MEGADETH Drummer On 'Big Four' Tour: 'It Could Be One Of The Biggest Events In Metal History'

Metallus Maximus recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metallus Maximus: "Endgame"'s production is easily the best to ever grace a MEGADETH album. On a personal level, how was it to work with Andy Sneap again?

Drover: For me, it was great working with Andy. He is all about the metal just as I am, so we were all on the same page in terms of what we wanted to achieve, both sonically and musically. Andy loves to work in the studio and be creative, as do I, so the overall vibe for me was very good. Plus, the both of us have the same ultra-stupid humor, which adds to the overall mood of the project. If you're in a good mind-frame and look forward to going into the studio each day, that is a good thing, if you ask me.

Metallus Maximus: You share a writing credit with Dave [Mustaine] for "Head Crusher", the first single and one of the heaviest tracks on the album, can you give some details on how the song came about?

Drover: I had a bunch of guitar riffs I had written going into this record, as Dave always wants to hear what we have in terms of potential riffs that could work for a song. Dave had some meetings in L.A. so he told me that if I had ideas for a song, go ahead and record them so he could hear them when he got back the next day. I wrote and recorded guitars, bass and drums for the song in three hours, so Dave could hear a studio-quality song, instead of submitting a poor-quality-sounding demo that I did at home. So, naturally, I wanted to seize the opportunity, and I did. He liked about 50% of it, so he changed the chorus and middle section of the song, re-arranged a few parts, and made the song even better. "Head Crusher" is the end result and I am really proud and happy it made it on the record.

Metallus Maximus: After playing for so many years with your brother Glen, how hard was it to see him leave [MEGADETH] and have to build a new chemistry with guitarist Chris Broderick?

Drover: It was very hard on me and I did everything to try to change his mind and stay, until I realized it was the right thing to do at the time, as his son was very young and it was taking a toll on Glen to be gone on tour for so long being away from him. Once I supported his decision, we had to get another guitar player to take Glen's place, which was not easy, as this is an extremely tough gig on guitar, and also recommending a new guitar player who wasn't full of his own ego, or an alcoholic crackhead who likes to snort his own socks, so the list was very, very short. Between Glen, myself and Glen's guitar tech (now Dave's guitar tech) Willie Gee, we decided that Chris was the best choice to recommend to Dave and management. The transition was smooth and without incident, so I guess it worked out well.

Metallus Maximus: Speaking of touring, how was it to tour with SLAYER? Did you actually talk to any of the guys despite the tension between Dave and Kerry [King] that seem blown out of proportion by certain gossip-oriented metal sites?

Drover: I enjoyed the Canadian Carnage shows with SLAYER a lot. I met and talked to all of them and they were very cool to me. I think a lot of this perpetuated stuff comes from journalists who haven't done their homework in knowing that both bands have a new record coming out, etc., so some of them resort to asking the same, redundant questions. For me, a new record and tour should be the focus, so I don't pay any mind to any of that other crap. Bottom line is that we are all here to entertain people and musically kick their asses, so I am glad to be a part of this.

Metallus Maximus: What are your thoughts on a possible tour of the "Big Four" (METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX) as it has been speculated in the press recently?

Drover: You know, I read this rumor too, and I have no idea if this is true or not, but I think it would certainly be interesting. If it were to happen, I think it would be better to do sooner than later, before we are all walking out on stage with walking canes and wheelchairs. All the bands still can deliver in a live setting, so if this was actually true and were to happen, let's go on with it. From a heavy metal fans perspective, it could be one of the biggest events in metal history, but I guess we will just have to see if this is even true or not.

Read the entire interview from Metallus Maximus.