Dave Mustaine says nu-metal guitar players “didn’t do any solos” because they “couldn’t do any solos”
Megadeth‘s Dave Mustaine has shared his thoughts on the nu-metal genre, claiming he’s happy it “went away”.
In an interview with Lifeminute [via Metal Hammer], the thrash legend says nu-metal bands in the 2000s “didn’t do any solos” because they “couldn’t do any solos”.
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“There was a period in [the 2000s] where we had these bands called, I think it was ‘nu-metal’, and they didn’t do any solos,” Mustaine says. “Why didn’t they do any solos? They couldn’t do solos. Thank God that genre went away. People started to learn how to do solos.
“I would say if you’re in a nu-metal band you probably would be challenged even playing [Chuck Berry’s] Johnny B. Goode. I’m glad it went away.”
In terms of genres he’s more fond of, Mustaine goes on: “I like some of the older music because new stuff, I mean, all the good chords are taken. And if you think back where I started 40 years ago, the music playing field didn’t have millions of kids sitting at home doing guitar riffs into their computer and then posting it online. There’s good and bad in everything.
“When people do things for their own art, that’s great, but when you start seeing these manufactured records that band members didn’t play on, that’s fraud!”
Mustaine sings the praises of Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour, saying that he’s “one of the simplest guys in the world” and that “he could do more with one note than some of the guys playing nowadays can do with 12”.
“And it’s just a matter of feeling,” he says. “The guitar, you’re touching it, so it’s an extension of your spirit, your soul, and how you make it sound.”
While Dave Mustaine may praise the end of nu-metal, we’d argue with the likes of Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park playing mammoth headline shows in 2025, the genre probably hasn’t gone anywhere…
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
