MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE: 'Killing Is My Business' Was 'So Ahead Of Its Time That People Didn't Really Understand It'

In a new interview with Lucía Sapena of Paraguay's Trece channel, Dave Mustaine was asked to name his favorite MEGADETH album. The MEGADETH leader responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, that's hard to say. That's like asking somebody to pick their favorite child. There are certain records that we have that were really influential in my life. 'Peace Sells[... But Who's Buying?]' was. I think 'Killing Is My Business[... And Business Is Good!]' was so ahead of its time that people didn't really understand it. And that's when art is at its best, when you get something new that you've never heard before. When you hear a record and it's just the same old crap, nobody wants that. I mean, how long has it been since we heard a new band that was really fantastic, like a new IRON MAIDEN or a new AC/DC or a new MEGADETH or a new GUNS N' ROSES. We haven't heard a band like that in so long that was something that we stopped and went, 'Wow. That's great.'"

Regarding how he views the thrash metal genre today, Mustaine said:  "Well, it's hard to say how I view the genre, because there are so many different subsections of heavy metal. When it first started, it was hard rock and then heavy metal came, and then The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal came and then there was power metal and speed metal and thrash metal and black metal and white metal and death metal and core metal and true metal. God, how many metals can you possibly have? So for me, what I'm aware of is what MEGADETH is doing."

Asked what the secret to MEGADETH's and his longevity is, Mustaine said: "The secret, I think, is being honest with yourself. And I don't try and act like I'm better than other people, because I know I'm not. I know there's a better singer out there than me. I know there's a better guitar player out there than me. So I enjoy what I possess, the gifts I have. I enjoy the friends that I've made, and I love my job, so I can't wait to do it."

MEGADETH kicked off its spring 2024 South American tour on April 6 at Arena 1 in Lima, Peru.

Finnish guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH last September after the band's longtime axeman Kiko Loureiro, announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that Mäntysaari would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

MEGADETH played its first concert with Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

MEGADETH's sold-out shows at Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, 2024 will be broadcast live on Veeps. Fans will also have the exclusive opportunity to snag MEGADETH merch, including a poster and a limited-edition tee, that will only be available for purchase on Veeps during the livestream. Veeps All Access subscribers can access the shows for free as part of their subscription. Otherwise tickets are on sale for $14.99 for each show or $24.99 for both shows on veeps.com/megadeth. The shows will air live on Veeps on April 13 and April 14 at approximately 9 p.m. Argentina Time (ART). The shows will be available on Veeps for two years after the original air dates, with a seven-day rewatch period for individual ticket purchasers.