Smartass Used AI to Have Dave Mustaine Sing 'Master of Puppets'

Don't shoot the messenger, but some smartass has used AI (artificial intelligence) to have Megadeth's Dave Mustaine sing Metallica's "Master of Puppets."

You don't need us to tell you why this is treading on seriously dangerous ground — you know, with all of Mustaine's ire toward Metallica since they unceremoniously kicked him out of the band in 1983 and sent him packing on a one-way, four-day bus trip from New York back to California.

Things have been a bit tense over the decades, to say the least, which makes this AI cover so tantalizing. There are so many "what if" scenarios to ponder here...

Early in the band's career, James Hetfield was apprehensive about being the singer and the band lobbied to secure Armored Saint (and later Anthrax) frontman John Bush. So, what if Papa Het never fronted Metallica? And what if they never kicked out Mustaine and brought in Kirk Hammett? Could Mustaine have been the one to front Metallica? And if so, what would that have sounded like?

We now have a rough idea of what Metallica with Mustaine at the vocal helm would've sounded like thanks to AI. However, "Master of Puppets" isn't a song that was written while the Megadeth leader was still in the band, so there's no telling how this song would've taken shape — or if it would've at all — if history was different.

Nitpicking aside, let's get down to business — is this cover any good?

Actually, yes. It's quite good!

AI sticks to Mustaine's more youthful vocal era and it adds a lot of snot and snarl to the classic metal song. Sure, it brings a totally different energy with Dave's nasal-toned voice being a departure from the gruff grit Hetfield discharges, but nothing is particularly off-putting. If anything, it sounds more raw than the timeless, polished original.

Take a listen below.