Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine recently shared his thoughts on which bands he would choose to form an alternative “Big Four” of thrash metal, discussing the topic during an interview with Óčko.
Mustaine explained his choices for a new lineup, noting that while they might not represent a younger generation, certain bands are highly deserving of the title.
“Well, it wouldn’t be a young generation, but I do believe that there are ways to do a new ‘Big Four’,” Mustaine said. “I think that Testament, I think Overkill, I think Exodus, and maybe Trivium; I don’t know. Trivium’s not really a thrash metal band, so I’d have to think about that. But I think those other three guys would be really great.”
He then went on to highlight the significance of Overkill and his long-standing relationship with Exodus guitarist Gary Holt.
“Overkill is really important on the East Coast metal scene,” Mustaine continued. “Exodus, of course, I love Exodus. And I’ve been friends with Gary [Holt, Exodus guitarist] longest of all people that I’ve been friends with in the music industry.”
Mustaine also praised the musicianship of Testament’s guitarists and expressed his appreciation for performing alongside them.
“And Testament,” Mustaine added. “Eric [Peterson, Testament guitarist], Alex [Skolnick, Testament guitarist], those guys are really great guitar players. And I love when we get a chance to play with the band.”
These selections highlight Mustaine’s respect for his peers in the thrash metal community.
Dave Mustaine has picked a new trio to stand alongside thrash metal’s elite, but the original “Big Four” still defines the genre’s mainstream breakthrough. The term refers to Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. These four bands helped push thrash metal from the underground into wide commercial visibility in the 1980s.
The phrase “Big Four” became common as those bands emerged from the early U.S. thrash scene. This movement grew out of the Bay Area and Los Angeles undergrounds. It blended speed metal, punk energy, and NWOBHM influence. By the mid-1980s, the label had stuck as shorthand for the scene’s most successful and influential names.
Debate over the scene’s true pioneers has long included Exodus and Overkill, even though Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax became the accepted “Big Four.” The four bands were already regarded as thrash’s top tier by 1986.
That wider context helps explain why Testament, Overkill, and Exodus are often named as the strongest candidates to carry the torch. Testament formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1980s. Overkill came out of New Jersey, and Exodus emerged from the same Northern California scene that helped shape thrash’s sound.
Exodus’s 1985 debut Bonded by Blood and Testament’s 1987 debut The Legacy are both considered landmark releases in the genre. Overkill also became a core East Coast thrash band with a long run of influential albums.
Mustaine’s support for those bands also fits his long-standing ties to the scene. Mustaine has previously discussed the idea of a larger thrash-metal “Big Five.” Gary Holt’s name has come up in that conversation because of Exodus’s place in the genre. Mustaine and Holt have also maintained a long friendship through decades of shared history in thrash metal.
