Dave Mustaine feels a duty to pass on the legacy he built in heavy metal and would like to call upon the bands of The Big Four , formed by Metallica , Anthrax and Slayer , in addition to Megadeth , to help in the mission of supporting young bands.
The musician spoke about this desire in a recent interview with Guitar World when commenting on his conflicting feelings about the Grammy the band won for the album Dystopia in 2016. “It was very important to me when I won the Grammy. But I have to say it was a little strange because it felt like an award for my lifetime achievements, and at this point I don’t want to be recognized for my legacy,” he said. “I want to win awards for something I’ve done, that I’m doing, and that I will do, not something I used to do and will never do again.”
Based on this reflection, Dave Mustaine said that he has come to value "the time I still have" more in recent years. "And I certainly don't want to leave the planet with the experience I have and everything I've learned without passing [this knowledge] on to someone else," he said.
This is where the Big Four could step in as a sort of metal assembly to mentor newcomers: “Sometimes I think how things would have been better if we had all tried a little harder within the Big Four. The four of us still have so much authority and power, we could do so many good things. It would be great if we could get together and have a meeting of minds as these four representatives – the Mount Rushmore of metal – and think of something special we could do to really benefit young bands, musicians and artists.”
In the view of the Megadeth leader, combining the knowledge of the four bands could help new generations "avoid some of the situations we went through with contracts and substances," because most bands make mistakes early in their careers. "I would love to mentor some of these guys and really help them. That would be a great way to give back," he concluded.
Megadeth's new album, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, was released on September 2nd and marks the band's first with drummer Dirk Verbeuren .
READ ALSO: Dave Mustaine interrupts Megadeth show to reprimand overly attentive security.
