Dave Mustaine’s influence is deeply embedded in the history of thrash metal. In a recent conversation with Sao Paulo, Brazil’s 89FM A Rock Radio, the Megadeth frontman and guitarist discussed how he believes he has impacted all four of thrash’s “Big 4” bands.

How Did Dave Mustaine Influence Every ‘Big 4’ Thrash Band?

Two of the “Big 4” bands have a direct connection to Mustaine, as he began his career with Metallica before being dismissed and later achieving fame with Megadeth. However, Mustaine asserts that his influence extends to Slayer and Anthrax as well.

“Well, I’ve been very invested in the metal community. Kerry [King] and I played together, and I showed him how to play Megadeth songs, which was before [Slayer] started releasing all their pivotal records,” Mustaine shared. “Kerry and I had a really great time together. I wrote music in Metallica and in Megadeth. So, I’ve been very influential with the guitar for these three bands.”

READ MORE: The Best Thrash Metal Album for Each Year Since 1983

Regarding Anthrax, he mentioned, “When I met Scott [Ian] and the guys in Anthrax out in New York, the same thing happened. Their first record was very different from the one they made after meeting me and the guys in Metallica. So I think that’s great. I love all those bands.”

What Have Kerry King and Scott Ian Said About Dave Mustaine?

In a 2021 interview with Metal Hammer, Slayer’s Kerry King reminisced about seeing Mustaine with Metallica in their early days. “I liked it. I like speed metal or thrash metal – which hadn’t been named yet – which is what they were to me. I liked what they were doing with it, and I was already into Venom. I’ve always been a big Venom fan, and I think that a cross between Venom, Judas Priest, and Metallica kind of made Slayer what Slayer is.”

“I looked up to Mustaine ever since he was in Metallica,” King continued. “I was in the crowd with Jeff [Hanneman] actually, saying, ‘Look at that dude! He’s just ripping up there!’ He’s got a great style and in the beginning, it helped Metallica become what Metallica is. And let me tell you something – to this day, he’s a great guitar player,”

Mustaine even invited King to join Megadeth at one point, but the Slayer guitarist recalled, “I didn’t have any reason to stay around because I had Slayer. I remember having a conversation with him and saying like, ‘Yeah, but we have all this dark stuff,’ and Mustaine saying something like, ‘Well, we’ve got this song; it’s pretty Satanic,’ and I was like, ‘At the end of the day, dude, it ain’t about that. I came to play with you. I think it went spectacularly well but it’s time for me to get back to my band.’”

Similarly, Anthrax’s Scott Ian has acknowledged Dave Mustaine’s contributions. In Ian’s autobiography, “‘I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax,” he reflected on Mustaine’s firing from Metallica by stating, “The guy is arguably the godfather of thrash metal. He wrote a lot of the riffs on Kill ’Em All and even some of Ride the Lightning. Without Dave Mustaine, maybe thrash metal never would have happened. At least in the beginning, he was the driving force artistically.”

About “The Big 4”

With Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth all launching their careers around the same time and witnessing thrash metal’s rise as a result, these four acts were often grouped together as “The Big 4.”

There have been various iterations of these groups touring together at different times throughout their careers; however, in 2010 all four bands came together to tour as a celebration of thrash under the “Big 4” banner.

The first pairing of these thrash titans occurred on June 16, 2010, at the Sonisphere Festival in Warsaw, Poland. Additional shows took place across Europe that year before bringing their “Big 4” concerts to the U.S., including performances in California and at Yankee Stadium in New York. Although there have been occasional discussions about reviving the four-band “Big 4” branding for more shows since then, nothing has materialized.

Slayer’s retirement and Megadeth’s current farewell tour have also diminished the likelihood of future “Big 4” performances; however, Slayer has since “unretired” for a handful of dates in recent years.

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Speaks With Sao Paulo, Brazil’s 89FM A Rock Radio

See every ‘Big 4’ Thrash Album ranked from worst to best in the gallery below.