MEGADETH Re-Teams With Artist JOHN LORENZI For New Album Cover

MEGADETH has once again tapped artist John Lorenzi to create the artwork for the band's forthcoming album, tentatively due this fall via Roadrunner Records. The CD is being recorded at MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis),who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, among others.

Lorenzi was responsible for the artwork on the last two MEGADETH studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame", as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest".

A summer 2010 interview with Lorenzi about his work on the "United Abominations" cover can be found at the RockPop Gallery.

Mustaine was asked in a recent interview with Pure Grain Audio how the new MEGADETH album is sonically different to its predecessor, 2009's "Endgame". "[It's] different, a hundred percent different, unlike anything we've ever done before because the guitar sounds are different; it sounds really super-modern," he said, before adding, "If I was going to say it sounds like a particular band, I would say it sounds like really old classic [BLACK] SABBATH and with a little bit of a modern edge of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE kind of thing. But then again, with the twists and turns of music that MEGADETH has been famous for over the years, you never know how it'll turn out."

Although British producer Andy Sneap who helmed "Endgame" was initially supposed to re-team with the band for the forthcoming album, has was forced to pull out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. He explained in a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, "I'm doing another project that I also play guitar in called HELL and we're doing some summer festivals this year so it kind of cut into the whole schedule that was planned with MEGADETH."

When asked about what fans can expect from MEGADETH's next album, bassist David Ellefson told UGO, "We are working on it now so it's a bit early to encapsulate what the final will ultimately sound like. I think we know the punch and impact we want it to have but also not be afraid to let new ideas develop, too. Just know it will be heavy, hooky, and have the trademarks you'd come to expect from us."

MEGADETH's platinum-certified 1986 masterpiece, "Peace Sells But Whos Buying?", has been digitally remastered for the first time and expanded for a special 25th-anniversary release in multiple configurations. It will be released July 12 by Capitol/EMI. All of the versions, including a 2CD lift-top box, digital album and a deluxe 5Disc+3LP box set, contain a previously unreleased 1987 concert from the band's first world tour and new liner notes written by Mustaine and METALLICA's Lars Ulrich.