Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has named the bands he believes would form a modern Big Four of thrash metal, selecting Testament, Overkill, Exodus and, tentatively, Trivium. The revelation came during a recent interview with Czech outlet Óčko, where Mustaine was asked to imagine a new generation of the iconic grouping.
«Well, it wouldn't be a young generation, but I do believe that there are ways to do a new Big Four,» Mustaine said. He then listed Testament, Overkill and Exodus as clear choices, before wavering on 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.»
The original Big Four — Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax — defined thrash metal's mainstream breakthrough in the 1980s. All four finally shared a stage in 2010 across six Sonisphere festival dates, followed by a landmark concert at Yankee Stadium in 2011. Subsequent appearances were rare, including Australia's Soundwave festival in 2013 and Canada's Heavy MTL in 2014.
Mustaine's connection to his picks runs deep. He praised Overkill's significance to the East Coast metal scene and expressed enduring affection for Exodus, noting his long friendship with guitarist Gary Holt. «I've been friends with Gary longest of all people that I've been friends with in the music industry,» he said. Of Testament, he highlighted guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick: «Those guys are really great guitar players. And I love when we get a chance to play with the band.»
This is not the first time Mustaine has championed Exodus. In 2013, he told that if the Big Four expanded to a Big Five, Exodus would be his choice. «There was nobody else at the time that had that kind of pull or that kind of importance in the metal community,» he said, acknowledging the distinct voice of late frontman Paul Baloff. «I liked him.»
In 2022, Mustaine floated the idea of a final original Big Four show to symbolically pass the torch. «I think it would be really cool symbolically if we did something at the LA Coliseum, even if it's one show and that's it,» he said, adding that the plan would require Slayer to come out of retirement after their 2019 farewell tour. «I personally have been hoping for this for a while, and I keep asking and asking and asking,» he added. «They're just not into it. But that's up to them.»
The conversation around supergroupings extends beyond thrash. Judas Priest's Rob Halford has previously discussed a UK Big Four of heavy metal pioneers — Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motörhead and Iron Maiden — though he acknowledged that the deaths of Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister and Black Sabbath's retirement make it difficult. «Sadly, two-fourths of that has gone, but the music lives forever,» Halford said.
Mustaine remains optimistic about thrash's future. Speaking to NME earlier this year, he predicted a renaissance tied to Megadeth's forthcoming self-titled album. «I think there's going to be a renaissance when this record comes out because it's going to smack a lot of people upside of their earholes,» he said. «I think people are going to say 'I forgot what I loved about this kind of music,' and then we're gonna see a lot of people coming back with a fresh take.»
For now, Mustaine's modern Big Four remains a thought experiment rather than a scheduled event. But his selections highlight the enduring influence of bands who built careers alongside the original four, and the ongoing appetite for a new chapter in thrash metal's storied history.