MEGADETH's MUSTAINE Is Looking Forward To 'The Best GIGANTOUR Yet!'

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has issued the following update:

"What a whirlwind this last leg has been. I am just now starting to regain my senses. I am writing this to check in and update you on all-things-MEGA and on Gigantour.

"As many of you have no doubt seen, the new edition of Revolver came out with me and the boys from Gigantour's great talent this year gracing its cover. The shot was a great indication of the chemistry that I believe is going to make this the best Gigantour yet! The inside shots were my impression of a hair visor and I think the editor's favorite movie, 'There's Something About Mary'. Oh well, you can't be a God on the cover AND on the inside too.

"I have said in many of the interviews lately, I wanted CHILDREN OF BODOM on the first Gigantour back in 2005 with DREAM THEATER and FEAR FACTORY, but circumstances had occurred that made it impossible to do. Well, we all win this year because we are gifted with C.O.B.'s uber-talented Alexi Laiho and crew. And add to that our special guests IN FLAMES, and support bands JOB FOR A COWBOY and HIGH ON FIRE, and you can see why I am even more excited about this year, than any Gigantour to date.

"Don't get me wrong; they have all been great in their own way. I am just pumped to go out with so much international talent this time to mix it up and I love the way we got on with JOB FOR A COWBOY during the Gigantour 2008 UK run of dates.

"I talked to Chris Broderick [MEGADETH guitarist] today, and then later Shawn Drover [MEGADETH drummer] and I miss my band mates a lot. It has been a long time since I got off of a tour and actually missed the guys; it was usually, 'see ya later... OK, Sam... see you tomorrow, Ralph...' so this is a great feeling. I told my son Justis (he is staying with me for a while) that he should start his lessons with Chris, and that I was going to take them too, now that Chris is off of the market and full-time MEGADETH 'metal-god' in training.

"And we are going to be adding a new song from the new record 'United Abominations' to the set. So he is going to be coming down here after he gets back from going snowboarding up north with his girlfriend Stephanie. I considered going, but the damn snow is just too cold, so I will just stay down here and surf with Justis and one of our fellow Droogs.

"Drum roll: yes, it is true... the official MEGADETH eBay store has reopened and our new Storekeeper is a lady named Kellie Payne. Some of you may know here and her hubby Jeff Payne. Jeff is also the street team leader for San Diego, I am told by him. And a big thank you to you Painkiller!

"Jeff helped me get my surfboards here when I moved back to S.D. County from a shop that he works at called TDK Surfboards. He also has experience with designs and programming and has helped make the auctions look great, and they are going to only get better. We are trying to keep this first round of stuff simple so that our Storekeeper can get used to all of you lovlies.

"We have made some improvements to our store, and we are trying to make even bigger improvements to how we handle our customers. A kewl thing too, is that we will be debuting Chris' items (and senseless junk),as well as more items from Shawn and James [Lomenzo, bass].

"Kellie and Jeff have come up with great ways to save you AND us grief, and we have made the store a lot more exciting too. I hope you dig it, and there is going to be all kinds of crazy things going on in the next two or three months. Cleaning house, cleaning the studio out, ramping up my favorite new project 'TheLiveLine' and also Legends Coffee I told ya it would be good and now you have a very busy boy. Also, thank you to everyone for helping buy the water well pump for the orphanage in Mexico. I love you all for that and I thank you all for that.

"OK, now, to be specific, we are going to be leaving on April 8th for Denver to start the tour and going to end it in Venezuela, from what our tentative routing says, with one Chilean, two Argentine, and three or four Brazilian shows as well. We return home on June 12th and that is when the real work is going to begin and the fun of playing live for you for the last year and then some ends.

"We have had a great tour, as well as the HEAVEN AND HELL tour, and we made so many great friends along the way for this record. The press was overwhelmingly positive, and the tide seems to have turned our way again. I am super-stoked that you have welcomed our brand of metal into your computers, your iPods, your playback units regardless of what it is and tape decks, as well as the loyal fans that have fought to keep us in the forefront of our great nation's minds (and the racks in the record stores).

"For now, just know that James and I have three projects to edit and mix, we all four have the next record to write, and remember that I now have Chris; a super-secret weapon and he has a few other songs up his sleeve that he learned to mix up the sets. I have a lot of work to do to keep my spirits up and I thank you all for your positive thoughts and your prayers.

"So that is kind of it for now. I will check in after a few days and unpacking my suitcase and settling into my beach house with my son. I am off to the beach for now and will say thanks for each one of you as the sun sets on another day in my little world."