Some metal fans are divided over whether Megadeth or Metallica is a better band. Both bands showcase amazing skills and talent in music. Both bands pioneered metal and remain at the top of the line in thrash metal. Both bands have changed and aged over the years, but they still have a legacy and records of amazing music. 

In 1981, the most popular metal band, Metallica was formed as a small thrash band, formed by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield. Metallica then hired David Mustaine. In 1983, just before their first recorded album, Mustaine was fired. Mustaine then formed the band he named Megadeth, out of revenge, and, ever since their first album, the two bands have been competing for the top spot. And while Metallica has won in album sales and popularity, Megadeth has acquired more professional recognition.

MEGADETH

During his ride back to LA, Mustaine managed to write multiple musical lyrics. Mustaine’s will to make a band to get back at Metallica’s success manifested into the band Megadeth. Mustaine met David Ellefson, a bass guitarist in 1985, and they together gathered a group of four to record their debut album, “Killing is My Business… And Business is Good.” They then recorded “Peace Sells,” their first major album, and followed up with “So Far So Good… So What?” Megadeth went through three lead guitarists up to “Rust In Peace,” and they hired Marty Freidman, one of the best guitarists in metal history. “Rust In Peace” is arguably Megadeth’s best album, alongside their fifth album, “Countdown to Extinction.” “Youthanasia” and “Cryptic Writings” followed, with Megadeth gaining more and more fame. Megadeth released “Risk” in 1999, and fired Marty that same year. Megadeth released “The World Needs A Hero,” “The System Has Failed,” “United Abominations,” and “Endgame” with a very large amount of success. Megadeth was still climbing with their next album “Th1rt3en” (Thirteen), when they released “Super Collider.” In 2016, Megadeth hired their next super guitarist, Kiko Loureiro, and released the album “Dystopia,” regaining their fame. They recorded “The Sick, The Dying, The Dead” in 2022, and have yet to release another album. Megadeth reunited with Marty Freidman again in February 2023 in Japan to play with each other again. Over 38 years, Megadeth sold over 50,000,000 copies and gained multiple awards, becoming the second most popular thrash metal band in the world, second only to Metallica. 

METALLICA

In 1981, Hetfield met Ulrich for the first time and was featured in a compilation album of local metal bands called Metal Massacre. While Ron Quintana, a friend of Ulrich, was brainstorming names for a heavy metal fanzine, Metallica was one of the options. However, Ulrich convinced Ron to go with the name Metal Mania while he took the name Metallica for himself. Later on, Hetfield and Ulrich hired guitarist Mustaine and bassist Cliff Burton.  They performed many small gigs and performed in clubs and small crowds. Their fame grew quickly, while Mustaine’s relationship with his bandmates deteriorated. Before they could record their first album, Metallica fired Mustaine, who later formed Megadeth. They hired guitarist Kirk Hammet, and recorded “Kill ‘Em All.” Their debut album was an immediate hit. They recorded “Ride The Lightning” in 1984 and “Master of Puppets” in ‘86. Soon after came Metallica’s darkest moment: on Sept. 27, 1986, Cliff, one of the best bass players in history was killed in a bus crash. Even Megadeth founder Mustaine felt the loss as shown in his song “In My Darkest Hour.” Metallica’s next album “…And Justice For All” was recorded with Metallica’s new bassist. Metallica’s highest-selling album, “Metallica” (more commonly known as The Black Album), was recorded in 1991. “Load” and “Reload” were recorded in ‘96 and ‘97 respectively. With scant results with those two albums and their next two, “St. Anger” in 2003, and “Death Magnetic” in 2008, Metallica needed some more “Fuel”. They collaborated with multiple other artists and bands, including with Mustaine in 2011 to play “Kill ‘Em All” together again. In 2023, Metallica released the album “72 Seasons.” Although new, this album appears to be a disappointment. Despite many of the challenges that were present, Metallica gained the favor of metalheads all around the earth, becoming the only band to play on all seven continents. 

The main differences between Megadeth and Metallica are the main genres. Megadeth is all thrash metal, and Metallica is now heavy metal. While it is true that Metallica’s first four albums were thrash metal, Metallica changed the main direction of their music to meet popular demand. It is important to note that Metallica’s debut album was the work of Megadeth founder Mustaine, along with multiple songs from later albums. Megadeth is meant to be all thrash metal, and that means that fewer people find it appealing, as it focuses on more complex melodies. It contains extremely complex riffs and solos that can be difficult to play. Mustaine’s vocals are also less appealing to those new to Megadeth because of his odd-sounding voice and his past throat cancer. Metallica performs fast tempo and simple but amazing bangers that make any metalhead happy. Megadeth has recorded sixteen studio albums to Metallica’s eleven. So that being said, Metallica has made far more money and gained far more sales and appeals to the general public far more than Megadeth. However, Megadeth is generally favored among experts in music theory for its complicated and extensive use of music theory. And Metallica puts more effort into appealing to the public with more live shows and events.

“Countdown to Extinction” and the self-titled album “Metallica,” are Megadeth and Metallica’s best-selling albums, respectively. “Countdown to Extinction” has reached sales of 2 million, while Metallica’s Black Album, “Metallica,” has reached a staggering 30 million. Metallica is no doubt far better selling than Megadeth.

In my opinion, I enjoy listening to both Megadeth and Metallica. I can rock out to either band if I need energy or if I’m bored. Recently, I challenged myself to listen to every studio album from both bands and learn to play their songs on guitar. I found that Megadeth’s songs are way harder to play on guitar. Although I grew up listening to Metallica’s album “Death Magnetic,” my favorite album is “Kill ’em All,” as it combines Metallica’s heaviness with Megadeth’s complexity. My second favorite is Megadeth’s album “Rust In Peace.” I appreciate that Megadeth’s style changes often due to the change in lead guitarist, and that many of their songs are different in style, something that Metallica struggles with. My favorite song is “Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth, followed by “Suicide & Redemption” by Metallica. Overall, in my opinion, Megadeth is the winner.

If you are interested in deciding yourself who is better, check out the Metallica Demo “No Life ‘Til Leather,” where you can hear Mustaine playing in Metallica. Be advised, they recorded the demo in their garage and didn’t care about quality. Then listen to either “Rust in Peace” or “Countdown to Extinction,” and compare it to “Master of Puppets” or “Metallica” the album. Note the rhythmic playing and music structure, with differences in style. If you aren’t a metalhead or don’t enjoy metal or even rock, that’s okay, there’s a lot of great music that isn’t played with heavy riffs and yelled or screamed vocals, any type of music can be enjoyed by anyone.