After months of anticipation, Megadeth’s final studio album has finally arrived. The self-titled release is capped off with a bonus cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” — a track Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine helped write before his 1983 departure from Metallica. Mustaine has previously described the cover as a way of paying his respects to former bandmates James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. With Mustaine preparing to eventually retire Megadeth following a planned three- to five-year farewell tour supporting the album, he has also characterized the song choice as a way of “closing the circle” on his storied history with Metallica. At present, however, relations between Mustaine, Hetfield, and Ulrich appear strained once again, following a renewed royalty dispute over Metallica’s No Life ’Til Leather demo. Despite the setback, Mustaine has expressed hope that the longtime rift can eventually be repaired.
