Dave Mustaine is a crucial part of metal’s Big Four. Back in the 80s, the term surfaced as a reference for Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax: the Big Four of Thrash Metal. Mustaine thinks it’s time for a new class, though.
In a Loudwire interview, Mustaine opened up about the legendary group, offering some insight into the notion that maybe it’s time to crown a new Big Four of metal. “I saw this thing a long time ago where The Police were playing at Giants Stadium,” Mustaine reflected. “And they took their instruments off and handed them to the guys in U2. It was a legitimate passing of the torch.”
“I don’t know who—if that time comes where I take my guitar off and hand it to someone else—who that would be,” he continued. “But I think the time’s come for there to be a new generation of Big Four members.” Mustaine then confessed that he isn’t exactly sure who the new band should be. “I see a lot of bands out there, and a lot of them are really good,” he said. “But are there four? I don’t know.”
Who should be the new Big Four of metal?
While Dave Mustaine might not know who should be the next Big Four of modern metal, I think I do. Now, I want to clarify that my classifications are based on who I believe best represent now, what the Big Four of Thrash represented in the 80s. These bands are mainstreaming metal for a new generation and achieving big success without compromising their authenticity.
I also avoided bands like Lamb of God and Avenged Sevenfold simply because of their longevity. They’re undeniably big, important metal bands, but for the sake of this list, I opted to intentionally go with more recent acts that have blown up into arena-level headliners with acclaimed records under their belts.
Knocked Loose
Forged in the land of bourbon and Bluegrass, Knocked Loose has grown from being a small gang of Kentucky Hardcore kids into a modern metal juggernaut.
The band’s third studio album, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, was, hands down, the best album of 2024. They’ve been nominated for Best Metal Performance at the Grammys, and this year they’ll be opening for Metallica in Europe. There is simply no denying that Knocked Loose are Big Four torchbearers.
Ice Nine Kills
Ice Nine Kills has been on quite a journey to get to where they are now. Morphing out of a ska-punk band into the metalcore maniacs slaying stages today, frontman Spencer Charmas and crew are not just musical dynamos; they’re building their own subculture while they’re at it.
Built on the acclaim of their back-to-back horror film-based albums—The Silver Scream (2018) and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)— Ice Nine Kills is playing a long game, and they’re doing with brilliantly crafted riffs, cinematic melodies, and occasional blastbeasts, all with Charnass at the helm like a deranged ringmaster.
Motionless in White
For nearly two decades, Motionless in White have been evolving into the beast you see before you. A little bit goth, a little bit hardcore, and a whole lot of metal, the Pennsylvania-born band has really broken out over the past decade.
MIW’s 2022 album, Scoring the End of the World, is their sixth, but by the way, it’s been a catapult for them; you’d think they were a completely different band.
To be fair, their previous album, Disguise (2019), laid very crucial groundwork for this opportunity. But it’s still notable that they have evolved into an arena-headlining band just within the last few years.
Turnstile
This is where I feel like I’m gonna get some push back, but I’m not wrong.
For years, Turnstile have carried a hardcore torch that, in turn, has made them basically the genre’s most household name, next to Black Flag. The band’s early material is remarkable hardcroe punk. Then, in 2021, they dropped Glow On, their third album. The record showcased a metamorphosis into more experimental territory, a trend that continued into their acclaimed 2025 album, Never Enough.
Turnstile are now the winners of multiple Grammy awards, including the trophy for Best Metal Performance at the 2026 awards. To say they are the biggest hardcore band in the world right now would be an understatement.
The post Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Thinks It’s Time for a New ‘Big Four’ of Metal, and Here’s Who I Think It Is appeared first on VICE.
