Dave Mustaine has denied Maddah's claims and has now pulled Megadeth out of all Australian shows, including Soundwave's 5-city event, which starts February 22 in Brisbane.

"Due to circumstances beyond its control, unfortunately Megadeth has to cancel their Australian dates," posted Mustaine on Sunday. "Megadeth's decision is unrelated to the fact that Jason Newsted is performing at Soundwave. Jason and I spoke recently and continue to be friends."

On a second post, Mustaine explained the situation further, writing, "All I asked for was an apology for blaming me for something I didn't do. I am still willing to play, but the promoter would rather not apologize and prefers to say I asked him to lie, which I didn't. Am I the only one that sees how easy it is to fix this? The AJ Maddah that I know is a wise and caring man, and I don't know what has happened to my old friend. My bags are packed Aussie fans."