KIKO LOUREIRO: How I Landed Guitarist Gig In MEGADETH

BackStage360 recently conducted an interview with former ANGRA and current MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how he landed the gig with MEGADETH, Kiko said: "ANGRA, we [had] a gold disc in Brazil, and then we released the album in Europe in 1994. And that was quite successful — I mean, for a small band from Brazil , because there was almost no bands from Brazil. And we started playing South America too, and then the band was growing. And we had lineup changes throughout the '90s and 2000s. We recorded many albums, and I think I was quite experienced touring and recording. And I came to California in 2012, and maybe two years later, I got an e-mail from [MEGADETH bassist David] Ellefson. Actually, I jammed with Ellefson in an Metal All-Stars kind of a show in São Paulo [Brazil]. So I met him, he got my contact, and maybe six months later, he called me and said, 'Look, Dave [Mustaine] is gonna call you. Is that okay?' Then I went to Tennessee, to Nashville, to meet Dave Mustaine. And then we hang for a day there, and then two days later, I was in MEGADETH."

Mustaine told Revolver magazine that finding Loureiro "was really a mind-blower. It was the first time since Marty Friedman joined the band that I was really intimidated as a player," he said. "He's such an amazing talent, and he's been coming in with all of these fresh ideas." Mustaine has also called Loureiro the "best guitarist we've ever had," adding that he was a good fit personality wise. "Chris [Broderick] and I had a good chemistry, but we weren't really as close as I would have wanted us to be," Mustaine explained. "Kiko, I feel like I've known him for years."

MEGADETH's 15th studio album, "Dystopia", was released in January 2016. A follow-up effort is tentatively due next year.