From David Ellefson’s exit following the solo sex tape controversy to Kiko Loureiro stepping away to be closer to his family, Megadeth has seen some significant lineup changes recently. This upheaval led many to believe that the legendary thrash metal band had been reduced to just Dave Mustaine and a rotating cast of hired musicians.
However, in a recent interview on the *Loudwire Nights* podcast, as transcribed by Blabbermouth, Mustaine painted a different picture, suggesting that the current lineup feels more like a return to the band’s stable past—particularly the era when Marty Friedman was on guitar.
“Well, we are a band again,” Mustaine said. “It doesn’t feel like me and some side players or session guys. Not that it felt like that with any of the previous lineups, but that was one of the fears I had. I feel like Kiko [Loureiro] did us a huge favor by helping us find Teemu [Mäntysaari]. When Kiko needed to step down… I thought I was going to finish my career with Kiko, and when he had to leave to be with his kids, it was tough. I see he’s touring again, which makes me happy, but he had to go home. And when he did, he introduced us to Teemu. And the connection between me and Teemu is even closer than it was with Kiko. We’ll always be friends, but this new relationship takes me back to the days when Marty Friedman was in the band, and the four of us truly felt like a band.”
Mustaine’s words suggest that despite the recent turnover, the current Megadeth lineup is more cohesive and reminiscent of the band’s earlier, more stable days.
