DAVE MUSTAINE: How I Broke ARMORED SAINT Guitarist's Ankle

AOL's Noisecreep has posted an exclusive excerpt from MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's just-published autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", in which Mustaine describes an early 1980s brawl with Los Angeles metallers ARMORED SAINT which ended with SAINT guitarist Phil Sandoval allegedly dealing with some broken bones.

"There was, for example, the time we were all at a party, and in walked the guys from a band known as ARMORED SAINT," Mustaine writes in the book. "As sometimes happens in these situations, harmless verbal jousting gave way to nasty, personal insults, paving the way for a physical confrontation. They targeted [Mustaine's then-METALLICA bandmate] Lars [Ulrich], probably because he was the smallest. I don't remember exactly how it began; I do remember jumping off my chair and telling them to leave my friend alone. They laughed at me, much as they had been laughing at Lars, which was not a good idea. Lars may not have been a fighter, but I was. I had training and expertise. More important, I didn't give a shit.

"As the guys from ARMORED SAINT dog-piled on top of Lars, I ran across the room and applied a side kick to the first person in my path. His name was Phil Sandoval, and he was the band's lead guitarist. The first thing I heard was a loud crack! Like the sound of a branch snapping in half. And then the sound of someone wailing as Phil fell to the floor and grabbed his lower leg.

"I'd broken his ankle."

"Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" (formerly "Hello Me... Meet The Real Me") is being released in the U.S. today (Tuesday, August 3) via HarperCollins's It Books imprint (focusing on pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet). The U.K. edition, "Mustaine: A Life In Metal", will hit bookstores in the U.K. on September 30.

Mustaine is the first to admit that he has bottomed out a few times in his dark and twisted speed-metal version of a Dickensonian life. In "Mustaine", he reveals the many highs and lows of this life, including:

* The formation of METALLICA and the key contributions he made for which he was never given full credit.

* The formation and rise of MEGADETH, and his history with David Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza.

* The story of his departure from MEGADETH in 2002 and his eventual return.

* His multiple battles with alcohol and drugs, and how Alice Cooper played a role in one of his recoveries.

* The injury that nearly ended his career.

* After years of rejecting religion, how embracing Christianity helped repair his relationship with his family and maintain his sobriety.

* His tumultuous childhood which included several moves from city to city, all in an attempt to avoid his alcoholic father.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield once observed that Mustaine must have been born with a horseshoe up his ass. That's how lucky he has been and how fortunate he is to be pulling breath after so many close calls. In "Mustaine", he tells a story that will inspire, stun and terrify.

"Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" was co-written by New York Times journalist Joe Layden who also authored "The Last Great Fight" about what is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of boxing: James "Buster" Douglas' tenth-round knockout win over Mike Tyson in 1990.