Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine reflects on his Metallica exit: “I don’t know that we could’ve survived”

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine discusses his exit from Metallica in a new trailer for his upcoming episode of Gibson TV’s Icons series.

Mustaine, of course, was the original lead guitarist of Metallica before he was fired from the band in 1983 and replaced by Kirk Hammett.

In the Icons trailer, which is streaming now on YouTube, Mustaine shares that he was “destined” to leave Metallica.

“The fact that there was just so much talent and so much personality between the four of us, I don’t know that we could’ve survived,” Mustaine says. “There was destined to be some kind of an explosion at some point.”

Things would work out alright for Mustaine, as he went on to create Megadeth after his dismissal from Metallica. Still, he recalls going through a lot of “soul-searching” on his long bus ride home after getting sacked.

“Did I want to play guitar, did I want to keep doing this, what am I gonna go?” Mustaine recalls thinking. “I got it! I’m gonna make a band that’s more metal than Metallica.”

Mustaine’s Icons episode premieres this Thursday, August 19, at 1 p.m. ET via the Gibson TV YouTube channel.

Earlier this year, Mustaine announced a new line of signature guitars with Gibson.