Personal Preference -1

Metallica or Megadeth?

My preference is Megadeth by a Megaton

I don’t know…

I love the first four Metallica albums more than Megadeth. But after that, Megadeth is a lot better. Both bands have spotty discographies.

Troublezone wrote:

I don’t know…

Both bands have spotty discographies.

(IMHDO) "Risk" is contrived B/S, "Thirteen" & "Super Collider" are hit n miss. Dig EVERYTHING else to varying degrees.

(IMHDO) The first three Metallica albums are golden. Don't care for much of anything they did after Cliff passed.

James B. wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I don’t know…

Both bands have spotty discographies.

(IMHDO) "Risk" is contrived B/S, "Thirteen" & "Super Collider" are hit n miss. Dig EVERYTHING else to varying degrees.

(IMHDO) The first three Metallica albums are golden. Don't care for much of anything they did after Cliff passed.

Cliff was a major selling point! I also think the overall songwriting was a perfect balance of melody and heaviness. Plus I much prefer Hetfield’s early vocals over anything by Mustaine.

Tough call. Both have outstanding albums that i revisit on a regular basis, and some releases that i absolutely despise.

I'd say i like them equally, although i have been on a Metallica kick lately.

As a matter of fact, i recently picked up The Unnamed Feeling EP and the 3 cd remastered edition of the black album.

In my youth it was Metallica, but now I'm camp Megadeth all the way. Even listening to their early stuff side by side, I think Megadeth has aged better and is superior in many ways. I'll give Metallica Kill 'em All over Killing is my business, but after that I think Megadeth pulls away, and by far has the better discography overall.

About the same level. Neither cracks my top 20 or top 40 or whatever, but they have some classic material.

I have 4 Megadeth CD's as opposed to 6 Metallica CD's. So if I really have to pick one, I'll go Metallica, I guess.

Let’s be honest… we all know Metallica have a stigma nowadays for changing their sound drastically and being wealthy sellouts. I think that is the main factor most people side with Megadeth. And the fact that Kirk and Lars struggle to play. Mustaine has a revolving door of fresh blood every 5-10 years. That definitely rejuvenates Megadeth. Hetfield basically carries Metallica on his shoulders musically, and he has to appease Lars and his opinions.

Lari wrote:

About the same level. Neither cracks my top 20 or top 40 or whatever, but they have some classic material.

I have 4 Megadeth CD's as opposed to 6 Metallica CD's. So if I really have to pick one, I'll go Metallica, I guess.

Out of curiosity Lari, how many cds do you have in your collection?

Troublezone wrote:

Let’s be honest… we all know Metallica have a stigma nowadays for changing their sound drastically and being wealthy sellouts. I think that is the main factor most people side with Megadeth. And the fact that Kirk and Lars struggle to play. Mustaine has a revolving door of fresh blood every 5-10 years. That definitely rejuvenates Megadeth. Hetfield basically carries Metallica on his shoulders musically, and he has to appease Lars and his opinions.

My personal experience...
Purchased "...And Justice For All" day of release (thereabouts) and didn't make it all the way through. Over the years, maybe I've "heard" it entirely?  Why is this the case? Well, IMHDO) it was an attempt to play beyond their capabilities (except for the new guy that you can't hear) Imagine that... Saw the tour (my last hurrah) and the songs from "Justice" had arrangement issues that made all the studio wizardry more apparent. Difficult to apply duck tape and bailing wire in a live setting. Never saw them live again nor purchased an album. I was done!

The revolving musicians is a non sequitur to me because great players don't make crappy songwriting sound better. Never has...never will...

Look at Metallica's peers that are still recording & touring. The majority of the players practiced hard to keep their chops up and hone in on writing just to feed the kids and keep the lights on. Metallica got lazy all the way around, they made that choice.

I saw the original line up for Metallica play a few times in Orange County & San Pedro before they magically became a Bag Area band. It was obvious way back then who the talent was, and that is Dave Mustaine. Over the years, that has been proven over and over and over again. Of course, it is my opinion. Metallica has had 3/4 of it's line up consistent since 83, Megadeth 1/4 since 85.  The 3/4 gang peaked musically and steadily keeps heading downhill, cruising along on autopilot, till it is time to fake it onstage or in the studio. The 1/4 alternative has had all those mountains and valleys in it's journey. Ups n downs are what makes life interesting, and hopefully better.

(IMHDO) Megadeth has always been more interesting and better than Metallica. Metallica's debut is arguably better"?
But wait... Who helped write half that album? The 1/4 guy...

Gilbert wrote:

Lari wrote:

About the same level. Neither cracks my top 20 or top 40 or whatever, but they have some classic material.

I have 4 Megadeth CD's as opposed to 6 Metallica CD's. So if I really have to pick one, I'll go Metallica, I guess.

Out of curiosity Lari, how many cds do you have in your collection?

Roughly 800, at the moment. Rateyourmusic says 758 CD's, but it counts box sets as one, and I have a bunch.

See for yourself:

https://rateyourmusic.com/collection/Larmer28/oo,fmt.CD

I have to say, I think Metallica has more clunkers than Megadeth. The only Megadeth that is really bad is Risk while Metallica's Load, Reload, and St. Anger are their awful releases. Still, I guess I like them about the same.

James B. wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Let’s be honest… we all know Metallica have a stigma nowadays for changing their sound drastically and being wealthy sellouts. I think that is the main factor most people side with Megadeth. And the fact that Kirk and Lars struggle to play. Mustaine has a revolving door of fresh blood every 5-10 years. That definitely rejuvenates Megadeth. Hetfield basically carries Metallica on his shoulders musically, and he has to appease Lars and his opinions.

My personal experience...
Purchased "...And Justice For All" day of release (thereabouts) and didn't make it all the way through. Over the years, maybe I've "heard" it entirely?  Why is this the case? Well, IMHDO) it was an attempt to play beyond their capabilities (except for the new guy that you can't hear) Imagine that... Saw the tour (my last hurrah) and the songs from "Justice" had arrangement issues that made all the studio wizardry more apparent. Difficult to apply duck tape and bailing wire in a live setting. Never saw them live again nor purchased an album. I was done!

The revolving musicians is a non sequitur to me because great players don't make crappy songwriting sound better. Never has...never will...

Look at Metallica's peers that are still recording & touring. The majority of the players practiced hard to keep their chops up and hone in on writing just to feed the kids and keep the lights on. Metallica got lazy all the way around, they made that choice.

I saw the original line up for Metallica play a few times in Orange County & San Pedro before they magically became a Bag Area band. It was obvious way back then who the talent was, and that is Dave Mustaine. Over the years, that has been proven over and over and over again. Of course, it is my opinion. Metallica has had 3/4 of it's line up consistent since 83, Megadeth 1/4 since 85.  The 3/4 gang peaked musically and steadily keeps heading downhill, cruising along on autopilot, till it is time to fake it onstage or in the studio. The 1/4 alternative has had all those mountains and valleys in it's journey. Ups n downs are what makes life interesting, and hopefully better.

(IMHDO) Megadeth has always been more interesting and better than Metallica. Metallica's debut is arguably better"?
But wait... Who helped write half that album? The 1/4 guy...

Agree with everything, but I do like ...and Justice for all. Great point about the debut albums too. Even though I've always known Dave wrote half of it, I've never really thought about it that way. So either way, Dave wins all around lol And I know I've quoted this before from Dave Mustaine, but I loved it so much I'm going to do it again.

"Megadeth can cover every single song written by Metallica. Metallica can't say the same thing about Megadeth"

Wrecked Neck wrote:

In my youth it was Metallica, but now I'm camp Megadeth all the way. Even listening to their early stuff side by side, I think Megadeth has aged better and is superior in many ways. I'll give Metallica Kill 'em All over Killing is my business, but after that I think Megadeth pulls away, and by far has the better discography overall.

Same here. I think Metallica's early albums > Megadeth but since The Black Album Megadeth has been, well, playing metal....

James B. wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Let’s be honest… we all know Metallica have a stigma nowadays for changing their sound drastically and being wealthy sellouts. I think that is the main factor most people side with Megadeth. And the fact that Kirk and Lars struggle to play. Mustaine has a revolving door of fresh blood every 5-10 years. That definitely rejuvenates Megadeth. Hetfield basically carries Metallica on his shoulders musically, and he has to appease Lars and his opinions.

My personal experience...
Purchased "...And Justice For All" day of release (thereabouts) and didn't make it all the way through. Over the years, maybe I've "heard" it entirely?  Why is this the case? Well, IMHDO) it was an attempt to play beyond their capabilities (except for the new guy that you can't hear) Imagine that... Saw the tour (my last hurrah) and the songs from "Justice" had arrangement issues that made all the studio wizardry more apparent. Difficult to apply duck tape and bailing wire in a live setting. Never saw them live again nor purchased an album. I was done!

The revolving musicians is a non sequitur to me because great players don't make crappy songwriting sound better. Never has...never will...

Look at Metallica's peers that are still recording & touring. The majority of the players practiced hard to keep their chops up and hone in on writing just to feed the kids and keep the lights on. Metallica got lazy all the way around, they made that choice.

I saw the original line up for Metallica play a few times in Orange County & San Pedro before they magically became a Bag Area band. It was obvious way back then who the talent was, and that is Dave Mustaine. Over the years, that has been proven over and over and over again. Of course, it is my opinion. Metallica has had 3/4 of it's line up consistent since 83, Megadeth 1/4 since 85.  The 3/4 gang peaked musically and steadily keeps heading downhill, cruising along on autopilot, till it is time to fake it onstage or in the studio. The 1/4 alternative has had all those mountains and valleys in it's journey. Ups n downs are what makes life interesting, and hopefully better.

(IMHDO) Megadeth has always been more interesting and better than Metallica. Metallica's debut is arguably better"?
But wait... Who helped write half that album? The 1/4 guy...

Well, I like …And Justice for All. I can agree with you that two of the guys got lazy (Kirk and Lars). Hetfield has always been a phenomenal rhythm guitarist. His singing has diminished over the years… but the same has been said about Mustaine (and some people have always disliked his voice). When you say “more interesting”, what exactly are those things? Dave has been following Metallica’s lead his whole career. For example: Rust in Peace was a direct response to “Justice” with the over the top playing, and “Risk” was a direct response to “Load”. This pattern has been apparent for years. Honestly, I don’t think there was anything great or exciting about Megadeth’s other 90’s output either… Countdown to Extinction was kinda boring and obviously an attempt to go commercial like The Black Album. Youthanasia? Meh… Cryptic Writings? Boring! Except for She-Wolf. The World Needs A Hero? Contrived crap! It was only when Mustaine returned after his injury that things changed and got better.

Wrecked Neck wrote:

James B. wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Let’s be honest… we all know Metallica have a stigma nowadays for changing their sound drastically and being wealthy sellouts. I think that is the main factor most people side with Megadeth. And the fact that Kirk and Lars struggle to play. Mustaine has a revolving door of fresh blood every 5-10 years. That definitely rejuvenates Megadeth. Hetfield basically carries Metallica on his shoulders musically, and he has to appease Lars and his opinions.

My personal experience...
Purchased "...And Justice For All" day of release (thereabouts) and didn't make it all the way through. Over the years, maybe I've "heard" it entirely?  Why is this the case? Well, IMHDO) it was an attempt to play beyond their capabilities (except for the new guy that you can't hear) Imagine that... Saw the tour (my last hurrah) and the songs from "Justice" had arrangement issues that made all the studio wizardry more apparent. Difficult to apply duck tape and bailing wire in a live setting. Never saw them live again nor purchased an album. I was done!

The revolving musicians is a non sequitur to me because great players don't make crappy songwriting sound better. Never has...never will...

Look at Metallica's peers that are still recording & touring. The majority of the players practiced hard to keep their chops up and hone in on writing just to feed the kids and keep the lights on. Metallica got lazy all the way around, they made that choice.

I saw the original line up for Metallica play a few times in Orange County & San Pedro before they magically became a Bag Area band. It was obvious way back then who the talent was, and that is Dave Mustaine. Over the years, that has been proven over and over and over again. Of course, it is my opinion. Metallica has had 3/4 of it's line up consistent since 83, Megadeth 1/4 since 85.  The 3/4 gang peaked musically and steadily keeps heading downhill, cruising along on autopilot, till it is time to fake it onstage or in the studio. The 1/4 alternative has had all those mountains and valleys in it's journey. Ups n downs are what makes life interesting, and hopefully better.

(IMHDO) Megadeth has always been more interesting and better than Metallica. Metallica's debut is arguably better"?
But wait... Who helped write half that album? The 1/4 guy...

Agree with everything, but I do like ...and Justice for all. Great point about the debut albums too. Even though I've always known Dave wrote half of it, I've never really thought about it that way. So either way, Dave wins all around lol And I know I've quoted this before from Dave Mustaine, but I loved it so much I'm going to do it again.

"Megadeth can cover every single song written by Metallica. Metallica can't say the same thing about Megadeth"

As far as Megadeth being able to cover Metallica, yeah sure they could. But I don’t think a lot of Megadeth’s catalog is beyond Metallica’s ability. Lars sucks, but Shawn Drover wasn’t anything special. Neither was Chuck Behler. The fast riff on Holy Wars? Hetfield already had did that kind of rapid fire playing on Motorbreath years earlier. I do think that Lars and Kirk would struggle with some Megadeth material, but I’m certain James could play pretty much any Mustaine riff if he practiced. Hetfield’s rhythm skill has never been a problem. Their style just changed in the 90’s. He did some pretty tight rhythm parts on Death Magnetic and Spit Out the Bone is good too! Rob Trujillo is also a very diverse and great bassist. His work in Suicidal Tendencies speaks for itself. The only “slapping” Ellefson has done was on candid camera.
That said… Junior is a great bass player. I can’t deny that.

Megadeth for me based on the strength of their entire catalog.

I prefer Metallica. I judge by peak, and I like their 4-5 best way more than Megadeth. In fact, I find most of Megadeth repetitive and boring.

I'm also in the minority in that I LOVE Death Magnetic.

I wouldn't say I love Death Magnetic but it was certainly a step in the right direction. And Hardwired... To Self Destruct is pretty damn good.

I like both bands. I hate choosing!

007 wrote:

I wouldn't say I love Death Magnetic but it was certainly a step in the right direction. And Hardwired... To Self Destruct is pretty damn good.

I agree but I still think Dystopia, Super Collider and Thirteen are better

Troublezone wrote:

When you say “more interesting”, what exactly are those things?

Well.. Out the gate with Gar & Chris, there was this jazz element, here and there, that did not clash with the aggressiveness of everything else. I can live without the cover tunes on the first three albums.

You brought up "Rust" being a response to "Justice"? The technical aspect for Megadeth was already well established before "Justice" came out.
So that makes no sense to me? You do make a valid point regarding Megadeth following Metallica' s lead after the release the S/T with "Countdown".

Regarding Behler & Drover? Lars has never had the ability to play what they have played onstage or in the studio. Lars can't even play live what he has played in the studio. So again, I fail to see your point.

(IMHDO) A fast riff is just that, a fast riff. Megadeth incorporates more distinct/unique aspects in their chord progressions compared to Metallica, most other thrash bands as well.

The other interesting thing about Megadeth is the lyrics to the tunes. Most refer to living life on earth, either Dave's personal experiences or a response/reaction to what other's are doing or what they have done. Musically, "Cryptic Writings" is probably generic at best?  Lyrically, a lot of it hits really close to home for me being I was once a heroin addict. The other "hitting home" album being "Temple of the Dog".

I did spend $ on Metallica years after that "Justice" show mentioned as the last hurrah. I went and seen "The Big 4" movie at a theater while still in Sacramento. Of course, it was for Megadeth & Slayer.  He'll, in that flick... even Anthrax performed better than Metallica. Of course, (IMHDO)

James B. wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

When you say “more interesting”, what exactly are those things?

Well.. Out the gate with Gar & Chris, there was this jazz element, here and there, that did not clash with the aggressiveness of everything else. I can live without the cover tunes on the first three albums.

You brought up "Rust" being a response to "Justice"? The technical aspect for Megadeth was already well established before "Justice" came out.
So that makes no sense to me? You do make a valid point regarding Megadeth following Metallica' s lead after the release the S/T with "Countdown".

Regarding Behler & Drover? Lars has never had the ability to play what they have played onstage or in the studio. Lars can't even play live what he has played in the studio. So again, I fail to see your point.

(IMHDO) A fast riff is just that, a fast riff. Megadeth incorporates more distinct/unique aspects in their chord progressions compared to Metallica, most other thrash bands as well.

The other interesting thing about Megadeth is the lyrics to the tunes. Most refer to living life on earth, either Dave's personal experiences or a response/reaction to what other's are doing or what they have done. Musically, "Cryptic Writings" is probably generic at best?  Lyrically, a lot of it hits really close to home for me being I was once a heroin addict. The other "hitting home" album being "Temple of the Dog".

I did spend $ on Metallica years after that "Justice" show mentioned as the last hurrah. I went and seen "The Big 4" movie at a theater while still in Sacramento. Of course, it was for Megadeth & Slayer.  He'll, in that flick... even Anthrax performed better than Metallica. Of course, (IMHDO)

I’m sure you realize neither of us is wrong. It’s all personal taste.  
I know Megadeth were known to use some unorthodox guitar chords and intricate picking, but to be honest… I like the songwriting and melodies under the guidance of Cliff Burton on RTL and Puppets. Those two albums are near perfection IMO. The “jazz” aspect doesn’t really sway me to like Megadeth more. Listen to the epic and tight rhythm playing of Hetfield on the songs RTL and Master of Puppets. It’s like taking your ears on a musical roller coaster. Not to mention the otherworldly beauty of Orion! I’ll take a timeless meat and potatoes riff and melody over a flashy run of jazzy notes for the sake of showing off prowess.

Sorry to hear of your past heroin struggles. I’m glad you survived and stayed sober.

Ps… I stand by my criticism of Drover and Behler. Drover was a lifeless drum machine and Behler was low energy. Even Lars had faster double bass.

Troublezone wrote:

I’m sure you realize neither of us is wrong. It’s all personal taste.  

Of course, maybe that is why I have (IMHDO) in my replies?

Troublezone& wrote:

Ps… I stand by my criticism of Drover and Behler. Drover was a lifeless drum machine and Behler was low energy. Even Lars had faster double bass.

Don't care for either myself.
Behler did play Gar's stuff "live", so I disagree with Lars having faster feet. Lars was terrible when I first saw him play. He took lessons and improved. Then got terrible again. What can you say?

Troublezone wrote:

Wrecked Neck wrote:

James B. wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Let’s be honest… we all know Metallica have a stigma nowadays for changing their sound drastically and being wealthy sellouts. I think that is the main factor most people side with Megadeth. And the fact that Kirk and Lars struggle to play. Mustaine has a revolving door of fresh blood every 5-10 years. That definitely rejuvenates Megadeth. Hetfield basically carries Metallica on his shoulders musically, and he has to appease Lars and his opinions.

My personal experience...
Purchased "...And Justice For All" day of release (thereabouts) and didn't make it all the way through. Over the years, maybe I've "heard" it entirely?  Why is this the case? Well, IMHDO) it was an attempt to play beyond their capabilities (except for the new guy that you can't hear) Imagine that... Saw the tour (my last hurrah) and the songs from "Justice" had arrangement issues that made all the studio wizardry more apparent. Difficult to apply duck tape and bailing wire in a live setting. Never saw them live again nor purchased an album. I was done!

The revolving musicians is a non sequitur to me because great players don't make crappy songwriting sound better. Never has...never will...

Look at Metallica's peers that are still recording & touring. The majority of the players practiced hard to keep their chops up and hone in on writing just to feed the kids and keep the lights on. Metallica got lazy all the way around, they made that choice.

I saw the original line up for Metallica play a few times in Orange County & San Pedro before they magically became a Bag Area band. It was obvious way back then who the talent was, and that is Dave Mustaine. Over the years, that has been proven over and over and over again. Of course, it is my opinion. Metallica has had 3/4 of it's line up consistent since 83, Megadeth 1/4 since 85.  The 3/4 gang peaked musically and steadily keeps heading downhill, cruising along on autopilot, till it is time to fake it onstage or in the studio. The 1/4 alternative has had all those mountains and valleys in it's journey. Ups n downs are what makes life interesting, and hopefully better.

(IMHDO) Megadeth has always been more interesting and better than Metallica. Metallica's debut is arguably better"?
But wait... Who helped write half that album? The 1/4 guy...

Agree with everything, but I do like ...and Justice for all. Great point about the debut albums too. Even though I've always known Dave wrote half of it, I've never really thought about it that way. So either way, Dave wins all around lol And I know I've quoted this before from Dave Mustaine, but I loved it so much I'm going to do it again.

"Megadeth can cover every single song written by Metallica. Metallica can't say the same thing about Megadeth"

As far as Megadeth being able to cover Metallica, yeah sure they could. But I don’t think a lot of Megadeth’s catalog is beyond Metallica’s ability. Lars sucks, but Shawn Drover wasn’t anything special. Neither was Chuck Behler. The fast riff on Holy Wars? Hetfield already had did that kind of rapid fire playing on Motorbreath years earlier. I do think that Lars and Kirk would struggle with some Megadeth material, but I’m certain James could play pretty much any Mustaine riff if he practiced. Hetfield’s rhythm skill has never been a problem. Their style just changed in the 90’s. He did some pretty tight rhythm parts on Death Magnetic and Spit Out the Bone is good too! Rob Trujillo is also a very diverse and great bassist. His work in Suicidal Tendencies speaks for itself. The only “slapping” Ellefson has done was on candid camera.
That said… Junior is a great bass player. I can’t deny that.

I agree! You say "a lot of Megadeths catalogue isn't beyond Metallicas ability" and I agree, except for Lars. But what Dave said is EVERY Megadeth song, and you said it yourself, they could probably cover most of them....except Lars. Most is not all. And yes, I love Rob Trujillo, he was almost enough for me to come back into the Metallica fold again.