Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has been one of the more polarizing figures in hard rock and metal for decades now, but in a recent interview with Westword, the frontman offered a frank opinion as to why there are some metal fans out there who still aren't very fond of him.

He explains, "I think a lot of it goes back to the breakup from Metallica. There are people that have picked up that feud, and they don't even know why they're choosing sides." It is true that the bad feelings between Mustaine and his former bandmates, especially earlier in each act's career, used up a lot of ink for newspaper and magazine headlines. But that rivalry has cooled in recent years.

"I have nothing against Metallica fans," says Mustaine. "I was in both bands. I like Lars [Ulrich] and I like James [Hetfield] and, contrary to what people say, I do think Kirk [Hammett] is a good guitar player. In the beginning, when I was bitter, yeah, there was s--t going back and forth. They were justifying firing me, and I was telling them that they were wrong. That’s just been perpetuated over and over again. It’s been put to bed. I’ve got no beef with those dudes. We’re two totally different bands."

These days, Mustaine has other things to occupy his time, as his band recently released their Dystopia album. Megadeth are currently touring in support of the disc and their dates can be found here.

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