[EP 434] Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax & Slayer: The Rivalries That Shaped Metal’s Big Four with Daniel Bukszpan

Booked On Rock with Eric Senich · Nov 11, 2026 · 58m · transcript

How did Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer turn thrash metal from an underground movement into a worldwide force? Author Daniel Bukszpan joins Eric Senich on Booked On Rock to discuss his book, Heavy Metal’s Big Four: How Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer Reshaped Metal.

We explore Dave Mustaine’s firing from Metallica and the fallout over “The Four Horsemen,” the stolen amplifier that helped inspire James Hetfield’s “Fade to Black,” and Cliff Burton’s extraordinary contribution to “Orion.” Daniel also discusses Rick Rubin’s production on Slayer’s Reign in Blood, the controversy…