Metallica VS Megadeth

Hi Charlie! This article is my first one on the blog and I'm glad to share it with you! Today, the topic is going to be the most popular debate between music lovers: "Metallica VS Megadeth" ( yes, I think you've already noticed it thanks to the enormous letters above 😄 ). 

You may have remarked it, but I'm a great fan of metal music. Some people might say that it is a satanist music or even sometimes that it is not music but just screaming. These are just stereotypes so let's have an objective, open and neutral point of view today. We will compare the two music bands with different criteria to find out which one is better than the other. So, without further delay, let's start!

1) The number of albums sold:

They both had/have an incredible impact on the several rock and metal bands (such as the band named Ghost...) by their popularity, revolutionary style and their attitude. All this has made the two groups become part of "The Big 4 of Thrash Metal", the four most influents metal bands of all time. For sure, Metallica wouldn't have their current style and success if Dave Mustaine (singer,  rhythm guitarist and founder of Megadeth) had not been part of Metallica during their beginnings in 1981/1982. Indeed, his style of playing the electric guitar has really inspired James Hetfield (singer, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of Metallica) to the point of stealing his songs after firing him ( the song "The Four Horsemen" for instance ).

Now let's have a look at the number of albums sold for each bands: Metallica has a total of 92 million albums sold while Megadeth has a total of 50 million albums sold. We can therefore establish that Metallica scores a point here but we have to keep in mind that their success is somehow due to Dave Mustaine (only for the first three albums where he wrote some songs).

James Hetfield in 1989

Dave Mustaine in 1989

Megadeth 0 - Metallica 1

     

 

2) The lineup stability

Since their formation, both groups have changed their members due to several causes (death of a musician, problems of agreement, health issues...). We are therefore going to have a look to the stability of the lineups throughout their careers.

First of all, since their formation in 1981, Metallica had nine different members. Then, since their formation in 1983, Megadeth had twenty-two different members due to the requirement and the temperament of Dave Mustaine, the only permanent member of the band. 

So, Metallica scores another point here I think!

Megadeth 0 - Metallica 2

3) The virtuosity

We can all agree that the two bands are really talented for playing their instruments but one group surpasses the other by far in this area. Indeed, all the musicians who have played for Megadeth are/were talented. The complexity, the speed, the creativity shown in their albums is exceptional. We can especially notify that in their album entitled "Rust In Peace" which was realized in 1990. It is considered as their best album and as a masterpiece of the metal discography. All the songs on this album have amazing solos, structures, inventiveness. For example in the songs "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18" where it is clearly remarkable.

So, Megadeth scores a point here!

Cover of the album "Rust In Peace" by Megadeth

Megadeth 1 - Metallica 2

4) The stability in their music genre

Metallica and Megadeth are both metal bands now but for Metallica, it has not always been the case. Indeed, from their beginnings in 1981 until 1991, they were metal musicians. They decided then to become mainstream to sell more albums and that's when "The Black Album" was realized. It has sold over 30 million copies, so it is their best-selling album. However, it was still "Metal" compared to the following albums ("Load" and "Reload") on which they play Hard Rock and Blues, less well received by their fans from the beginning. So, they preferred to adapt rather keeping their original style.

For Megadeth, it is a whole other story: we can clearly notify a difference between their fourth and fifth album ("Rust In Peace" and "Countdown To Extinction") but it is still pure Heavy Metal. For the rest of their career, they developed their style and it became more mature with the years. So, they preferred  keeping their own style rather earning more money like Metallica.

Megadeth having kept their style over time, they score a point here!

Cover of "The Black Album" by Metallica

Megadeth 2 - Metallica 2

5) The voice of the singer

Indeed, the voice of the singer greatly influences in a band. Let's compare the vocalists of these two bands.

The voice of Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is rough, unexpected and unusual. That's because they didn't have a singer in their beginnings so he decided to become one despite him. However, his voice really fits the music genre and that's more appropriate if he sings so that he can transmit the ideas, as he's the leader of the group.

For the voice of James Hetfield (Metallica), it is more accessible to everyone, brighter and more powerful. 

So, we can clearly see that his voice is better than Mustaine's voice due to his more pleasant sounding. Therefore, Metallica scores a point here!

Megadeth 2 - Metallica 3

6) The productivity

Here, we are going to compare the number of studio albums made by each band during their career.

In 38 years, Metallica realized ten studio albums while Megadeth realized fifteen studio albums. We can clearly see that Megadeth is more productive but that's because their tours are shorter that the Metallica ones. Indeed, the actual Metallica members describe themselves as a "Live Band" existing for doing live shows.

In term of album productivity, here Megadeth scores a point!

Metallica during a concert in Moscow in 1991 with 1,6 million spectators (yes, you've well read)

Megadeth 3 - Metallica 3

Conclusion:

We can't define a better band than the other, I think that both bands are great but everyone has to make a choice. For instance, the persons preferring pure Metal would more likely choose Megadeth while the others would choose Metallica for their mainstream years. However, I still love both bands equally and that is another possible choice. 

This article is now over and don't hesitate to listen to some songs from both bands! I put below the names of the best songs of each group from my point of view and, see you later!

Best songs of Megadeth:

-"Holy Wars" from the album "Rust In Peace"

-"Tornado Of Souls" from the album "Rust In Peace"

-"Symphony Of Destruction" from the album "Countdown To Extinction"

Best songs of Metallica:

-"Fade To Black" from the album "Ride The Lightning"

-"Master Of Puppets" from the album "Master Of Puppets"

-"One" from the album "...And Justice For All"

-William