Dave Mustaine wants Slayer to leave retirement for ‘Big Four’ thrash show

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine wants to play at least one more ‘Big Four’ show in order to ‘pass the torch’ to a younger generation of metalheads.

In an interview with Songfacts, Mustaine was asked about guitarists he admired and named a few.

These included Michael Amott from Arch Enemy and Jeff Loomis from Nevermore, alongside “the guys from Lamb of God and the guys from Trivium“.

He then went on to suggest there could be a symbolic ‘passing of the torch’.

He said: "I really think it's time for the guys in Metallica to step up and us do one last round, see if we can get Slayer to come out of retirement and do a 'Big Four' passing of the torch to the new 'Big Four'.”

Watch: Slayer - 'Angel of Death' live in Bulgaria, 'Big 4' show

While Mustaine did not specify who would be in this new Big Four, he added that he felt “it would include some of the players we already mentioned”.

He continued: "I think it would be really cool symbolically if we did something at, like, the L.A. Coliseum, even if it's one show and that's it

"Slayer is from Los Angeles, so it would probably make it more convenient for them to go home at night.

“I personally have been hoping for this for a while, and I keep asking and asking and asking. They're just not into it. But that's up to them."

Watch: Metallica with members of 'The Big 4' - 'Am I Evil?'

The so-called ‘Big Four’ of thrash comprises of Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer along with Mustaine’s Megadeth.

The bands played together for the first time at the Sonisphere Festival in Warsaw, Poland in 2010.

They played a number of festivals and one-off shows through the rest of 2010 and 2011, with one Sonisphere show resulting in the live DVD ‘The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria’.

All four bands have not shared a stage together since.

Gallery: Saturday at Download 2022 featuring Megadeth

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• Megadeth
• Metallica
• Slayer
• Anthrax