Marty Friedman recently opened up about Megadeth’s relationship with Metallica, explaining that the so-called “feud” between the two bands was largely exaggerated by the media. During an interview with Michael Christopher for Vanyaland, Friedman stated that Megadeth never truly cared about Metallica in the way people thought, and that he never sensed any real animosity during his time in the band.
The rivalry between Megadeth and Metallica, especially during the ’80s, has been a defining part of heavy metal history, mainly stemming from Dave Mustaine’s departure from Metallica and the creation of Megadeth. The tension was often amplified by fans, sometimes in a playful manner, but other times more seriously. However, according to Friedman, much of the supposed conflict was a creation of the media.
“I don’t think we [in Megadeth] cared as much about Metallica as people put in the press. We were definitely our own band, our own entity, as far as I’m concerned,” Friedman shared. “We admired Metallica for the great work that they did, and they’re playing a similar genre of music to what we were doing.”
Friedman continued by acknowledging that, while Megadeth respected Metallica and was inspired by their success, there was never any real desire to compete or “beat” them. Both bands were pioneering forces in the thrash metal scene, with Mustaine and Metallica’s James Hetfield shaping the sound of the genre.
“There was no question that we were watching their every move, what they were doing, what we could learn from it, what we could adapt to our situation from their success,” Friedman explained. “We’re both heavy metal bands, and Mustaine pioneered this heavy metal rhythm guitar style. Hetfield pioneered this heavy metal guitar style. They both were very, very important in the formation of thrash metal.”
Friedman emphasized that there was no animosity between the bands, adding, “It wasn’t like any kind of, ‘Look, we hate Metallica’ and ‘We want to beat them.’ There was absolutely no — not that I saw — any kind of feud-type thinking. But I have no idea what Dave’s personal relationships are with those guys. I just remember the journalists, it’s a juicy headline, and so they go with it, and that stuff goes on to this day.”
In closing, Friedman noted that while Megadeth focused on their own music and career, they always held Metallica in high regard. “We were just way, way too busy with our own music, our own careers, to really follow them that much,” he said. “However, we did respect them a lot. I respected them a lot. I continue to respect them, and I think they’re an awesome band and [there’s still] lots to learn from them.”
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