According to Blabbermouth, Dave Mustaine isn’t one to shy away from talking about the past and in a recent appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show, he opened up about his short but pivotal time in Metallica. The Megadeth frontman reflected on his early days with the band, how he joined, and what he still carries from that chapter of his life.

Mustaine recalled answering a classified ad in a local paper, meeting Lars Ulrich, and connecting over shared influences like Budgie. From there, things moved quickly. “I was just warming up and they basically said, ‘You’re in,’ before we even jammed,” he said.

Though he was only in Metallica for about a year, Mustaine’s fingerprints are all over their early material. He emphasized that he wrote several of the riffs and solos that would end up on Kill ‘Em All, and hinted at lingering frustration that some of his work was used after he was fired. “I wrote a lot of the music that made them,” he said plainly.

Still, there’s no bitterness in his tone, at least not anymore. Mustaine noted that while things were rocky for a long time, his relationship with Metallica has improved. “We’re getting along now,” he said. “I’m happy where I am.”

It’s a rare moment of reflection from someone who’s often been defined by conflict, but here, Mustaine sounds more focused on what he’s built with Megadeth than what he lost with Metallica.