10 Times Megadeth Did It Better Than Metallica

Cliff Burton is the undisputed champion of bass players in Heavy Metal. His prowess and skill on Metallica’s first three albums are unparalleled, and since his early death in 1986, he has become sainted to metalheads across the world.

Since losing Burton, Metallica has had two full-time replacements. One is the fantastic Jason Newsted, who was in Metallica during their peak, the other is the talented Robert Trujillo who has been in the band since 2003. While all three men are skilled bassists, since Cliff’s passing, the band have been less than fair with their new four-string friends.

Notably, during the mixing of Metallica’s first post-Burton album, …And Justice For All, Newsted’s tone was turned to a minimum, making the otherwise stellar album rather flat. For Trujillo, however, while he doesn’t appear to be conned out of appearing on albums, he has gone on record to say that he sees himself as a supporting member, ‘I’m here with my bass every day ready to jam.’

For Megadeth, they know the importance of creative input from all sides, and longtime bassist, David Ellefson, has been instrumental in some of the bands biggest tracks. Perhaps being kicked out of Metallica helped Mustaine realise that there is more than just one or two people driving a band. This appears to be a lesson James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich haven’t learned.