Back in a September interview with Kerrang!, infamous thrash guitarist Dave Mustaine said that he would love to do more of the Big Four shows, in which the ‘Big Four’ of ’80s thrash — Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Mustaine’s band Megadeth — played together on the same stage. In classic Mustainean fashion, Dave took this chance to talk himself up and then talk shit about his old bandmate Lars Ulrich, claiming, “I would love for there to be more, and I’d be willing to do it. But remember, Slayer are retired, and for some reason, Lars is afraid of doing more Big Four shows. He’ll tell you it’s already been done, but I think the fans want it. The heavy metal community wants more Big Four shows.”
While this quote is classic Mustaine running his mouth (man, that bus ride REALLY chapped his ass), it does raise a good question: with Slayer gone, could a different band take their slot? It’s not like the Big Four is an active roster, like the starting line of a major sports team; if anything, it’s more a statement on who were thrash’s top dogs back in the genre’s heyday. But let’s say the other bands were all down, and Slayer was the only holdout. Would you want Slayer to reunite for more Big Four shows, or should they stick to their guns?
Perhaps a more important question is, could another band replace them? If Slayer were resolute in their desire to never hit the stage again, is there another thrash band who could step in and fill their role? Would it be the same without Slayer, or would you welcome a different band — say, Exodus, or Testament, or Death Angel — to step in as one of the Big Four?
We want to know! Leave a comment on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram telling us whether or not you think Slayer should return, or if you think there’s a band who deserves their spot in the Big Four. There’s no right answer here, we just want to know what you think!
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Words by Chris Krovatin
