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Dave Mustaine<\/strong> has reflected on his early days with Metallica<\/a><\/strong>, revealing how his distinctive riffing style landed him the gig \u2014 and why he bristles at being labeled simply a “rhythm guitar player.”<\/p>\n In a January 5 interview with Premier Guitar<\/a><\/em>, the Megadeth<\/a><\/strong> mastermind revisited his short but hugely influential tenure in Metallica between 1981 and 1983, a period that helped define the foundations of thrash metal. Though his time in the band was brief, Mustaine’s songwriting and aggressive guitar style left a lasting imprint, with material he helped write appearing on Kill ‘Em All <\/em>and Ride the Lightning<\/em> \u2014 including early versions of songs that would later evolve into Megadeth<\/strong> classics.<\/p>\n Despite being widely regarded as one of metal’s greatest rhythm guitarists, Mustaine said the label doesn’t quite sit right with him. “The term ‘rhythm guitar player’ seems a little diminishing for me,” he explained. “I love the riff.”<\/p>\n Instead, Mustaine<\/strong> prefers to be known as “a guitarist that sings,” emphasizing that riffcraft \u2014 not lead guitar flashiness alone \u2014 has always been at the core of his musical identity.<\/p>\n Mustaine<\/strong> also shared a now-legendary story about how he joined Metallica after meeting James Hetfield<\/strong> and original bassist Ron McGovney<\/strong> in Norwalk, California. “When I went to Norwalk the day that I met James Hetfield<\/strong> and Ron McGovney<\/strong>, I didn’t know what was gonna happen,” Mustaine recalled. “But I had my style, and it was based around the riff.”<\/p>\n At the time, Mustaine<\/strong> didn’t even own the standard gear associated with aspiring metal guitar heroes. “I didn’t have any Marshalls yet because I was just starting to get serious,” he said. “I had these Risson amps\u2014they were tan\u2014so from the moment I set up my stack, I was different.”<\/p>\n As he plugged in and began warming up, Mustaine<\/strong> grew confused when no one else showed up to play. “I plugged in my guitar and I started warming up, and I kept warming up and warming up,” he said. “And I finally said, ‘Where the fuck are these guys?'”<\/p>\n After setting his guitar down and switching his amp to standby, Mustaine<\/strong> went to look for them \u2014 only to receive unexpected news. “They said, ‘You got the gig,'” he recalled. “So I got my job just by warming up.”\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\tWant More Metal? Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n