Rumor: MEGADETH Taps LAMB OF GOD Drummer, ANGRA Guitarist For New Album

MEGADETH is rumored to have hired drummer Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD) and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro (ANGRA) to play on the band's new album.

If true, Adler's involvement with MEGADETH would apparently be limited to studio work only, and he would not be expected to join the band on the road to promote the CD, which is scheduled to be recorded starting on March 17 in Nashville, Tennessee.

MEGADETH was still finalizing the recording lineup for its new album last week, with the band's mainman, Dave Mustaine, tweeting on March 10 that he was "excited to be auditioning one of my final picks for my new guitarist today."

The band has yet to officially announce replacements for drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick, who quit the group last year.

Asked if there was any news regarding who will become MEGADETH's new drummer and lead guitarist, the band's bassist, David Ellefson, said in a recent interview with Full Throttle Rock: "There are some developments with it, and I think I've come to realize… We've certainly spent the last several months, [since] late November, sorting things out. I think, what I've come to is that we need to make a great record, 'cause that should always be… The songs have always determined who's going to be in the band, from day one. And nothing should change with that. To go back and chase some glory day is like chasing fool's gold. I think that the songs, and the album, are going to determine what the lineup is and I think that's the proper order of putting the horse in front of the cart."

Mustaine and his family moved to Tennessee in October after living in Fallbrook, California for a number of years.

Speculation has been rife over the last three months as to whether fans could expect a reunion of MEGADETH's classic late 1980s and early 1990s lineup featuring Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman on guitar.

Both Menza and Friedman indicated in recent interviews and online postings that they weren't opposed to rejoining MEGADETH, with Menza saying: "I'm open to whatever could possibly happen. That's up to Dave [Mustaine." Friedman, who was also part of the band's "Rust In Peace" lineup, said in January that he "would not be against considering" a possible return to the band as the replacement for Broderick, but cautioned that fans shouldn't "get [their] hopes up either."

Only hours after Drover announced his exit from MEGADETH on November 25, 2014 to "to pursue [his] own musical interests," Broderick revealed he also quit the legendary metal band, saying that he was leaving the group "due to artistic and musical differences."

Broderick joined MEGADETH in late 2007 as the replacement for Glen Drover, who left the group in order to focus on family life.

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".