The long running tension between ex Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland and Dave Mustaine isn’t staying buried.
Poland has confirmed he’ll be addressing years of allegations in his upcoming book, ‘Now Leaving Metalopolis’, and he’s not sugarcoating it (Per Blabbermouth):
“There’s a lot of things he said that’s total B.S.”
That line alone says plenty about where things stand.
Revisiting old wounds
Poland’s name has been tied to Megadeth lore for decades, often in less than flattering ways, most notably, Mustaine wrote the track ‘Liar’ about him back in 1988, a label that stuck far longer than the song itself.
Looking back, Poland admits it likely had an impact:
“Well, I’m sure it did affect my career, but my career was playing instrumental, whacked-out fusion [music]. I had a handful of people that listened to my music. Those people didn’t even listen to MEGADETH, so it didn’t matter.”
Even then, he’s never fully leaned into resentment.
“I don’t hold any grudges… People would tell me stuff he said [about me], and I’d be, like, ‘What are you gonna do?’”
Setting the record straight
That restraint doesn’t mean he’s staying silent anymore, the upcoming book will include his side of the story, something fans have rarely heard in full.
“I’m writing a book [called ‘Now Leaving Metalopolis’] right now… And some of that stuff — I have my little rebuttal about stuff that was said [by Dave] about me. ’Cause, first of all, I don’t hit girls. There’s a lot of things he said [over the years about me] that’s total B.S.”
It’s not framed as revenge, but more like overdue clarification.
Lessons from the past
Poland credits late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza with helping him move past the bitterness that could’ve taken over:
“Dude, you can’t carry that around, man. You gotta let all that go.”
That perspective seems to have stuck, even now Poland isn’t positioning this as a takedown, despite the history between the two camps.
A story that isn’t all heavy
While the book will dig into darker chapters, Poland says it won’t be all tension and fallout:
“It’s close [to being completed]… you get to the part where it’s the heavy stuff, and it’s, like, yeah, it’s heavy… But the funny stories are pretty funny, man.”
Poland’s time in Megadeth may have ended decades ago, but the ripple effects haven’t disappeared, from lawsuits to public jabs, the relationship between him and Mustaine has always been complicated.
Now, with ‘Now Leaving Metalopolis’ on the horizon, it looks like Poland is finally ready to put his version of events on record, whether it reopens old wounds or closes them for good.
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