MEGADETH's JAMES LOMENZO: New Guitarist TEEMU MÄNTYSAARI Is Playing 'Impeccably'

In a new interview with Paul Salfen of AMFM Magazine, MEGADETH bassist James Lomenzo spoke about the band's current lineup, which also includes guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Dude, we're psyched. It's kind of weird because theoretically I'm part of the new blood, but that's what MEGADETH is. We revolve around Dave Mustaine, the godfather of thrash, and we're here to bring the best version of MEGADETH that we can. We have Teemu Mäntysaari right now playing guitar and he's just a phenom. And Dirk's on the drums, and he's an animal is an understatement. He's an amazing technician and a beautiful musician and a great person. And, of course, you've got Dave there, and, man, he is the anchor that makes this boat roll into port every night."

Regarding how MEGADETH found Teemu, James said: "Actually, when Kiko [Loureiro, former MEGADETH guitarist] had to leave, he had suggested Teemu as his replacement. And at the time, we didn't know that Kiko was going to go permanently, but at that time, as a replacement, he seemed like the guy who could do the job. And he proves it every night. But he was a quick study. He's really very adept at learning all this music and playing it impeccably."

On the topic of the setlist for MEGADETH's "Destroy All Enemies" summer 2024 U.S. tour, which launched on August 2 at Walmart AMP in Rogers, Arkansas, James said: "Yeah, we try to hit as many of the hits that people expect to hear, and lately we've been reaching back into the catalog and trying to pull out some of those less-played songs that the real fans wanna hear. And surprisingly, as the years go on, people catch up with all those album tracks. So we've been picking up a lot of deeper tracks, and we're always excited to do it. Now the Internet is wide open — it's no secret we started playing 'Liar' just the other day. I think it's, like, 20 years before we were playing that one."

Produced by Live Nation, "Destroy All Enemies", which features MUDVAYNE and ALL THAT REMAINS as support, is hitting 33 cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis, before wrapping up on September 28 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH last September after the band's longtime axeman 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.