Dave Mustaine rejoins Metallica — briefly

• Reprints

Members of the band Megadeth pose in New York in 1997. From left: Nick Menza, Marty Friedman, Ellefson and David Mustaine. | AP

Updated: February 9, 2012 7:55PM

It’s a time of reunions for Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine. He’s reconciled with bassist Dave Ellefson, who sued him a few years ago. He’s revived the band’s package show, the Gigantour. Plus, last fall — as the devil tried on some ice skates — Mustaine was back on stage with Metallica.

Mustaine was a founding member of Metallica in 1981 with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, but he was kicked out two years later because of personality conflicts and drug abuse. He was replaced by guitarist Kirk Hammett.

An angry Mustaine immediately formed his own band, Megadeth, intending to be harder, faster and louder than Metallica. Revenge metal!

A lot of water and blood under the bridge — by 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and invited Mustaine to participate in the ceremony. He declined, citing European touring commitments.

But last December Mustaine finally rejoined Metallica on stage in San Francisco for part of the band’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

“I played four or five songs with them — just me, James, Lars, Robert [Trujillo] and Kirk was over on the side,” Mustaine says. “Kirk didn’t look too happy about it, but I think he was a good sport.

“I think you can see from the way the guys lit up that it was mutually beneficial for everybody. We all expected something magical to happen, and it did. We were playing stuff off the first record that I’d written in my teenage years. It was a blast.”

Does this mean the long-standing feud is over? As New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys gave into their own gravity to become NKOTBSB, will these monsters of metal now become Megatallica?

“I would certainly look forward to another opportunity with those guys,” Mustaine says. “The competition is done. I’d love to do a record with James, Lars and Dave Ellefson, but I don’t know if it’s in the cards. Maybe a single for charity or something.”

—Thomas Conner