James LoMenzo was not expecting it. When Dave Mustaine announced he wanted to record his own version of “Ride the Lightning,” — the title track of Metallica‘s 1984 album, for which Dave holds a co-writing credit following his 1983 departure from the band — for Megadeth‘s self-titled final album, the bassist’s first reaction was visible surprise. But surprise gave way quickly to something else.
“I was delighted. I was surprised. My eyebrows went up, but I was kind of delighted that he was gonna even go there,” LoMenzo told Portugal’s Metal Global (via Blabbermouth). “Because there’s always that subliminal undercurrent tension — you know, ‘Oh, Metallica [versus] Megadeth.’ And I always thought, like, Megadeth, for God’s sake, I always thought Dave won in a way, because he’s built this giant thing all by himself. And it made a lot of sense to me logically. It seemed like if this is the last thing we’re gonna do, then we should go out, end with a bang, but also kind of address the full history of this band. And that’s like step one. So I thought it was great in the end. But yes, my eyebrow went up when I heard him say that. Yeah.”
When the interviewer offered that Megadeth tops Metallica on riffs and solos, LoMenzo pulled back diplomatically. “I can’t go on board with you there. I mean, I’m a company guy — sure, I think we’re better, but semantically, I don’t really believe that,” he said. “It’s all about taste and approach, right? And I think if Dave had stayed there [in Metallica], it would’ve certainly been a lot more complex, but they would’ve not lost any energy that they had, Metallica. It comes down to, like, who do you like better — Motörhead or the Ramones? One seems silly, one seems really serious, but I love them both. And it’s similar kind of driving music.”
The decision to frame Megadeth as the band’s final album came later in the process than most people might assume. LoMenzo says the band walked into the sessions with no such intention. “No, no, no. This came about, like, three-quarters through,” he said. “We were proceeding as if we were just doing another record, and as time went by… After we finished the record was basically when Dave had this meeting with us and said, ‘You know, guys, this is kind of where we’re at right now. And maybe instead of going out with a whimper, maybe we go out with a big, giant victorious thing.’ And I think it was probably easier to make that decision after hearing the music that we had. ‘Cause if we weren’t convinced with the record, who’d wanna say, ‘Oh, this is our last record. Sorry, this is the best we can do.’ No, we were pretty excited with it.”
He pointed to the broader context of bands like Ozzy Osbourne winding down their careers as part of what made Mustaine‘s call feel right. “Dave‘s not that guy [who comes back and leaves repeatedly]. So when he said that, I heard him loud and clear. It was, like, ‘No, we have to really go out the right way if we’re gonna do this at all.'”
Making the record without knowing its finality turned out to be an asset, LoMenzo argues. “It was actually a pleasure making the record without any expectation,” he said. “And those are the best albums. The ones I love the best are when the band just jumps in, and everybody who’s got something throws it all together, and then you see what you have.”
He singled out new guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari as a revelation. “The kid came through with flying colors. He just has so many great riffs, and his ability to perform is just unmatched. I’ve really not seen anybody who’s quite that fast, as far as picking things up and putting his own stamp on it.”
The moment the album’s weight fully landed on LoMenzo came through the closing track. “When I finally heard ‘The Last Note’, and I really heard ‘The Last Note’, the last version of it, it put a lump in my throat ’cause I could really feel Dave‘s journey,” he said. “And I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect him to be that candid and honest about things.”
Megadeth also topped the charts in Australia and Austria, and placed in the top five in Finland, Sweden, Belgium, the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and New Zealand. The album was produced by Chris Rakestraw, who previously helmed The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! and Dystopia, and released through Mustaine‘s Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group‘s BLKIIBLK label.
