In a new interview with Guitar World, Megadeth leader, Dave Mustaine, offered another in-depth reflection on his time with Metallica, and discussed his influence on the band, his opinion on Kirk Hammett tackling his guitar parts, and the current state of affairs surrounding a potential Megadeth/Metallica supergroup. An excerpt from the article follows...

When the conversation touched on ‘Tallica - and the supposed competition with his own band - Mustaine began, “Metallica got a big head start, and they did so on the back of what I helped create. They became one of the biggest bands in the world, and here’s one of the biggest bands wasting their breath trying to discredit me by saying, ‘Dave’s not a good guitar player.’

“Excuse me, what the fuck did you say?” he continued. “I think I wrote many of the songs that made you famous, so you probably should recheck that bullshit statement.”

To that end, Mustaine then went on to discuss the “pretty fucking deep” influence he has had on Metallica, frankly shooting back, “For a guy who ‘couldn’t play guitar’, I sure did fucking influence things. In the early days, I was the only guitar player in the band and wrote some of the songs that ended up on their earlier records.”

Read more at Guitar World.

For the first time in more than 23 years, Megadeth alumni Marty Friedman will join the band on stage as the special guest for a one-off global livestream from the legendary Budokan Arena in Tokyo, Japan on February 27.

"Marty and I have remained friends over 23 years, since we last played together. However, I hear his music every night, and he still is among the top guitar players I’ve ever heard. This is an amazing treat for the fans, as well as myself. To be honest, I may drift off while listening to Kiko and Marty play together!" - Dave Mustaine

Fans will receive virtual VIP access to the band pre-show, with an exclusive behind-the-scenes video capturing their trip through Japan, all leading into the band’s first-ever live performance at the world-famous Budokan Arena.

The show will then be re-broadcast three times, so fans around the world can watch at a time suitable for them. Thereafter, the whole performance will be available to watch on-demand for another 48 hours, as follows:

• Live Show: 8pm JST / 11am GMT / 6am EST
• Rebroadcast #1: 7pm GMT / 8pm CET
• Rebroadcast #2: 8pm EST
• Rebroadcast #3: 8pm PST
• On Demand Opens: Monday 27 February 11.30pm PST / 02.30am EST* / 07.30am GMT* (Tuesday 28 February).
• On Demand Closes: Wednesday 1 March at 11.30pm PST / 02.30am EST / 07.30am GMT* (*Thursday 2 March).

Ticketholders will get access to the livestream, all re-broadcasts, and to on-demand replays. Fans can buy tickets and watch all broadcasts and on-demand replays from anywhere around the world, EXCEPT Japan.

For fans in Japan, ‘They Only Come Out at Night’ is only accessible via Wowow.

Exclusive livestream merchandise is available to pre-order with tickets, during the livestream, and during the on-demand period. Livestream tickets are on sale now, here.