MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE: TEEMU MÄNTYSAARI 'Is A Mad Scientist On Guitar'

MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine has spoken fondly about his bandmates, saying that they "have become such good friends".

The 62-year-old MEGADETH leader, who is the sole remaining original member of the group, addressed his relationship with his current bandmates while checking in on social media from MEGADETH's Latin American tour on Monday (April 29). He wrote: "We have had the most righteous time down here in Latin America. The fans have been insanely loud. Every city has had a different set list, and we've practiced our fingers off on this tour! We hope that the fans got to hear their favorite songs, as well as some deeper tracks that we haven't play for some time.

"Fast forward to today. I was looking down at some papers on the hotel suite desk. and noticed something different about the rooming list. It stated that we are going home from here and I always feel melancholy when we do.

"The four of us have become such good friends, and we are all thriving together in MEGADETH. If I may elaborate...

"Dirk [Verbeuren] is an amazing drummer, and I often wonder how I got so fortunate to play with him (he is a lot like [late MEGADETH drummer] Gar [Samuelson]),he is a wonderful, humble man who I've learned a lot from.

"James [LoMenzo, bass] has been our anchor and my mentor for singing out here. He is a killer bassist, who sings so confidently that I can easily accept direction and criticism from him. He has learned every song we play live, note for note, and I love seeing him every morning out here.

"I can't say enough about Teemu [Mäntysaari, guitar], and I don't have to, because you have no doubt seen footage of us together. He is a mad scientist on guitar, he plays ALL previous guitarists parts effortlessly with finesse, and the utmost respect for his predecessor.

"The four of us play, and go over songs every day, reviewing, perfecting, and building up our repertoire to play for you. By the time we reach Europe this summer, we will have even more songs added, to provide the variety to our playlists of songs played in concert.

"Well, that's it for now. I have to get some rest for my body. Tomorrow we are going to take back the night in San Salvador! Mother Nature tried stopping us last time, with insane wind and sideways torrential rain, but the sun is out and we're back!

"Hasta mañana chicos!"

MEGADETH recently announced a North American tour "Destroy All Enemies", produced by Live Nation. Support on the 33-city trek, which includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis, will come from MUDVAYNE and ALL THAT REMAINS. The tour begins in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2 and runs throughout the month before wrapping in Nashville, Tennessee on September 28.

Finnish guitarist 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.

Since its inception in 1983, MEGADETH has ascended from its raw thrash metal roots to become an unstoppable force in the heavy metal world. With founder Dave Mustaine at the helm, MEGADETH's journey has been marked by a penchant for pushing the boundaries of speed, technicality, and complexity in their music. Their groundbreaking album "Rust In Peace", released in 1990, is frequently cited as a seminal work in the thrash metal genre. Along with the critically acclaimed "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", it cemented MEGADETH's place in the annals of metal history.

Over four decades, the band's discography has earned numerous certifications, including platinum and multi-platinum awards, with albums like "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia" achieving widespread critical acclaim. 2016's "Dystopia" not only marked a high point with their first Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" after twelve nominations but also set the stage for their latest triumph, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" in 2022. MEGADETH's status as part of the "Big Four" of thrash metal underscores their trailblazing role in the genre, laying the groundwork for countless bands and musicians who have followed in their wake.