[L-R] James Hetfield of Metallica and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth

Dave Mustaine has hinted that a track on Megadeth’s final album is technically a cover song, but one he actually wrote.

Fans suspect the ‘cover’ in question is likely a Metallica song, and could potentially be Ride The Lightning from the band’s 1984 sophomore album of the same name. Megadeth’s final album before their retirement, which is self-titled, is due for release in 2026 and features 13 tracks.

Mustaine was famously fired from Metallica in 1983 before the release of their debut record, Kill ‘Em All. His parts were re-recorded by Kirk Hammett, but Mustaine still has writing credits on a number of tracks, including Ride The Lightning.

So far, 10 tracks have already been named and one has been released as a single – Tipping Point. However, in a new interview with Norwegian radio station Stjernepose, Mustaine says [via Loudwire], “We have 13 new songs for the new album… One of the songs is a cover song but I actually wrote it, so it’s kind of like a cover, of my song.”

The band also recently shared a track list graphic to their social media, and some fans spotted that just below number 10, there’s a faint hint of some writing which could potentially spell out Ride The Lightning.

The relationship between Mustaine and Metallica has been somewhat rocky over the decades, and earlier this year, Mustaine reflected on his exit. During an appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show, he argued that the band went on to use his music, despite him telling them not to.

Of his firing, he explained: “I said, ‘No warning? No second chance? You’re not gonna give me a warning? You’re just gonna kick me out?’ And I thought that was unfair. And it showed a grotesque lack of character. So that pissed me off and was a huge part of the fuel.”

“At the time, I was really mad and I didn’t wanna forgive them for what they did. I told them when I left, ‘Do not use my music. And of course they used it,” he said.

Mustaine highlighted Ride The Lightning as well as The Call Of Ktulu, Phantom Lord, Metal Militia, Jump In The Fire, and The Four Horsemen as tracks featuring his work.

“And I wrote a bunch of Leper Messiah [on Metallica’s third album, Master Of Puppets] too. They didn’t give me credit on that,” he said. “You listen to the riffs, you know they’re my riffs… I wrote a lot of their music that made them, and all the solos on that first record were mine – the best Kirk could try and copy them.”

To find out more about the final Megadeth album or view their current list of scheduled live dates, head over to the band’s official website.

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