Dave Mustaine won’t stop until he gets the Big Four back together

Dave Mustaine wants to plan another performance in celebration of the ‘Big Four’, aka, the top thrash metal bands that are considered to be the godfathers of the genre, namely Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. The four bands were reunited in 2011 for a concert that took place at Yankee Stadium in New York, but Mustaine will not stop until they get back together again.

For the Megadeth leader’s plan to work however, LA metal heavyweights Slayer must “come out of retirement” and reform, with Tom Araya and Kerry King’s band having already completed their farewell tour, and disbanded in 2019. 

Speaking of the concert series, which was last held across 2010 and 2011, Mustaine tells Songfacts how he’d like to recruit a new quad of bands to perform alongside the original ‘Big Four’, as a sort of ceremony to “pass on the torch”. 

Although the lead singer did not express a system of whom he regards as the modern “big four,” he mentioned previously in the interview how he views Arch Enemy’s Michael Amott, Nevermore’s Jeff Lumis, as well as the men in Lamb of God and Trivium as admirable guitarist.

“I really think it’s time for the guys in Metallica to step up, and us do one last round, see if we can get Slayer to come out of retirement and do a “Big 4 passing of the torch” to the new Big 4″ he explains. “It would remain to be seen who they are, but I have a feeling it would include some of the players we already mentioned.”

Can Mustaine Make The Big Four Happen Again?

When finalizing the logistics of the performance, Mustaine mentions, I think it would be cool if we did something at the LA Coliseum, even if it is one show and it is it. Slayer is from Los Angeles, so it would probably make it more convenient for you to return home at night.

“I personally have been hoping for this for a while, and I keep asking and asking and asking. They’re just not into it. But that’s up to them.”

Judging that Mustaine’s “Big Four” concert pitch has cropped up repeatedly over the years, and that Metallica, easily the biggest of the “Big Four,” has not responded to his campaigning for acquiescence, we, unfortunately, don’t have any high hopes for the show’s likelihood. Still, we’re keeping our fingers crossed.