Dave Mustaine – Biography

The first lead guitarist for Metallica, Dave Mustaine joined the band in 1981. Leaving his first band Panic to answer an ad placed in a local newspaper by Lars Ulrich, Mustaine never really auditioned for Metallica. "I was convinced that I should be in the band and went to rehearsal. I was tuning up when all the other guys in the band went into another room," he remembers. "They weren't talking to me, so I went in and said, 'What the f---? Am I in the band or not?' and they said, 'You've got the gig.'"

Being in the band for less than two years, Mustaine definitely lived many, many years of the rockstar lifestyle in that short timespan. Drinking, drugs and partying all created a shaky foundation for Mustaine and would eventually be his downfall. An aggressive young man, it was not uncommon for the guitarist to butt heads with Hetfield, Ulrich or McGovney. Every once in a while, those altercations would turn into physical assaults, one of which ended up with Mustaine being kicked out of the band for a couple of days. Not learning from that mistake, Mustaine continued to build tumultuous relationships with the band members. While in New York City to record 'Kill Em All,' Metallica officially ejected Mustaine from the band because of his alcoholism and drug use on April 11, 1983.

Upon his firing, Mustaine created the band Fallen Angels. Working on the lineup of his new band, the roster would eventually mold into the first instance of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Nearly 30 years after being fired from Metallica and creating Megadeth, the two bands would join together as half of the 'Big Four' tour (the other half includes Anthrax and Slayer). Megadeth have released 13 studio albums, the most recent, 'TH1RT3EN,' dropped on Nov. 1, 2011.

Mustaine is credited as a co-writer on six Metallica songs, four on 'Kill Em All' ('The Four Horsemen,' 'Jump in the Fire,' 'Phantom Lord,' 'Metal Militia') and two on 'Ride the Lightning' ('Ride the Lightning' and 'The Call of Ktulu'). On Dec. 10, 2011, as part of Metallica's 30th anniversary celebration at the Fillmore in San Francisco, Mustaine joined the band to play several songs, including 'Phantom Lord' and 'Jump in the Fire.' This was the first time in 28 years that Mustaine played songs that he co-wrote live with Metallica.

On August 3, 2010, Mustaine's autobiography, 'Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir,' hit storeshelves. He is married to Pamela Anne Casselberry and has two children, son Justis David and daughter Electra Nicole.