, and the talks broke down because Lars wanted credit on two songs I wrote every note and word to. I have the texts. I passed. https://t.co/xtqTiJT2AE
— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) November 30, 2017
After that tweet, numerous fans began criticizing Metallica for their attitude, but Mustaine quickly confronted and defended them:
“STOP! Please! Come on, guys… I’m leaving if this is the time to talk badly about Metallica. I don’t care if they like me or not, I still need to respect them and their achievements for my own benefit.”
No Life 'Til Leather demo would be available on CD, vinyl, and in a collector's box set.
