Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has hit out at mask mandates, branding them a form of "tyranny" during a concert in New Jersey.
Mustaine, 60, mentioned schools and medical facilities during his anti-mask rant, which ended with him telling fans: "We have the power to change things."
The former Metallica guitarist was filmed embarking on the diatribe just before performing the band's final song of the night, "Holy Wars… The Punishment Due."
Megadeth were performing in Camden, New Jersey, as part of the Metal Tour of the Year.
Mustaine told the crowd: "I just wanna tell you how great it is. Look around you, guys. Look to your right, look to your left, and look how wonderful this is. We're all here together. We're not freaking out, and we're not yelling at people, 'Wear your fucking mask.'"
He continued: "Listen, it starts with this kind of a sensation that we build right now. We feel together, we feel like [there's] strength in numbers. We feel like we are invincible. People will not be able to stop us."
The heavy metal guitarist then took direct aim at mask mandates.
"Right now, what's going on is tyranny," he said. "This is called tyranny. Look it up when you get home. And tyranny isn't only in government. Tyranny right now is in the schools and tyranny is in the medical business.
"We have the power, especially us … heavy metal fans, we have the power to change things."
Mustaine's comments were greeted with cheers from the audience.
Newsweek has contacted Mustaine for comment.
Mustaine's remarks stand in stark contrast to those made by Randy Blythe, the frontman of Lamb of God, the band co-headlining the Metal Tour of the Year with Megadeth.
In an Instagram post written before the start of the tour, Blythe urged fans to "be vaccinated and wear a f***ing mask" during the shows.
"If you are on the fence, wondering 'Hmmm... should I bring a mask to the show?' my advice is... YES. Will it be hot & uncomfortable? Probably. Is it doable? Definitely," wrote the 50-year-old.
"If my old ass can fly screaming across the stage for over an hour with giant blasts of fire going off all around me, you can wear a mask for a few hours to help protect yourself & others."
Mustaine's outburst comes a month after rapper Busta Rhymes went viral when footage resurfaced of him blasting mask mandates during a concert in Missouri in June.
He accused the U.S. government of trying to "take our civil liberties" away during an expletive-laden rant.
Mustaine's stance is unlikely to go down well with another heavy metal frontman, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister. Snider has hit out at the anti-mask movement for co-opting his band's 1984 hit "We're Not Gonna Take It" as part of their protests.
"These selfish a******s do not have my permission or blessing to use my song for their moronic cause," he tweeted.
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