Say what you like about Dave Mustaine and his inability to consign his departure from Metallica to the dustbin of history, but it gave him the fire and the fury required to put together a band that would be have its own legacy as one of thrash metal’s pioneers – one of metal’s most-enduring acts.

With Mustaine announcing the end for Megadeth, Guitar World takes a trip down memory lane for a blow-by-blow account of one MegaDiscography.

Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! (Combat, 1985)

Guitarist: Chris Poland

Still bitter about being fired from Metallica, Dave Mustaine returned with a band fashioned from his own imagination. The songs were sharp and socially aware, while the music was surprisingly mature. Mustaine had immediately made his intentions clear – namely to take the thrash beast he’d helped create and give it a rounded metal education. It didn’t chart on the Billboard 200, but it was loved from the start.

Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? (Capitol, 1986)

Guitarist: Chris Poland

Originally recorded for Combat Records, this was switched to the much bigger Capitol label, with the band given the budget to completely re-mix. The result is a true landmark album.

Forget about thrash; here was Mustaine leading a charge through the whole spectrum of musical emotions. The title track itself is something of an epic, showcasing Megadeth’s startlingly creative process. Meanwhile, Chris Poland’s playing is nothing short of brilliant.

So Far, So Good.. So What! (Capitol, 1988)

Guitarist: Jeff Young

Two years after Peace Sells…, a new Megadeth lineup landed on their feet with a record that refused to conform to expectations. While the cover of Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the U.K. seemed somewhat superfluous, Mustaine was at his finest on the emotional In My Darkest Hour – a tribute to the late Cliff Burton of Metallica – and the haunting Mary Jane. We also don't mind Hook in Mouth and Set the World Afire.

Rust in Peace (Capitol, 1990)

Guitarist: Marty Friedman

The debut album from arguably Megadeth’s finest lineup, with Mustaine and long-time bassist Dave Ellefson being joined by guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza.

Trying to come to terms with his substance dependence, Mustaine became much more politically charged in his lyrical themes, exploring the implications and ramifications of war.

The music is, at times, breathtaking, with Friedman proving he could cope with the considerable demands put on the guitarist in this most exhaustive of metal bands. Hangar 18 is a striking moment of genius.

Countdown to Extinction (Capitol, 1992)

Guitarist: Marty Friedman

Max Norman, the man behind Ozzy Osbourne’s solo success, was brought in to co-produce with Mustaine, and his obvious commercial leanings can be heard in the way many of the songs here are structured. Gone were the sprawling epics, only two tracks – Sweating Bullets and Ashes in Your Mouth – were over five minutes in length, and many had an almost traditional arrangement.

However, Symphony of Destruction was a triumph and remains a Mega classic. Was this an attempt to challenge Metallica’s success with the Black Album? If so, it worked to some extent, as Countdown to Extinction came up just shy of the mark, making it to Number 2 on the U.S. charts.

Youthanasia (Capitol, 1994)

Guitarist: Marty Friedman

Now the band were really starting to alienate some of their diehard fans. Almost divorced from the qualities that had made their early albums so successful, Megadeth were moving inexorably towards melodic hard rock.

Norman’s guidance saw them become virtually one-paced, which meant that songs like Train of Consequences weren’t given the credit they deserved. While A Tout Le Monde provided a moving interlude, nevertheless it appeared that Mustaine had lost touch with his roots.

Cryptic Writings (Capitol, 1997)

Guitarist: Marty Friedman

Often dismissed as the worst album of the band’s career, Cryptic Writings actually saw Megadeth get back in touch with their thrash roots, on songs like FFF, She-Wolf and Vortex. And I’ll Get Even saw them re-igniting a creative spark. The problem was in the production.

Mustaine has in recent times expressed his regret at the decision to bring in Dann Huff, known for his work in melodic rock circles – far removed from where Megadeth should have been. And it cannot be denied that this record suffers from a somewhat tame timbre.

Risk (Capitol, 1999)

Guitarist: Marty Friedman

The last Megadeth album of the 20th century and Friedman’s farewell performance. Part of the problem here is that tracks like the single Crush ’Em are so smooth that they positively glide, rather than truly bombing along in Mega style.

Mustaine has claimed that the decision to take Megadeth even further into the jungle of melodically driven music was suggested by Lars Ulrich and, as the album title suggested, it was a real risk.

Again, the production from Huff was a problem, and the album suffers for it. However, it couldn’t be denied that Mustaine was still a formidable songwriter, as he proved on Prince of Darkness and Breadline.

The World Needs a Hero (Sanctuary, 2001)

Guitarist: Al Pitrelli

A new label, a fresh guitarist (Al Pitrelli) and a return to the hard stuff. After the hard-rock dabbling of the ’90s, the band got suited up in body armor and plunged back into the metal melee.

While this was not a complete return to the band’s original principles, the album had just enough rough and tumble to keep diehard fans satisfied.

The System Has Failed (Sanctuary, 2004)

Guitarist: Chris Poland

After calling time on the band due to a career-threatening arm injury, Mustaine intended this as a solo return. This was subsequently changed, although it was very much a Mustaine-plus-hired-hands effort.

A darker, more insidious record than The World Needs a Hero – it offered no solutions but highlighted current social and political problems and inconsistencies. However, what it did do was put Megadeth right back to the fore. They were once more metal heroes.

United Abominations (Roadrunner, 2007)

Guitarist: Glen Drover

Although Megadeth were once more a true band, it was obvious that the songs were the product of Mustaine’s mind. However, if The System Has Failed was a little inconsistent, this time it was clear Megadeth had found their range again.

A cover of Zeppelin’s Out On the Tiles and a re-visit of A Tout Le Monde (with a guest appearance from Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia) apart, it pulled no punches.

In keeping with modern cynicism, Mustaine showed himself to be as angry and agitated as he was in 1985. UA topped the GW readers poll for 2007’s best metal album.

Endgame (Roadrunner, 2009)

Guitarist: Chris Broderick

Endgame features yet another new lead guitarist entering MegaDave’s midst. This time around, it’s Chris Broderick, who came in hot, adding bouts of old-school thrash meets new-school edginess.

The result is an album that felt like a true band effort that was still clearly spearheaded by Mustaine, who continued to run the gamut of lyrical topics, ranging from Lord of the Rings themes to the Great Recession.

Songs like Head Crusher and 44 Minutes showed that Mustaine wasn’t just back at it, but aiming to properly reinstate the Megadeth machine atop the proverbial MegaMountain. And once again, this barn-burner topped Guitar World's end-of-year poll for the best metal album of 2009.

Th1rt3en (Roadrunner, 2011)

Guitarist: Chris Broderick

For the first time since the halcyon days of Marty Friedman, Megadeth made an album with the same lead guitarist as the previous one. Also noteworthy is the return of founding bassist David Ellefson, whom James LoMenzo had previously replaced. The results were good, if not outstanding… in a way.

The Al Capone-inspired Public Enemy No. 1 was kind of weird, but also kinda awesome in that Mustaine continued to push his lyrical ideas past their limits. And then there’s a cut like Sudden Death, which found Mustaine and company pummeling away at full blast with intent to kill.

Super Collider (Universal, 2013)

Guitarist: Chris Broderick

Three albums in a row with a guitarist not named Marty Friedman? Madness! Sadly, this would be Broderick’s Megadeth swan song. Thankfully, he went out with a bang, as Super Collider was the band’s best since the vaunted Rust in Peace. This is not to say Super Collider is as good as Rust in Peace, but that Mustaine had harnessed some sort of latter-day resurgence, landing Megadeth back among the genre’s best and most consistent bands. Evidence can be found in songs like Kingmaker and Burn!

Though great things were to come, it’s a shame Broderick didn’t stick around to challenge the vaunted Friedman era for consistency and dominance. That aside, he did find his way onto GW's cover (our June 2013 issue), becoming the first Megadeth guitarist to share the cover with Mustaine since Friedman back in 1991.

Dystopia (Universal, 2016)

It’s not hyperbolic to say that Dystopia was the best Megadeth album since the band’s first few beloved records. But this time, this isn’t just because it’s good, but because it’s truly great.

With former Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro aboard, Mustaine found the best foil he’d had since the ’80s, leading to the creation of a modern metal monster. Fatal Illusion, The Threat Is Real and Post American World are commentaries that pummel the listener into blissful submission. Dystopia is top-tier Mustaine, so it’s no wonder that it nabbed him a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.

Guitarist: Kiko Loureiro

The Sick, the Dying… And the Dead! (Universal, 2022)

Mustaine and co carried the momentum from Dystopia into the sessions for The Sick… leading to another late-career metal masterstroke. But there was more at play here, such as the Covid pandemic and Mustaine’s throat cancer diagnosis.

We’ll Be Back netted Megadeth another Grammy nod for Best Metal Performance, which was the icing on the cake given all that Mustaine had been through. On the downside, this record put a period on Lourierio’s tenure.

Guitarist: Kiko Loureiro

Megadeth (Frontiers, 2026)

Given the fact that Mustaine and his band of merry men had nabbed two Grammys after the release of the band’s previous two records, and that their live show is as hellacious as ever, it was a surprise to hear that Megadeth will be the band’s final album.

But it’s not all bad, as newbie Teemu Mäntysaari made like it was 1990, delivering a Friedman-ish performance across Tipping Point, I Don’t Care and Let There Be Shred. Mustaine is going out like he came in: kicking, screaming and delivering blood‑boiling rock just as he did in ’85.

Guitarist: Teemu Mäntysaari

• Megadeth is out now via Frontiers.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

After much speculation, Arch Enemy announced former Once Human vocalist Lauren Hart as their new singer this week. But their ex-frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz has made an announcement of her own, revealing the two guitarists set to supercharge her newly launched solo career.

The powerhouse vocalist, chosen as the replacement for Angela Gossow in 2014, departed the band after four albums last year. She then quickly launched her first solo single as she looked to “express myself in ways that have been dormant for years.”

That song was co-written with Kamelot and Doro six-stringer Oliver Palotai (Kamelot/Doro), while she was seen playing Michael Amott's Dean Tyrant signature guitar in the video.

Now, she’s announced the twin shredders who will be featuring in her band moving forward, including a guitarist Joe Satriani believes “can shred any guy out there.”

“Meet the band,” White-Gluz says in an Instagram post unveiling Alyssa Day and Danielle Sophia.

“Soon, you’ll meet the music,” she adds.

Day, who has also played in metal band Mindscar and instrumental prog metallers Abesntia, arrives with a weighty reputation, having been part of Jackson's artist roster, and a notable guitar influencer for years.

Meanwhile, Sophia has been enjoying an equally rapid ascent on social media, posting videos soloing over Meshuggah and Humanity's Last Breath riffs, as well as slick jazz playing. That’s earned the guitarist an endorsement deal with electronics gurus Fishman, and caught White-Gluz's attention in the process.

The announcement has been met with approval of Alice Cooper and Los Angeles Rams guitarist, Nita Strauss, who commented, “SHEEEEESH bringing out the heavy hitters!” There have also been supportive comments from Kiko Loureiro, Kiki Wong, and Arch Echo's Adam Bentley.

Other champions of the double appointment include Lacuna Coil vocalist Christina Scabbia, Mercyful Fate bass player Becky Baldwin, and Sepultura frontman Derrick Green.

It's not lost on us that Sophia is clutching an eight-string Jackson, either.

Now we have to play the waiting game to hear the Day-Sophia partnership. Given how quickly White-Gluz’s first single came after her Arch Enemy departure was officialised, surely we won’t be waiting too long?

Dave Mustaine has shed light on what fans can expect from Megadeth’s farewell tour later this year – and we won’t be holding our breath for any high-profile reunions.

In late 2025, Mustaine announced that he’d be retiring the Megadeth banner in 2026 with a final studio record that would be joined by a global send-off. So far, the thrash pioneers have shared three singles – one of which was a shred guitar celebration.

As far as the tour is concerned, it’s set to be one of the guitar world’s biggest events this year.

However, whereas some legacy bands have previously taken the opportunity to reunite with past members for their own farewell jaunts, Mustaine and Megadeth will be steering clear of the cameos.

In other words, don’t expect Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro, Chris Poland or any other past member of Megadeth to show up during the tour.

Mustaine shot down chances of a spectacular reunion in the new issue of Guitar World, during which he was asked about the possibility of bringing ‘Deth alumni out on stage.

“We’ve already done that with Marty,” says Mustaine [Friedman joined Megadeth on stage twice in 2023 – February in Japan and August in Germany].

“And, I mean, let’s look at the other people we’ve played with… there’s a lot of people. [Laughs] That would be a huge undertaking. I don’t think I want to do that. I’d rather keep doing what we’re doing and let the fans [experience] Megadeth music and be happy about it. It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth.’”

So, those hoping to see one last rodeo with Mustaine, Friedman, Loureiro and other Megadeth fan favorites should probably temper their expectations. That said, it certainly frees up the spotlight for the band’s current shredder, Teemu Mäntysaari, whose post-Megadeth future is looking very bright indeed.

There will be one blast from the past for Megadeth’s farewell festivities, though. On the record, Mustaine will be covering a Metallica classic that he co-wrote while in the band.

Elsewhere in his Guitar World interview, Mustaine looked back on the ill-fated guitar appointment that led Megadeth to Jeff Young. The thrash icon has also opened up about the life-changing hand condition that was behind his decision to retire Megadeth.

For the full interview with Mustaine, pick up a copy of Guitar World issue 600, on sale now.

Founded in Japan all the way back in 1957, with roots stretching to the Hoshino Gakki company in 1908, Ibanez stands today as one of the key players in the guitar market.

The brand has always been synonymous with high quality – so much so, in fact, that there’s even a now-collectable ‘lawsuit’ period of instruments from a time when American brands felt threatened by their Eastern imitators.

And while it’s easy to think of Ibanez as a company that’s at the cutting edge of metal machines for the modern age, it's also innovated much further afield: producing timeless acoustics, semi-hollows, and hollowbody instruments – not forgetting, of course, some of the world’s best-selling overdrive pedals in the Tube Screamer series. Which is exactly why this list of the 25 most important Ibanez players crosses through various genres and styles.

It's become the go-to brand for all kinds of players, from original jazz cats like George Benson and fusion pioneers like Pat Metheny to acoustic renegades like Jon Gomm and Marcin and modern trailblazers like Nita Strauss and Yvette Young.

Steve Vai

Could Steve Vai be the most quintessential Ibanez player of them all?

After all, it was his first JEM signature in 1987 that inspired the RG series, which quickly became a bestseller for the company. And then just a few years later, his Universe signatures made history as the world’s first mass-produced seven-string electric.

More importantly, however, Vai ended up cementing his name as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, from his stints with Frank Zappa, Whitesnake, and David Lee Roth and game-changing solo records like Passion And Warfare, Real Illusions: Reflections, and his latest instrumental masterpiece, Inviolate.

Joe Satriani

How many guitarists can say they taught the likes of Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett, and Alex Skolnick? Joe Satriani is truly one of a kind in that sense, but more significantly, he took rock guitar to new heights with the double Grammy-nominated album, Surfing With The Alien, and continued to innovate on the releases that followed, most notably Flying In A Blue Dream and The Extremist.

The legato-loving legend has also been prolific as a collaborator, having conquered arenas as part of Mick Jagger’s band and Deep Purple, as well as starting the G3 supergroup alongside Steve Vai. More recently, he’s been busy working with ex-Van Halen members on the Best Of All Worlds tour.

Paul Gilbert

Alongside Vai and Satch, Paul Gilbert completes what many would consider to be ‘The Big Three’ of Ibanez shredders.

His work in Racer X and Mr. Big sets him apart as one of the most advanced minds to pick up a guitar, as well as one of the most ferocious alternate pickers the world has ever seen, fusing the neoclassical edge of Yngwie Malmsteen with the impromptu bluesiness of Edward Van Halen.

He’s had all kinds of Ibanez signatures through the years, from the PGM series to the Fireman models he’s usually seen with today, having designed the latter, reversed-body model himself.

Pat Metheny

Since the release of his debut album in 1975, Pat Metheny has continually proven himself to be one of the most revolutionary minds to ever work in jazz, cross-pollinating elements of the traditional with more worldly and experimental meditations.

He currently has two Ibanez signature models, the PM200 and PM3C, and his most famous works include Still Life (Talking), Letter From Home, and Bright Size Life.

As well as these sizeable contributions to the world of electric guitar, he’s also recorded unaccompanied acoustic albums like 2003’s One Quiet Night and last year’s MoonDial release, which saw him wielding a custom-built baritone guitar made by the luthier Linda Manzer.

Tim Henson and Scott LePage

The genre-smashing guitarists from Polyphia could very well be two of the most ground-breaking names in the company’s roster of signature artists, at least in terms of recent additions.

Their most recent album, 2022’s Remember That You Will Die, was voted as the best guitar album of that year by GW readers and was also notable for featuring fellow Ibanez endorsee Steve Vai on its mind-melting closing track, Ego Death.

By that point, both guitarists already had their own signature electrics, but what really got the industry talking was Henson’s TOD10N nylon-string electric, as prominently featured on the album’s lead single, Playing God.

Ichika Nito

As the very first Japanese guitarist to become an Ibanez signature artist, you could say Ichika Nito is making history for all the right reasons.

Much like Tim Henson and Scott LePage, his take on guitar is an incredibly contemporary one – combining the sounds of tech-metal with spanky and funky cleans while dazzling listeners with an array of legato and two-handed techniques.

He currently has two Ibanez models, the Talman-inspired ICHI00 and the headless Q Series-style ICHI10.

John Scofield

Having worked with everyone from Miles Davis and Charles Mingus to Herbie Hancock and Weather Report, John Scofield’s jazz credentials are as impressive as they come.

His most famous works include 1986’s Still Warm, 1994’s Hand Jive, and 1997’s A Go Go, as well as 1994’s I Can See Your House From Here – which saw him team up with fellow Ibanez signature artist Pat Metheny for an absolute tour-de-force of modern jazz. He’s also ventured into bluesier sonic pastures, having collaborated with John Mayer and Gov't Mule.

Josh Smith

Continually featured in lists of the best blues guitarists in the world today, it’s no wonder that Josh Smith ended up being recruited by Joe Bonamassa and has become a regular face in the blues giant’s backing band. The pair also work together regularly as producers, lending their expertise to fellow blues powerhouses like Eric Gales and Larry McCray.

The guitarist/singer currently has two T-style signatures, the FlATV1 and FlATV2, and is also highly regarded for his informative tutorials, some of which he has authored for this very publication.

Manuel Gardner Fernandes

As the driving force behind progressive metal band Unprocessed, German guitarist Manuel Gardner Fernandes is someone who knows how to blend the power of gargantuan riffs with blistering lead work.

Last year he was awarded his own signature guitar, the MGFM10 – a stunning headless model in Obsidian Black Low Gloss, boasting the same advanced switching system he uses to make his guitar go from apocalyptic roars to spanky cleans.

This year’s latest Unprocessed album, titled Angel, served as yet another firm reminder of his all-encompassing talents.

George Benson

Now at 82 years old, George Benson is one of the dyed-in-the-wool veterans of jazz guitar – a multiple Grammy-winning master who influenced the sound of an entire genre and ended up inspiring countless players that came after him.

Over the years, as well as releasing an extensive solo discography, he’s worked with mainstream greats such as Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra, making him one of the most prolific jazz artists of all time. He currently has six Ibanez signature models, all of them hollowbody designs.

Yvette Young

There’s a wonderfully abstract quality to Yvette Young’s sound – of course, there’s plenty of dexterity and technicality, but the real magic lies in the sheer amount of personality the Covet guitarist throws into every note she plays.

Part of this comes down to her alternate tunings, which she has often cited as a secret weapon for yielding interesting results, as well as her experimental approach to tone, but then there’s also her piano background – which has led to her unique sense of phrasing and ear for melody.

Marcin

Having just turned 25, it would be fair to say Polish wunderkind Marcin Patrzałek is spearheading a new generation of daredevil acoustic guitarists.

He rose to fame partly thanks to his viral videos that shocked listeners in how they were able to blur the lines between classical and contemporary music. This all led to the release of his first signature in 2022, the Ibanez MRC10, and a major label deal that started with last year’s debut full-length, Dragon In Harmony.

Nita Strauss

In 2018, Nita Strauss made history as the first woman to have her own Ibanez signature model, which she named the JIVA. It was certainly well-warranted, given her background playing in Alice Cooper’s band, as well as the all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens.

Since then she’s worked with pop sensation Demi Lovato and has also released two solo albums, the latter of which featured an array of high profile guest stars, including Marty Friedman, David Draiman, and Lzzy Hale.

Andy Timmons

When it comes to tasteful shredding, Andy Timmons is up there with the likes of gold-standard legends like Eric Johnson and Steve Lukather.

He knows how to impress people, but more importantly, he knows when to focus on the melody. Which is exactly why he’s worked with high profile names like Olivia Newton-John, Paula Abdul, and fellow Ibanez endorsee Paul Stanley.

He currently has three Strat-style Ibanez signatures, which come fitted with three DiMarzio humbuckers, including his own AT-1 pickup in the bridge.

Jon Gomm

English guitarist Jon Gomm became one of the early standouts in the modern percussive acoustic scene thanks to the 2011 track Passionflower going viral, which led to both national and international coverage.

In 2020, he announced he’d joined the Ibanez roster, and two years later he unveiled a pair of signature models – the JGM5 and the JGM10 – tailor-made for wanting to implement two-handed ideas based on open tunings, while also using the body of the guitar for drum beats.

Lari Basilio

Over the last decade or so, Brazilian virtuoso Lari Basilio has established herself as one of the most tasteful players of her generation – striking that perfect balance between technical wizardry, emotional phrasing, and an inimitable sense of feel.

Her Seymour Duncan-equipped LB1 signature was debuted in 2021, making her the third female signature artist for Ibanez, with the latest update being this year’s version in black.

Her latest album, Redemption, was also released earlier this year, with no shortage of dazzling fretwork and earworm melodies.

James ‘Munky’ Shaffer and Brian ‘Head’ Welch

Steve Vai may have helped invent the world’s first mass-produced electric seven-string with Ibanez, but it was Korn who took that extended range to new (or nu) metallic heights, inventing a whole subgenre in the process.

For guitarists Munky and Head, the extra low-end only intensified the heaviness and helped them reinvent guitar music in the mid-90s.

Head left Ibanez for ESP back in 2016 but made his official return to the fold earlier this year with the launch of the K7 series.

Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström

Much like Munky and Head from Korn, Meshuggah guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström were early adopters of the seven-string, as demonstrated on the 1995 tech-metal landmark, Destroy Erase Improve.

Other releases like Chaosphere, Nothing, and Obzen would also become hugely influential on the tech-metal scene, with bands like Animals As Leaders, Periphery, and Tesseract taking metric modulations and polyrhythmic concepts to new sonic horizons.

The Swedish pair would later move onto eight-strings, leading to signature models like the M8M, M80M, and FTM33.

Paul Stanley

It’s easy to think of Kiss as a Gibson band, given the kind of instruments usually seen in the hands of lead guitarists like Ace Frehley and Tommy Thayer.

Singer and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, however, has been using Ibanez guitars on and off since 1977 – most notably the company's Iceman offset – which led to the five signature models that currently bear his name, including the striking Cracked Mirror PS1CM.

Kiko Loureiro

There’s a golden rule for anyone who plays lead guitar in Megadeth – you have to be, without question, one of the best shredders on the planet.

Brazilian virtuoso Kiko Loureiro had already proven his merits in Angra and was a perfect fit for the thrash titans when he joined in 2015. He recorded two albums with the band, 2016’s Dystopia and 2022’s The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, before announcing his departure in 2023.

He currently has three Ibanez signature models, all of which feature his custom DiMarzio pickups and a double-locking tremolo system.

Dexter Holland and Noodles

As the two guitar players in The Offspring, Dexter Holland and Noodles are well-known for dialing in tones that are guaranteed to cut through any mix.

The pair were at the very forefront of the 90s punk rock scene, with key albums like Smash and Ixnay On The Hombre setting them up for the mainstream success that followed with the 1998 bestseller Americana, which yielded hit singles like Pretty Fly (For A White Guy), Why Don’t You Get A Job?, and The Kids Aren’t Alright.

Holland sticks with ARZ and RG models while Noodles has had several signatures, the latest being 2020’s NDM5.

Daron Malakian

Joining Paul Stanley, Fredrik Thordendal, and Tom G. Warrior in our list of Iceman devotees, System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian is someone deeply connected to the striking offset shape.

“I went to Guitar Center, and I saw this Iceman sitting there, and I was like, ‘You know, that’s a guitar that not too many people use’,” he once explained.

The Armenian-American group became one of the biggest bands of their generation thanks to the world-conquering success of tracks like Chop Suey!, Toxicity, and Aerials.

Nili Brosh

Well-renowned for being one of the most versatile musicians in the Ibanez roster, Israeli-American shredder Nili Brosh has performed with Danny Elfman, Cirque Du Soleil, Dethklok, The Iron Maidens, and Tony MacAlpine – a list which perfectly demonstrates just how well-rounded her skillset is.

Her third solo album, titled Spectrum, was released in 2019 and her main guitars include an Ibanez LA Custom RG770 and a Desert Yellow RG550.

Jake Bowen

The sole Ibanez endorsee in Periphery’s trio of hotshot guitarists, Jake Bowen is also their longest-serving member after founder Misha Mansoor.

Over the course of seven full-length albums, they’ve become torchbearers for the modern tech-metal scene and in many ways typify the ‘djent’ wave of bands that arrived roughly 10 years after the new millennium.

He currently has three signature models: the JBM9999 and JBM10FX six-strings as well as the JBM27 seven-string.

Martin Miller

Martin Miller is a man of many talents. The German musician is a highly respected educator, with books and video courses to help rock guitarists expand into fusion.

He also writes, records, and tours original music, but his biggest calling card has been a series of live studio performances that find him enrolling guitar heroes old and new to cover hits of every kind. Hey Jude with Paul Gilbert, Kiss from a Rose with Lari Basilio, and Get Lucky with Kirk Fletcher are just three prominent examples.

He has a pair of Ibanez signatures to his name, the most recent being the MMN1, which was released in 2023.

It’s the stuff of nightmares: a piggy bank–shattering electric guitar getting its first war wound, tainting the flawless gloss finish. The guitar is ruined. It’ll never be the same again.

Former Megadeth shredder Kiko Loureiro, however, believes that players needn’t be so precious about scratches and dings – especially if the instrument is intended to be played regularly.

“If your guitar is flawless, maybe you haven’t played it enough,” he says in a matter-of-fact Instagram post. “Scratches and dings? Those are just proof you’re creating something real. Use it. Abuse it.”

In the accompanying video, he can be seen rubbing an Ibanez up and down a hardshell guitar case, seemingly in a bid to demonstrate his nonchalant attitude to guitar damage – something that may make certain readers reel.

Loureiro's comments echo similar words he offered during a recent interview, a clip of which was included in the post. In it, he encourages players not to worry about scratches.

“I use guitars that are like $3,000 – expensive guitars,” he says. “[They’re] my signature guitars from Ibanez.

“You’ve gotta lose the fuss. You grab the new guitar, you scratch it. Grab the key right away. The guitar has to be part of your everyday life. If you keep thinking, ‘I can’t scratch it,’ you’ll never practice!”

There’s also the argument that road-worn guitars possess a certain uniqueness. Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Strat – which sold for $1.16 million last year – was all the more iconic for its half-destroyed look, while plenty of firms are cashing in on players wanting far-from-pristine instruments straight off the shelf.

For example, Solar and Music Man have both released innovative metal-finished guitars that oxidize as you play, giving each guitar a one-of-a-kind look, and Lee Malia wanted his brand-new signature Jackson to wear quicker than normal. Beyond that, Charvel, EVH, and Solar (again) are among the builders putting out already-relic’d guitars.

Solar chief Ola Englund admitted he wasn’t a fan of the concept at first, but has warmed to it over time.

“Relic guitars are something that divide a lot of people,” he said. “I remember when Fender started doing this, I was like, ‘Why would anyone purchase something that’s pre-worn?’

“[I thought it was] like buying pre-worn jeans with all the holes in them, but I’ve realized they’re a very acquired taste.”

Proving he isn’t ovely precious about his guitars – even ones he’s achieved great things with – Loureiro sold a score of gear he used during his Megadeth days on Reverb last year. He’s since been working on writing a solo album, which puts everything he learned from his time with the thrash metal icons into a new era for the shredder.

A 12-year-old heavy metal prodigy named Vox Realis is making waves in the guitar world, after he was accepted into a mentorship program run by a former Megadeth electric guitar player.

Realis, who first picked up the guitar at the age of seven and learned Black Sabbath’s Iron Man as his first song, was recently the topic of a KOMO News piece, which explored the aspiring shredder’s guitar journey so far.

And, unsurprisingly, the young player has hit a fair few milestones already in his burgeoning career, including playing onstage at The Kelly Clarkson Show, amassing thousands of followers on social media thanks to his ‘Metal for Breakfast’ clips… and being accepted into a mentorship program organized by metal legend, Kiko Loureiro.

As Realis explains, he first met Loureiro after submitting a speculative application to join his mentorship program, though believed his chances to be slim after thinking it was mainly for older guitarists. Realis’ playing, though, made an impression on the ex-Megadeth shredder.

“How I met him was he posted online about an opening slot in his mentorship, but it's mainly for adults,” Realis says. “So I was like, ‘I'm a kid. I should apply. He's gonna say no, right?’ But he said yes. So I'm in Seattle, and he's in Helsinki, Finland, so we have to Zoom, and we Zoom every two weeks, and we talk about everything guitar.”

Despite conducting the majority of their initial sessions online, the pair eventually met in person, when Realis flew over to Finland to talk and jam with his hero in the flesh.

It takes a particularly bright talent to catch Loureiro’s eye, and naturally he’s especially praising of Realis’ already well-developed guitar skills.

“My initial reaction when I saw Vox play, I was amazed,” Loureiro remembers. “I saw his videos on Instagram. I was just amazed how this young kid can play so well. And of course, it takes me back to when I started playing guitar.”

Realis himself, meanwhile, has set himself some lofty goals, and is hoping he will be able to put his own stamp on the metal world.

“I'm thinking sponsorship with my own signature guitar, probably an album out and touring with a metal band,” he says of his future.

“But I don't know where metal is going to be in 10 to 20 years, but I want to put my stamp on it. I'm going to be me and metal is going to be me. I'm going to put my stamp on it.”

Visit Vox Realis’ Instagram account for more.

It took Kiko Loureiro a year to make the decision to leave Megadeth in 2023, but the deciding factors were simple enough. “My kids are more important,” he tells Guitar World. “Me being home is more important. Do I need to deny the family thing to feel like a rock star every night?”

After handpicking replacement Teemu Mantysaari, Loureiro laid low for a while. But he’s returned with seventh solo record, Theory of Mind, which demonstrates his genre-bending ways.

“I get great messages from people who see me as a more capable musician,” he reports. “I’m bringing more elements. It’s an intersection of instrumental metal and prog. I don’t know about the guy who only likes Megadeth’s Symphony of Destruction – he might listen say, ‘Oh, it’s too complicated.’”

He doesn’t expect a return to Megadeth-scale stages, but it’s more important for him to feel like he’s being creative.

“Anything related to creativity and the brain is super-interesting – I like to analyze myself and who I am through the music I play. When you create, you make decisions about what’s good. So I wonder, ‘Why do I believe this thing is good?’ It connects with my deeper feelings.”

What’s your state of mind been like since leaving Megadeth leading up to Theory of Mind?

“The album wasn’t composed after I left Megadeth – I started writing maybe two-and-a-half years ago. So it’s not a reflection of Kiko leaving Megadeth, but of Kiko thinking about leaving Megadeth.

“It was a long process. It starts slowly in your mind: that feeling with the kids, me being on tour in different time zones, not being there for them. I started to feel bad; you reflect on how many years you’ve been touring. The reflection started a year prior.”

Did you postpone the release intentionally to let the dust settle?

“During my time off before I left Megadeth, I checked the melodies on the demos, and then the decision came. I completed the album in March, but the whole deal was a lot of work. I thought, ‘It’s better to release this when I can dedicate time to social media and record some playthroughs.’ I have to do things in small doses to extend the conversation about the album.”

You’d just come off a massive promotional cycle with Megadeth – releasing an album on your own must be a very different animal.

“It’s not very different; it doesn’t feel different because I’ve done solo albums, so it’s more about aligning your expectations. I’m not expecting to play Madison Square Garden! With Megadeth somebody would book the interviews – now, I’m talking to people directly. Levels of expectations are very important for every artist to understand.”

How would you describe Theory of Mind to someone who only knows you from Megadeth?

“If they discovered me through Megadeth and hear this, they might say, ‘Oh, wow, he’s able to do all this, too!’ If they're a musician, that’s one thing. But if they’re a metalhead, they might not like it because it’s instrumental music. The lyrics in Megadeth are so intense, and people really like the messages – but that was not my intention.”

What was your intention?

“You have the metal circle, the guitarist circle, the shred circle, and the prog circle; I’m inside all these circles. It’s a small niche but my album is for all these people. They have to be fans of metal and guitar, or they won’t like it.

“I told my drummer, ‘This time it’s going to be super-simple.’ My first idea was to have the riffs be very direct – but the album became complicated. My drummer said, ‘This is one of the most difficult albums I’ve recorded!’ I was like, ‘Really? My bad!’”

You purged a lot of gear after leaving Megadeth. What led to that?

“When I came from Brazil to California, I had to learn how to get rid of gear. I was collecting and collecting; and when you move, you say, ‘This is too complicated.’ It’s easier to be more minimalistic.

“I had like 15 guitars with Megadeth. Shipping them overseas when they were about to go on tour would have been hard, so the easiest thing was to sell them on Reverb. It was more about being practical than thinking, ‘I want to open space to buy new, different guitars!’ But I’m not minimal. I have a lot of guitars. If you pass 10 guitars, you're not being minimalistic!”

What guitars did you use on Theory of Mind?

“It’s mainly Ibanez for the leads. I have a Fender Strat for some clean tones and for when I’m trying to do more of a Jeff Beck melody kind of thing. Sometimes I want to have a kind of crystal-clear tone, and I think the Ibanez is better for that. It’s more modern.

“On maybe two or three songs I use my classical guitar, made by a luthier in Brazil. These songs are difficult to play – I have to choose the guitar that feels most comfortable, so my Ibanez signature model is what I usually go for.”

Which song from the album best represents the guitarist you are today?

“I’m not sure! I wanted to more of a fusion thing and I wanted to be a bit more metal. Then, maybe a song with a nice melody. The whole thing describes who I am – it’s like a fractal kind of thing because I like everything. I like shred, I like simple groove, and I like when something has a little bit of a Brazilian feel.”

Has writing songs with Dave Mustaine impacted your approach?

“I tried to take some influence from Megadeth during my songwriting process. I’m trying to write more direct riffs, which I think is the influence. I tend to be more of an improviser. It’s always about how you feel – my visions and the images that come will lead to one thing and then another. If I get stuck, I’ll come back next week to see if you have new visions.

“With Megadeth, of course, you think about the riff and that’s it. You don’t try to develop a second idea from that riff. You record the riff and that’s it. Dave has those riffs and he connects them. Once you believe all the riffs are amazing, it doesn't matter how you connect them because everything is great. All the thrash metal bands from that period follow that rule, I guess.”

“I was always jamming, saying, ‘Let’s keep playing and see what’s gonna happen.’ That wastes time when the Megadeth way is like a factory. You create great products and make an amazing bundle. I tried to be a little bit more like that. The Megadeth influence is in the way I create songs, but I still have fun discovering things.”

Theory of Mind represents a significant transition in your life. Where do you go from here?

“One thing is for sure: I like playing, creating songs, and recording. It’s very hard for me to play an AC/DC kind of song, but that’s something I want to do in the future. I want to write a very simple and direct song. I think Megadeth does that.

“It’s an interesting process, and never-ending until I retire or die. When you start as a musician you might think, ‘My album has to be amazing.’ Now I feel this album is part of a journey; I’m thinking about what’s going to be next.”

• Theory of Mind is out now.

11-year-old guitarist Aanika Pai has caught the attention of ex-Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro after playing an impromptu solo to a backing track at Loureiro's Guitar Experience camp in Helsinki.

The young guitarist confidently went on stage, plugged a flare red Ibanez RG550 that Loureiro lent her into a Neural DSP Quad Cortex, and ripped a few solos that even impressed the veteran guitarist. Pai showcased her speed and fast-developing penchant for classic rock and speed metal-style solos.

Her stylistic preference comes as no surprise, considering she's been posting guitar covers in the same vein as Van Halen's Jump, Queen's Somebody to Love, Megadeth's Lucretia and Killing Time, and Pearl Jam's Alive.

“What an unbelievable moment!!! Thank you @kikoloureiro for the amazing guitar camp in Helsinki. Aanika was super lucky to get to use one of Kiko Loureiro’s first Ibanez guitars in the guitar experience camp,” Pai's parents posted on Instagram.

Loureiro's guitar camp comes after he kickstarted his post-Megadeth career. Earlier this year, Kiko Loureiro released his first new music since his departure from the band last November – a collaborative single with virtuoso guitarist Plini. The track was reportedly written and recorded in a single day.

Loureiro also talked to Guitar World about why his temporary departure from Megadeth became permanent, and what fans can expect from him moving forward.

“It was complicated for me to say because I wanted to play, but I knew I needed to be at home. And, of course, Dave [Mustaine, Megadeth's co-founder and frontman] was not expecting it. We had just done a show in Florida with the Misfits, and it was right after that show that I talked to Dave,” he said.

“Ultimately, I had to take control because I knew I needed and wanted to be home. People who don’t have kids won’t understand, while if you do, you will. I don’t want to regret my choices about my kids in 10 years because I wasn’t there. The type of freedom I was talking about was deciding what you want to do with your life.”

And in terms of new music, Loureiro mentioned he's well on his way to potentially releasing more solo material. “Even before I talked to Dave I had around 11 new songs done. By May, I had the drums recorded, and in June I did the rhythm guitars for what’s going to be an instrumental solo guitar album. I now need to finish the solos and melodies, and I finally have time.”

Kiko Loueiro has been keeping himself busy since leaving Megadeth last year, but his recent cameo appearance jamming live with Guthrie Govan didn't quite go to plan.  

It reads like something from a nightmare: you’ve been invited up on stage to jam with one of the best guitarists in the world, you play a big, soul-stirring bend... and then your guitar falls from its strap and slams on the floor. 

Luckily, the Brazilian shredder took the faux pas in his stride, and used it as an important lesson to all of his Instagram followers: “Things don’t always go as planned,” he says. “Smile and keep going. That’s my message.” 

Having been invited to jam with Guthrie Govan, Loueiro says he hurried on to the stage with his electric guitar, “only to realize the strap lock wasn’t properly attached.” 

You can see a look of shock – mixed with a dash of embarrassment – as his red Ibanez KIKO100 signature guitar falls, escapes his clutches and crunches onto the stage floor. He's then seen re-strapping the guitar before nonchalantly continuing with the jam, like a true professional.

While the video is a great advertisement for the value of strap locks, it also showcases his guitar's tuning stability, with its tuning seemingly untouched despite the impact.

“Despite the rush,” he adds, “the guitar is alive and well, better than ever.” That's good news indeed. It could have been a lot worse for that poor Ibanez.

Since stepping down from Megadeth, Loureiro teamed up with Plini and Neural DSP for a new song, Out of the Void.

He’s also recently listed his Megadeth gear on Reverb, offering a slice of thrash metal history to fans with dollars to spare. 

Kiko Loureiro is the latest guitarist to announce he’s selling a load of staged-played and studio-used gear on his very own Reverb store.

The Official Kiko Loureiro Reverb Shop has already opened its virtual doors for customers, and will give metal guitar fans the chance to acquire some kit selected straight from the former Megadeth member’s arsenal.

There are, of course, a bunch of guitars up for sale, including a handful of Loureiro’s  Ibanez signature guitars (a prototype KIKOSP3 model can be found in there) as well as a host of acoustic guitars that have all seen action with Megadeth.

That list comprises a Godin Multiac ACS SA Grand Concert used during the ‘23 world tour,  and a Godin Arena Pro CW and an Ibanez GA6CE-AM that went on the road with Loureiro in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

As for electrics, there are also a “couple of well-used Kramer models”, such as an SM-1 and Custom. There are some more surprising models included in the list, too, such as a Gibson Les Paul Modern that Loureiro played for two songs every night during the 2022 Megadeth tour.

The Kiko Loureiro Reverb Shop also has rooms on its digital shelves for some backline kit, too. “Several” Neural DSP Quad Cortex units (presumably with the guitarist’s presets still loaded in there) will be up for grabs.

A DV Mark Multiamp and Neoclassic 1x12 cab lifted straight from the Megadeth jam room is also set to go up for sale.

If you’re a Loureiro fan but would rather buy his, erm, Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu gear, you’re in luck, because a bunch of miscellaneous personal items will also be sold alongside the guitar equipment. There are some sweatbands and a few shirts, if you feel so inclined.

Loureiro comments: “You can find all the gear, all the guitars, that I was using during the years with Megadeth. All the tours, and also the pre-production and recording of the album, The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead!

“Instead of bringing it home, I decided to get all the gear that I had in Nashville at the Megadeth headquarters to send to Reverb.”

It’s worth noting that Loureiro perhaps feels ready to part ways with all of his Megadeth gear after officially leaving the band late last year. 

This represents something of a hard reset, and while there may be a few leftover pieces of Megadeth memorabilia left in his arsenal, it looks as though Loureiro is getting ready for a fresh start.

Head over to Kiko Loureiro's Reverb Shop to find out more.

Dave Mustaine has heaped praise on Megadeth’s new guitarist, Teemu Mäntysaari, calling him a “monster” player and “the guy I’ve been looking for for a very long time”.

During a recent interview with Colombian YouTuber Alejandrosis, Mustaine shed more light on Kiko Loueiro's departure, and detailed what it's been like having Mäntysaari's monstrous talents onboard.    

Waxing lyrical of his skills, Mustaine said (via Blabbermouth) “Teemu is a monster. He is the guy I've been looking for for a very long time. I ask him to learn a song, he learns it. I ask him to learn a solo, he learns it. I ask him to learn a vocal part, he learns it. 

“He has a really great right hand,” he adds. “It's very intelligent. It's a lot like mine. I love watching him play and I love watching him learn, because he learns as fast as anybody else could, and it's made me really interested in my craft again. 

“I was not looking at [the] guitar like something I needed to make part of my day, every single day. Sometimes I would set the guitar down and I wouldn't touch it for a couple of days. 

“Ever since Teemu came in, I'm ready to warm up, I'm ready to practice, I'm ready to go over the solos, and I'm ready to fucking rip.” 

Mustaine also delved deeper into the departure of Mäntysaari's predecessor, reflecting: “Kiko leaving was bittersweet. Kiko is a really good dad, and he loves his family, and he also loves his craft. He's a wonderful guitar player, and he's been a good friend to me, Megadeth fans, and the band. 

“We found out that Kiko was having stress and strain on his family, being away so much, and we knew that it wasn't gonna get any better; it was just gonna be more shows and more time away from home.” 

He adds that Mäntysaari, who had originally stepped in as a touring member, joined to help Loueiro relieve some of that strain on his family. 

“We all agreed [to] bring in an understudy,” says Mustaine. “Teemu came in and helped us for a little while, and then we realized that this is probably the best thing, is for us to stick with Teemu and [for Kiko to] step aside and take care of [his] little ones until everything's okay.” 

Since entering the fold, he’s blown Mustaine away for his ability to learn the music and adapt into his new surroundings. 

In his interview with Alejandrosis, Mustaine continues: “I talk to Teemu and I say, 'We need to add a new song to the set.' [And he says] 'Okay. What song?' Are you fucking kidding me? You know how much I had to beg for the last 30 fucking years to get any of the other guitar players to learn somebody else's solo?! 

“And here you come in and flail this stuff out like you're eating Rice Krispies. I'm so excited, and I can't wait for you to see this dude.” 

Mäntysaari played his first show with the band in September 2023, having done “detective work” on the techniques employed across the Megadeth discography. 

Speaking to Guitar World for his first official interview since joining the American thrashers full-time, Mäntysaari said he’s “excited to bring my spice to the Megadeth soup” and has even hinted that there might be some “Rust in Peace vibes” to forthcoming material.

Loureiro, meanwhile, has recently teamed up with Plini to pen a song for Neural DSP – and made a huge impression on the Aussie maestro in the process.

When Kiko Loureiro joined Megadeth on April 2, 2015, he knew he’d experience a windfall of fame, fortune, and emotions. It must have been difficult to leave Angra, the band he’d co-founded in 1991. But it must have been even more difficult assuming the role of lead guitarist in Dave Mustaine’s band Megadeth – a hotbed of activity since Marty Friedman split the scene in 1999.

After Friedman, there was Al Pitrelli, Glen Drover and Chris Broderick. None of them stuck; in fact, most of them flamed out in infamy. And so, by 2015, many assumed Mustaine to be impossible to work with and that Megadeth was on its last legs.

Truthfully, that was the case – until Loureiro came along. In short order, much like Friedman had before him, he helped right the ship with two critically acclaimed records in Dystopia (2015) and The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! (2022).

Now in reflection mode after stepping away from the MegaMachine in the fall of 2023, Loureiro tells Guitar World, “I’m so proud of what we did. Dystopia was a Grammy winner, and The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! was nominated.”

“I wrote several songs with Dave, played amazing places, did huge tours, and I still have a great relationship with the guys. I can look back and be proud of what I did with Megadeth, and I will one day be proud to catch up with them, wearing a Megadeth shirt!”

Unlike many who have departed the band in the past, Loureiro seems to be a rare case of an amicable divorce. It helped that he left the band in good shape by suggesting his replacement, Teemu Mäntysaari. “It’s all positive vibes, man,” Loureiro says. “I’ve been in situations in the past where it wasn’t, and I’ve learned that when you dedicate your life to creating music with someone else, you don’t want bad feelings.”

“I don’t want weird feelings connected to music. When you’ve make music with someone, you don’t want to disconnect over stupid fights. So while I didn’t want to be in Megadeth anymore, I’m still proud. And I’m glad about that – as everyone knows that it hasn’t always been that way when it comes to Megadeth.”

Now in possession of his freedom – which means something different than most think – Loureiro adds: “Everybody knows that Megadeth is a place where musicians come and go. It’s not surprising to anybody that I’d eventually go.

“People were probably saying, ‘Oh, if he stays, he’ll be there longer than Marty,’ or whatever math people like to do. No matter what, people would [eventually] say, ‘Kiko is past his due date.’ Some bands are more stable, and others keep changing members. It’s whatever works, you know?

“It’s rare that any band stays together forever like U2 or Rush. So nine years was okay, and I did well. It could have been more – but I needed to be out for personal reasons. I had the freedom to choose if I wanted to stay or go. I made my choice. No regrets.”

You left Megadeth at the end of 2023. What brought you to that decision?

“It started when I booked a trip home to Brazil. The last time I’d been was in 2019, before the pandemic; I got to a point where I said, ‘I need to visit my family,’ so I booked a trip for the Thanksgiving period in 2023 because Megadeth never does anything around that time.

“When you’re young, not married and have no kids, the mindset is, ‘The more concerts, the better.’ But my daughter is 12 now, and I want to spend time with her. I also want to be out there playing. When the Megadeth thing happened for me in 2015, I had a young daughter and twins who were newborns. I was always struggling with knowing I needed to be touring, but also wanted to be home with my kids and my wife.

“So the feeling of, ‘Should I be out doing this rockstar thing while my kids are at home?’ kept coming up. And the more moments and important dates I missed, the harder it was.

“It got harder in 2023, especially during the three-month summer tour. So I went to Dave in June, saying, ‘This is too much. I’m not feeling like I’m in the right place or mood to give 100 percent.’

“It was complicated for me to say because I wanted to play, but I knew I needed to be at home. And, of course, Dave was not expecting it. We had just done a show in Florida with the Misfits, and it was right after that show that I talked to Dave.

“And then Megadeth management was there, and I let them know I could not do the September gigs. I offered to help find a replacement and do what was needed to help Megadeth be ready to go.”

What led to your departure being a permanent situation rather than just a temporary thing?

“My proposal was not to do the September shows and help them find a replacement, which turned out to be Teemu. But then I had some situations with my kids and had to go to the doctor, and I felt like I wanted to be home.

“And I get it – Megadeth must go on, right? Being able to pick and choose where and when I play is not going to be a thing. I mean, I guess it could be, but that’s not the way it turned out.

“Maybe they felt like, ‘Well, Kiko might come out on the next tour and say the same thing,’ which I understand. So I told them, ‘I understand if you guys feel that I’m unreliable,’ They kept asking me, ‘Are you sure?’ 

“Ultimately, I had to take control because I knew I needed and wanted to be home. People who don’t have kids won’t understand, while if you do, you will.”

The only comment you’ve made until now came during an appearance on the Amplifica podcast, where you mentioned “freedom”. What does freedom look like for you now?

“It was a friend’s podcast. He didn’t want to ask anything about Megadeth, but I felt like I needed to talk about everything. So I mentioned this ‘freedom’ thing, and I have no idea how the internet interpreted it because I barely go on there. I’m sure people took it differently.

“It came about through a long conversation about my feelings about my life – it wasn’t about wanting to be free from Megadeth in a bad way. I know that many people aren’t able to quit their jobs and choose to be unemployed, but I had two viable options: to be in Megadeth or not. I chose my personal life.”

Did the idea of going from being in Megadeth to unemployment scare you?

“No. I was playing a lot with Megadeth, and I could have kept doing tours, you know? But if I did that, I felt my home life would be worse. And look, everyone survives in this scenario. I had the option of not being in Megadeth – even if you never know the future – and I chose that option so I could be home.

“I don’t want to regret my choices about my kids in 10 years because I wasn’t there. The type of freedom I was talking about was deciding what you want to do with your life. Not specifically freedom from Megadeth.

“I totally understand that having the freedom to decide like this is a luxury. It’s not like in the past, when I had to worry about my next meal or bill; I could decide. It took courage to decide to be with my kids, but I knew they needed me to do that.”

Considering the chemistry between yourself, Dave, James LoMenzo and Dirk Verbeuren, I assume they understood.

“Dirk has no kids, and James and Dave’s kids are grown, so they can tour endlessly without worrying about raising young kids like I do. And anyone can substitute for you, right? I was already substituting for other guitar players who came before me.

”I’m sure Dave, James and Dirk don’t want to be in a situation where a guy in the band doesn’t want to tour. Megadeth must go on, and while I love touring and playing guitar, being with my kids has become more important.”

What about Teemu led you to pick him as your replacement?

“Dave is the commander, right? So, I told him, ‘You choose the guitarist, and I’ll help them however I can.’ But it wasn’t happening, so I took the first step and made a list of guitarists, and Teemu was on that list. I had heard good things and seen some videos, and the fact that he was in Europe and could easily travel to be part of the European tour helped. I presented this to Dave, and he agreed.”

Did you leave Teemu with any knowledge or access to your Quad Cortex presets?

“We had him watch as many concerts over the summer as possible. He came to my house and I gave him access to everything – my presets and even my guitars. I said, ‘You use Ibanez, too. If you want, you can borrow anything you like.’

“He came out and filmed the shows, and I showed him all the moves to prepare him. Later he came to my hotel room and we went through the whole thing many times. I wanted to have as clean a transition as possible to show that I wasn’t quitting Megadeth on bad terms. I wanted what was best for the band.

“So any guitars, gear, or knowledge I had, I offered it to Teemu. I also offered insight into the dynamics of being in Megadeth, which has its own rules – it’s kind of like a corporation and has its own style. I wanted to give him knowledge, so that I wasn’t just giving Dave a guy for now but a guy for forever.”

Many people assumed – or hoped – that Marty Friedman would rejoin Megadeth. Was that discussed?

“Actually, I even mentioned to management and Dave that I thought bringing Marty back would be amazing. I have no idea if they’re talking about it or talking to him, but I did say that. Beyond that, I don’t want to make anything more complicated.”

Marty is so revered amongst Megadeth fans. Was that difficult for you while you were in the band?

“I always felt so accepted the whole time I was in Megadeth. The fans never said anything bad about me or complained, which was amazing. But I’m a fan, and I always understood that Marty was a part of those iconic albums like Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction. I understood that Marty was the guy who helped create that sound and style.

“From the moment I joined, I knew I would never win their hearts over Marty. I just tried to be myself and play as close as possible to the classic sound. It was amazing to play this amazing catalog of classic songs, have the fans praise me, and have me nearly side by side with Marty Friedman.”

Where did you leave Megadeth in terms of new music?

“We had great moments like the Grammys, but they weren’t talking about recording a new album anytime soon. For me, It’s so important to keep recording and making new music – but with Megadeth, you play the same 20 songs and maybe add one or two new ones.

“I understood it, but at the same time, I still think it’s important to be creative. As far as I know, they’re not planning anything new for the next few years.”

It sounds like you are interested in recording new music, though. Do you have anything in the works?

“For sure. Even before I talked to Dave I had around 11 new songs done. By May, I had the drums recorded, and in June I did the rhythm guitars for what’s going to be an instrumental solo guitar album. I now need to finish the solos and melodies, and I finally have time.

“This is the fun part for me – I can be looser as I don’t have to worry about touring. I had to keep postponing recording it, so I’m very excited to get going on it this year.”

How did being a part of Megadeth for nearly a decade change you as an artist?

“I have this good feeling over me that I don’t remember feeling before Megadeth. It’s like, ‘Oh, I can finally say no or yes to anything I want.’ Before Megadeth, I had to agree to everything because while Angra was successful in Japan, we had to work hard for everything.

“When asked, we’d tour Canada, Europe, South America, or wherever else. And I was one of the guys who pushed for that. So it’s an amazing feeling to be 51 and have people ask me to do things and be able to decide if I want to do them or not.

“It’s also dangerous because I’m now depending on myself to do stuff  – like finishing my solo album. There’s a deadline, but I’m the one putting it out there, and I’m the one who will have to record it and decide about touring.

“I finally get to be like Joe Satriani or Steve Vai. I love to play in bands, but I never had the time or courage to sit back and be like those guys. This is the first time I say, ‘Well, here’s Kiko.’ Not Kiko from Angra or Kiko from Megadeth – just Kiko, and nothing extra after that.”

Now we understand what “freedom” means to you at this point in your life, is instrumental guitar where you see yourself going exclusively?

“That would be the easy path. But who knows? I was talking to Dave the other day – we’re still good friends, so to some degree, the door will stay open. I could play with Megadeth or maybe some other band who calls me and has me saying, ‘Okay, now it’s time.’ I don’t know the future, and it will take time.

“I do know that I want to be home more, and that I love to play guitar. I also love to learn and am excited to have more time to do that. I want to play other instruments and work on composing – but like I said, that all depends on me. If someone else asks me to do something, I’m not looking for that. I am not searching for another band; I want to play guitar.”

So it’s wait and see, then?

“Yeah, let’s see how it goes. I want to be more connected to the internet and the guitar community. I plan to do more YouTube and just be more present by doing interviews and talking to people. I think engaging with the community, my guitar academy, and the internet will be important.

“I can do it from home, on my terms, and in my own time while I finish this album and maybe start another. Let’s see what happens… I’ll probably have a better idea in a few months.”

• Find out more at the Kiko Loureiro Guitar Academy.

Kiko Loureiro has released his first new music since leaving Megadeth: a collaborative track with Australian virtuoso Plini, written and recorded in just one day.

Out of the Void shows the pair putting the newly released Archetype: Plini X through its paces for a new Neural DSP promo.

When the Finnish plugin experts announced the updated plugin in November, there was great excitement at the mention of players being able to use its tones both in their DAWs and with the Quad Cortex floor modellers. While the Cortex seen in the video is merely being used as an audio interface, it does give a great taste of what the updated plugin can do.

It was the first time the Australian and ex-Megadeth man had met in person, sitting in a studio with their guitars as they piece together ideas. Plini wields his true temperament Strandberg Sälen, and Kiko his Ibanez Prestige, and the resulting song showcases the best of their musical personalities.  

Their creative process has been documented with an accompanying video, as the guitarists navigate each other’s playing, tastes and chord progressions. The illuminating 20-minute video shows the pair bouncing ideas back and forth, with Kiko’s chordal work catching Plini’s ears early on.

“We just started noodling and I liked the tonality of your playing and was like, 'We should use that',” he says of the song's creation. As they knuckle down with the progression later on, Plini quips, “Are you improvising? Damn, you're good!”

Neural DSP released the updated Archetype: Plini X in November, adding octave, fuzz, delay, distortion and modulation effects in a free update. Chief among those new features is the octave/fuzz combo, with Plini having been drawn to the effects first present on Archetype: Gojira, which have since become a core part of his writing process, as heard on new EP, Mirage.

Those tones are present again on Out of the Void, with a gnarly, fuzz-snarled riff driving out of the track’s luscious opening, before we’re treated to oodles of smooth, meandering lead playing from Loureiro. It’s a song that Plini calls “harmonically weird”.

“We started five hours ago, and it was the first time we’d ever met before,” says Loureiro. “It was a risky thing to come here and maybe nothing happens, but it’s fun.”

Drums for the track, recorded at a later date, were played by Angra’s Bruno Valverde, with Arch Echo guitarist Adam Bentley – whose presets feature on a number of Neural plugins – handling mixing and mastering.

The track follows a rich line of Neural DSP collaborations, with Plini having previously written Blue Angel with Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood. Tosin Abasi and Ivan Chopik, meanwhile, teamed up for the aptly named Archetype.

For Kiko, life after Megadeth looks prosperous, with many new creative avenues opening up before him. Alongside his collaboration with Plini, he revealed to Guitar World that a new solo album is in the works.

“Even before I talked to Dave [Mustaine about leaving], I had around 11 new songs done,” he says. “By May I had the drums recorded, and in June I did the rhythm guitars for what’s going to be an instrumental solo guitar album. I now need to finish the solos and melodies, and I finally have time.

“This is the fun part for me – I can be looser as I don’t have to worry about touring. I had to keep postponing recording it, so I’m very excited to get going on it this year.”

Finnish metal guitar prodigy Teemu Mäntysaari may have been announced as his Megadeth successor, but the Brazilian initially recommended Marty Friedman was brought back into the fold.

“Actually, I even mentioned to management and Dave that I thought bringing Marty Friedman back would be amazing,” he told Guitar World. In the interview, he also called Mäntysaari “an amazing, incredible player.”

Having released Mirage in December, Plini tours Australia and Japan in March, with summer festival dates starting to be announced, including two trips to the UK at ArcTanGent and RADAR Festivals.

• For more information about Plini: Archetype X, head to Neural DSP.

Late last year, Kiko Loureiro announced his departure from Megadeth – and it turns out at the time the outgoing electric guitar virtuoso recommended to Dave Mustaine and co that he be formally replaced by one of his predecessors.

In November, the Ibanez signature artist officially drew his nine years of heavy metal service to a close, mere months after it was announced he’d be stepping down from Megadeth’s tour shows due to family reasons.

No successor was immediately named in the aftermath of Loureiro’s announcement, and for a brief period, guitar fans wondered whether former Megadeth man Marty Friedman – who had reunited with the band for the first time in 23 years not long before – was poised to make a sensational return.

As events would transpire, Friedman did not end up rejoining Mustaine, with the gig instead going to Finnish metal guitar prodigy Teemu Mäntysaari, who was formally christened the new Megadeth guitarist after first temporarily filling in for Loureiro.

But before Loureiro had scouted and selected Mäntysaari for the role, he approached Mustaine and Megadeth management with another option: to rehire Friedman.

When it was put to him in an upcoming interview with Guitar World that many metal fans would have been holding out for Friedman’s return, Loureiro revealed, “Actually, I even mentioned to management and Dave that I thought bringing Marty Friedman back would be amazing.”

Though, obviously, that didn’t pan out in the short-term, Loureiro did imply that further conversations concerning personnel may be ongoing: “I have no idea if they’re talking about it or talking to him, but I did say that. But again, I have no idea beyond that, and I don’t want to make anything more complicated.”

Whether anything comes of it remains to be seen, but for now, the mantle of Megadeth lead guitarist remains firmly with Mäntysaari, who entered the fray with sky-high praise from Loureiro: “He's an amazing, incredible player.”

In his conversation with Guitar World, Loureiro – who replaced Chris Broderick – also took the opportunity to reflect on his time as Megadeth’s guitarist, and paid tribute to the fans who accepted him in Friedman’s role.

“The fans never said anything bad about me or complained, which was amazing,” he said. “But I’m a fan, and I always understood that Marty was a part of those iconic albums like Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction. 

“I understood that Marty was the guy who helped create that sound and style, you know? From the moment I joined Megadeth, I knew the fans could show me love, but I would never win their hearts over Marty.” 

What can we take away from all this? Well, perhaps the door isn’t completely closed on a Friedman return at some point in the future. As mentioned, he’s already refamiliarized himself with Megadeth material thanks to those two guest performances he completed last year.

Last year, Friedman said of his relationship with Mustaine, “We're just two rock 'n' rollers with teenage dreams that never die. Both of us did whatever we had to do to make it happen. I think with guys who have had long careers, you'll probably find that we are very much in touch with our 15-year-old selves. And that is the prime motivator to go out of our way.”

No doubt his potential enlistment would go down well with Megadeth fans, who would certainly welcome the return of one of the band's most influential past members.

Stay tuned to GuitarWorld.com for the full interview with Loureiro, in which he opens up about why he left Megadeth, and what's in the cards for his future.

Dave Mustaine has officially named Megadeth’s new electric guitar player, following Kiko Loureiro’s announcement that he would be stepping back from the band for the foreseeable future.

Loureiro, who dropped out of the band’s fall tour earlier this year citing family reasons, confirmed in a post yesterday (November 21) that he’d be extending his absence into 2024 as Megadeth eyes up yet another hectic year of touring.

In his statement, the Ibanez signature artist said he didn't “want to hinder any of the band’s plans,” and reflected on his “unbelievable journey” with the band.

At the time, fans began theorizing who his replacement would be, and now Mustaine – in a touching post that paid tribute to the heavy metal guitar hero – has finally put the rumors to bed by confirming the band’s immediate plans.

As many had been expecting, Mustaine confirmed that Teemu Mäntysaari, the young Finnish metaller who Loureiro hired and trained to fill his boots this year, would be carrying on as “the guitar player for Megadeth” for the foreseeable future.

“The 2023 tour is over, and it was long and arduous,” Mustaine said in his post. “Last year saw a substantial amount of touring, and it appears that 2024 is gearing up to be even more intense, with extensive touring commitments keeping us on the road for most of the year.

“We have had many conversations with Kiko about this, and they have all been very positive,” he continued. 

“Kiko is going to remain on an extended leave of absence due to our heavy touring commitments next year, and we are going to continue to move forward with Teemu Mäntysaari as the guitar player for Megadeth.”

The news puts to bed any fanciful theories concerning a sensational return for Marty Friedman, who recently rekindled his onstage relationship with his former bandmates in their first performance together in 23 years.

It is also a huge vote of confidence for young Mäntysaari from Mustaine, and a clear sign of just how highly the Finnish shredder is viewed by his new bandmates. 

We can’t say we’re surprised, though: Mäntysaari absolutely smashed his first live show with Megadeth (see the video below), and Loureiro himself vouched for the youngster by calling him “an amazing, incredible player.”

Similar to Loureiro’s own post, Mustaine’s update seemingly leaves the door open for the outgoing guitarist to return after 2024, should that be desired by both parties. 

Elsewhere in the post, Mustaine paid tribute to Loureiro – who was drafted in to replace Chris Broderick – saying Megadeth’s recent success would not have been possible without the services of the Brazilian virtuoso.

“I want you to know that I love, respect, and fully support Kiko’s decision,” he wrote. “He has emphasized his love for me, Megadeth, and all of you, our fans.

“Kiko is a top-notch professional, a maestro – and he did not want to hurt me or Megadeth. We came up with a solution to find a fill-in for him during that time and that’s when he presented and trained Teemu Mäntysaari to take over for us.

“In the beginning, this was only going to be until the first week of October. However, things rarely turn out the way they are planned.

“I would like to thank Kiko for his dedication and hard work these past 9 years, helping us to achieve a Grammy on Dystopia and the additional awards we have received on this latest record, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! I could not have done this without Kiko Loureiro.”

This isn’t the first time Mustaine has reserved such praise for his right-hand man. Speaking to Guitar World earlier this year, the Gibson signature artist labeled Loureiro as the best-ever guitarist in Megadeth’s history.

“Megadeth has had guys like Jeff [Young] and Marty [Friedman], but Kiko is the best we’ve ever had,” Mustaine said. “I don’t say that because Kiko is in the band now; I say it because it’s the truth. Kiko is the best guitar player out of all of them.”

To keep up to date with Megadeth, head over to the band’s official Instagram account.

Kiko Loureiro has announced he will be leaving Megadeth after serving as one of the legendary heavy metal outfit’s electric guitar players for the past nine years.

Breaking the news on social media, Loureiro confirmed it had been “collectively agreed” between concerned parties that he would extend his absence, paving the way for a new, currently unannounced guitar player to fill his spot.

The formal departure comes mere months after Loureiro announced he’d been forced to step down from the band’s recent tour leg back in September due to family reasons.

“I want to share with you a decision that hasn’t been easy for me,” Loureiro said in a statement. “In September, I had to step away from the US leg of the tour for family reasons. Looking ahead, during 2024, we anticipate an even heavier touring schedule for Megadeth.

“After thorough reflection and discussions with Dave Mustaine and Megadeth’s management, we have collectively agreed that it is the right move to extend my absence,” the Ibanez signature artist went on. “I don’t want to hinder any of the band’s plans or the hard work of all the incredible people involved in the tour. 

“My nine years with Megadeth have been an unbelievable journey, filled with countless ‘pinch-me’ moments. Unforgettable tours, a Grammy Award for Dystopia, a Grammy nomination, and various accolades for The Sick, The Dying, and The Dead are just a few of these highlights.”

“I am sure any heavy metal fan can appreciate how incredible it is to play and create music in a band you grew up listening to, and to share the stage with a guitar legend like Dave Mustaine, along with phenomenal musicians like James LoMenzo and Dirk Verbeuren, not to mention our incredible crew.

“However, the most cherished aspect of these nine years has been getting to know the incredible army of devoted Megadeth fans around the world. Your dedication is inspiring, and I have immense admiration and respect for you all.”

By the very nature of the statement itself, the guitarist seemingly leaves the door open for a return in the future post-2024, but for now, the future of Megadeth looks Loureiro-less.

Loureiro was initially brought in to replace Chris Broderick, and will be fondly remembered for his prolific, near-decade stint with the heavy metal icons by both fans and his former bandmates. Indeed, Dave Mustaine recently labeled the Brazilian virtuoso as the best guitar player in Megadeth’s history.

“Megadeth has had guys like Jeff [Young] and Marty [Friedman], but Kiko is the best we’ve ever had,” Mustaine told Guitar World earlier this year. “I don’t say that because Kiko is in the band now; I say it because it’s the truth. Kiko is the best guitar player out of all of them.”

In wake of this announcement, fans have already begun speculating over Loureiro’s potential replacement – and it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable to suggest his successor may already be in place.

When Loureiro announced he’d be taking a step back from live duties, he was replaced by young Finnish metal guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who made a lightning-quick start to life as Megadeth’s new fill-in fretter. Indeed, he absolutely nailed his first live show (see the video above), with Loureiro introducing the youngster as “an amazing, incredible player” at the time.

Of course, Mäntysaari certainly seems like the obvious candidate for the job – Mustaine recently told Wes Styles that he was “super-excited with what Teemu has brought” – but that won’t stop fans putting other theories forward.

Another name that will inevitably get thrown up, no matter how sensational it may seem at first, is Marty Friedman. Sure, it’s unlikely, but Friedman – a former Megadeth guitarist himself – recently rekindled his relationship with Mustaine and co, and joined the band for the first time in 23 years at a headline show in Tokyo.

That was followed by a further guest spot, with Friedman then joining the band for a four-song cameo during the Wacken Open Air festival in August. Were these shows just an excuse for Friedman to refamiliarize himself with Megadeth material? Like we say, it's unlikely, but we imagine there would be no shortage of fans who'd like to see that happen.

As such, it seems Mäntysaari will continue in his current role for the foreseeable future, and since he's been rather inactive on social media as of late, a special announcement may be incoming.

Head over to Megadeth’s official Instagram account for future updates.

UPDATE 11/21/2023: Megadeth's new guitarist has been officially announced.

Kiko Loureiro has announced he has been forced to step down from the forthcoming fall leg of Megadeth’s Crush The World tour due to family reasons.

Never one to do things by halves, though, Loureiro has already sourced his own replacement, in the form of Finnish metal guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari. The band made the announcement with a post on social media yesterday (September 5). 

“I have something that is difficult to share,” writes Loureiro in the update. “But we always like to keep you informed with the truth. I have to leave the tour for now, to be home with my children, and to help them face the difficult challenges that arise from us being Dads that work away from home.

“I found a guitarist, Teemu Mäntysaari, to fill in for me during the fall, and I think you'll be very happy. He's an amazing, incredible player. I have shared this with my partner in shred, Dave Mustaine, and to no surprise, he said, 'Go! Go be there for your family and keep us posted!'

“To my band mates and all of our fans around the world, see you all very soon, back out on the Killing Road!”

The post also states that the band have no intention of canceling tour dates and that Mäntysaari is set to make his debut tonight (September 6) at the band’s show at the Revel Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

So who is Mäntysaari? The 36 year-old guitarist is a star on the Nordic metal scene. He hails from Tampere in Finland, and is best known for his role in respected power metallers Wintersun, who he joined in 2005.

That gig has given him plenty of experience in front of big crowds. Mäntysaari also teaches guitar, taking on students from around the world for online lessons and posts YouTube clips and playthroughs.

In 2015, he also teamed-up with Finnish actress and singer Netta Laurenne to form the poppier hard-rock band Smackbound, which shows he’s comfortable switching styles.

Loureiro (who is married to Finnish pianist Maria Ilmoniemi, and lives in Finland with their three daughters) was no doubt already familiar with Mäntysaari’s formidable chops. 

Like Loureiro, Mäntysaari’s background in the pace-y, hyper-technicality of neo-classical power metal should leave him in good stead for the demands of the Megadeth gig.

In particular, Mäntysaari’s renowned for his jaw-dropping speed and precision, and his clips are full of insanely clean sweep picking and deadeye rhythm chops. However, pace alone won’t be enough to win his new boss over, as Dave Mustaine revealed in his Guitar World interview earlier this year.

“It's not about how fast you can shred, you know?” said Mustaine. “For me, a guitar player is evaluated the most on what type of player they really are. What kind of songwriter are they? What kind of rhythm player are they? How do they execute solos? How do they do with layering?

“That last one is big – you need to be able to layer guitar tones properly. If you can't, you're missing a massive piece of the puzzle.”

We suspect Mäntysaari has it covered. In the meantime, if you want to get a sense of the standards demanded, check out this clip of Mustaine, Marty Friedman and Kiko Loureiro rehearsing together.

Last week, Marty Friedman reunited with his old Megadeth bandmates at Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival for a ferocious four-song guest spot.

It was only the second time in 23 years that Friedman had shared the stage with Dave Mustaine, following a similarly fleeting cameo appearance during the band’s show at Tokyo’s Budokan arena.

Seeing Friedman link up with Megadeth to perform a quartet of tracks from his 1990-2000 tenure was in itself enough to satisfy the most ardent metal fans, but now the band’s resident electric guitar hero Kiko Loureiro has gone one step further.

In a new video posted to his YouTube channel, the Ibanez signature artist has shared behind-the-scenes footage of the band rehearsing for their Wacken Open Air Festival set.

With Dirk Verbeuren positioned behind an electric drum kit – and the rest of the assembly squeezed into a cozy rehearsal room – Friedman, Mustaine and Loureiro first lock the fretboards of their respective Jackson, Gibson and Ibanez models to trade chugs and harmonize licks over Symphony of Destruction.

Footage of the ensemble tightening up the middle riff section of Tornado of Souls has also kindly been provided by Loureiro.

Perhaps the highlight of the video, though, is seeing Friedman’s gravity-defying solo on Symphony up close. That he’d want to spend every available moment practicing such lead lines is understandable, given he recently told Guitar World those solos would pose the biggest challenge to a Megadeth reunion.

“If there was any challenge [in regards to reuniting with Megadeth] at all, I guess it would be playing the solos the way the fans remember them, which is something I wanted to do,” Friedman offered. “My playing has evolved so much since those songs came out, and there are so many nuances I would naturally do differently now. 

“I had to resist the urge to play it like I would in 2023 and stick to the original way. For example, in a couple of those songs, I entered the solo on the downbeat, with the first note being the root of the chord. I would definitely avoid both of those things now, but apparently, I was fine with it back then!”

Earlier this week, Megadeth finally reunited with their long-estranged guitarist Marty Friedman, who joined Dave Mustaine and co during their concert at Tokyo’s prestigious Budokan arena for a three-song cameo.

The performance was historic on a number of fronts. Not only did it mark Megadeth’s first-ever headline show in the country, it was also the first time the heavy metal heroes had shared the stage with Friedman in over two decades – 23 years, to be precise.

Despite the wait, Friedman and Mustaine showcased their evergreen chemistry with three devastating performances of tracks from the guitarist’s 10-year tenure with the band – Countdown to Extinction, Tornado of Souls and Symphony of Destruction – with the former also neatly slotting in next to the band’s current electric guitar hero, Kiko Loureiro.

Given the clear compatibility between the two parties, everybody had the same question when Friedman’s cameo came to a close: “When will we see that happen again?” Naturally, another 23-year wait seemed implausible, but without any word from the band, fans feared another Friedman feature was a long way down the road, if at all.

Fortunately, after voicing his enthusiasm for another guest spot to Consequence, Friedman has now shed even more light on his next potential Megadeth performance – and we might not have long to wait.

Speaking to Guitar World, when asked if there were any imminent plans for another Megadeth cameo, Friedman teased, “We [Megadeth and Friedman] are both playing at Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany this summer, so you never know.”

Though the specific date and time of Friedman’s first-ever Wacken Open Air Festival set is yet to be announced, the guitarist confirmed he’d be performing at the German event in a video message posted to Facebook last month.

Megadeth’s own spot on the festival running order is similarly undetermined, though Mustaine, Loureiro, James LoMenzo and Dirk Verbeuren have already been confirmed as one of Wacken’s standout performers.

Furthermore, the festival itself is scheduled to kick off on August 2 – exactly five months today (March 2) – and if Friedman’s cryptic hints are to be believed, there’s a high possibility that he could join the stage with Megadeth for another cameo.

Nothing has been confirmed yet, and we imagine if Friedman and Megadeth do plan on sharing the stage again, it will be a surprise, spur-of-the-moment thing, so don’t expect to hear anything about it until the weekend itself. That is, of course, if anything does actually happen.

Elsewhere in his interview with Guitar World, Friedman reflected on his Budokan cameo, and said the biggest challenge he faced was performing his guitar solos the same way fans remember from his original stint with the band.

“If there was any challenge at all, I guess it would be playing the solos the way the fans remember them, which is something I wanted to do,” Friedman noted. “My playing has evolved so much since those songs came out, and there are so many nuances I would naturally do differently now. 

“I had to resist the urge to play it like I would in 2023 and stick to the original way. For example, in a couple of those songs, I entered the solo on the downbeat, with the first note being the root of the chord. I would definitely avoid both of those things now, but apparently, I was fine with it back then.”

Megadeth’s 16th original studio album starts with the sound of swooping wind and mournful cries of “bring out your dead.” A suitably ominous mid-paced arpeggio sweeps from left to right before the band rips into a chugging riff underpinned by melodic, harmonized and layered hooks.

Augmented with a delicate undistorted midsection, a thrashy middle eight and multifaceted leads, any questions about whether or not Megadeth are still relevant are instantly vaporized by the title track of The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! 

The follow-up to Megadeth’s Grammy-winning Dystopia, the new album reunites the band with co-producer Chris Rakestraw. The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! is steeped in the technical thrash riffs of Megadeth classics like Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? and Rust in Peace, but updated with the pristine sound and production effects of digital technology. 

But the heart of The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! lies as much in its motivation as its sound. Mustaine talked to Guitar World about the life events and thoughts that inspired every song on the album.

1. The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!

“A lot of people were saying that this was about Covid, but I started it before the pandemic. It’s about the plague. If you read the lyrics, it’s pretty clear. It mentions infected rats and fleas on a ship of people going from the Black Sea [to] Sicily, which pretty much tells you what time period it’s about, how the disease got transmitted and who it got transmitted to. 

“I don’t know that the song was meant to be the first track. I think it came down to the attitude of the song, not so much the performance. If we were going to start with song based on performance we would have used Night Stalkers or Killing Time because they’re so fast. But this album took on a life of its own and The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! seemed like a good way to start it all off.”

2. Life in Hell

“There was a lot of turmoil that took place in the band, and it wasn’t just my cancer. Everybody had something personal going on except for [drummer] Dirk [Verbueren]. He’s rock solid. The song starts out, ‘Busted, you’re caught red-handed again/ You can’t be trusted.’ There were a lot of people I know that were celebrities at the time and their marriages were falling apart from the whole ‘Me Too’ thing. 

“Now, I did not write about the Me Too movement. That was not the intention. But the song has to do with people I know and people my fans may know, but I don’t know. I didn’t call anyone out ’cause I think that there need to be more people that stop to think for a second: ‘Is what I’m about to share gonna benefit anybody but myself?’ ’Cause I know if I spoke a lot about certain things, it would only hurt people [It would] hurt me, hurt them, hurt somebody. 

“If you’re ever saying anything back in retaliation, you’re doing it to hurt people. But I don’t think I’ve ever really had those kinds of problems because there have only been a couple people that I’ve ever had any kind of tension with and I seem to be good with those guys right now – at least I hope I am.”

3. Night Stalkers ft. Ice-T

“I think that’s the fastest song we’ve ever done –190bpm – and it took a while to get working up to that speed. The song just needed that frantic pace because Night Stalker is a secret helicopter division of the military. They fly missions at night and no one knows what they’re gonna do until it happens. Ice-T does some great [acting] parts in the song. 

“I’ve been friends with Ice-T for a long time. When we first met in Los Angeles he told me he was an Army Ranger, so it was only natural that I would get him to do this because I wanted to get a great musician who has cred as a military guy. I asked him if he would do a spoken part and he gave me so many good ones it was hard to pick which one to use.”

4. Dogs of Chernobyl

“That song is based on this cheesy [2012 horror] movie [Chernobyl Diaries]. A guy goes with his girlfriend to an extreme travel agent in Ukraine and they take a trip to Chernobyl. It’s not a good, well-produced thing, but I came up with an idea for the song because I remember scenes of characters going down by the water and these crazy fish floating up in the water. And then these people look across the banks at these dogs. 

“That made me think about how fucked up it was that the people who fled Chernobyl left all their pets behind. In order to leave your dog behind, you need to be made of steel. I couldn’t do it. So there’s a lyric in Dogs of Chernobyl that goes, ‘The girl left me behind like a dog in Chernobyl.’ I was like, ‘Man, that’s harsh, dude!’ You must have really fucked up for her to do that.”

5. Sacrifice

“It has a lot to do with some of the subliminal stuff that you learn when you fool around with dark magic. It could be as simple as something like an Ouija board or divination with a divining rod. Without meaning to, you could open doorways to dark passages because as much as there’s good in the world, there’s bad. 

“There are people who are mean-spirited and Sacrifice talks a lot about the difference between them and other people and how that meanness kind of backfires. I studied a lot about jinnis and jinns, which is really fascinating. So, Sacrifice is kind of an open-minded look at magic but not getting too specific about it.” 

6. Junkie

“That’s a fun song. I was kind of thinking of Eric Church’s Creepin’. I thought Junkie had a cool energy. There were parts in there that seemed like they were easy to write, but they weren’t. I was trying to picture how people who were straight-edge, hardcore or metal might like this song. And the three were so far apart from one another that it really confused me. 

“I thought, ‘Well, now what do I do?’ So I just did what came to me and I think it works. Of course, Junkie is about being addicted, which I know something about. I thought about that scene in [the 1978 movie] The Deer Hunter, with [Christopher Walken] as a heroin addict who plays Russian roulette. 

“What I get most out of the song is that even if you have the lifestyle of a junkie it’s not something you want to live for. You never hear someone go, ‘Oh, cool, a junkie.’ It’s more like, ‘You junkie! What a mess.’ I do have a platform to stand on to talk about it, but then again I don’t because I know what works for me and it sure as heck isn’t someone pointing their finger at me.”

7. Psycopathy

“That’s a really short, simple song. It’s about a war in the brain. And one of the ideas in there is about a doctor struggling with these guys coming in to talk to him and they just don’t tell the truth.”

8. Killing Time

“It’s about waiting for something to take place. It’s not about it being time to kill people. It’s actually more about it being time to die. There are many people in my life that get fear or trepidation when I release records. It’s like, ‘Okay, who’s he singing about now?’ That’s not really what I’m doing here. It’s about a specific person, but because of the nature of this person and how typical being a turd is with a lot of people now, the way that he behaved isn’t unlike what other people would do. 

“So, I would say, ‘Oh, this song is about Bill, but you know what? It’s about Bob, too. And it’s about Bill’s brother and Bob’s brother. It’s about everybody, right?’ But I know who it’s about and I’ve had other people ask, ‘Is that about this person?’ So I’ll just say it’s about whoever you want it to be about.” 

9. Soldier On!

“That’s being looked at as one of the stronger songs on the record. And it’s so funny because it’s the ones that we don’t try the hardest on that usually are the strongest. It was that way with Symphony of Destruction and Peace Sells. For me, Soldier On is about gathering your strength and saying, ‘Wait! Not anymore. This may have happened. It may still be happening. But right now it stops and I’m gonna soldier on.’ I love that sentiment. 

“What gave the song a lot of credibility was having the guys from Fort Campbell come down for the part at the end when everyone’s marching. These guys are amazing heroes. We couldn’t list the names of a lot of the guys because they’re still operatives but they just came and did it for fun. 

“When it was over, we all celebrated and talked and laughed and I actually flew a helicopter simulator. I only crashed it twice. Oh boy, it sure was fun, man – a multi, multi, multi, multimillion-dollar helicopter ride.” 

10. Celebutante

“That’s about some of the overindulged little brats that are blowing around. There’s a huge thing going on with Megadeth right now and a lot of the reality TV people. Recently, I saw a girl who was very attractive and she was wearing this T-shirt material dress and it said, ‘Megadeth’ in big giant logos. I saw her and I went, ‘Hey, hey! That’s me! That’s my band!’ She kept walking. 

“I backpedaled and said, ‘No, no, stop! It’s me on your dress and I just want to get a picture.’ She ignored me. There was a photographer with me and he caught up with her. Then he came back and said, ‘Dude, she’s so fucking rude and she’s an asshole.’ 

“I went, ‘Oh, God, what’s she saying?’ He told me there’s a store down the street and that’s where she bought the dress. But she doesn’t know the band and she doesn’t want a picture. So, I’m kind of making fun of her.”

11. Mission to Mars

“There’s a Peace Sells mentality to the song. I like the irony. A guy from Earth goes to Mars and when he gets there he sees it’s all wrecked and that everybody on Mars has left to go to Earth. It made me think of the Twilight Zone episode where Martians have a giant book they’re trying to decipher and a guy comes and tells them it’s a cookbook.”

12. We’ll Be Back

“That’s a typical metal anthem about the band that’s not going anywhere. When I got sick I had been talking a lot about playing out a little less. Now, if anything, I want to tour more and just carry on until the end when I actually can’t do it anymore. I’m not talking about the time when I don’t want to do it anymore. I mean when it’s not possible for me to do it. When I can’t do it, that’s when I’m not gonna want to do it.”

• The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is out now via UMe.

Less than 20 minutes into a lengthy conversation with Dave Mustaine, Megadeth’s mercurial frontman has revealed multiple sides of his complex personality. His greeting is warm and sincere, and it isn’t long before he’s cracking dry, self-deprecating jokes. 

There are some comments about religion, thoughts on space travel and an informative aside about a new street drug called Krokodil (Desomorphine).

“It’s supposed to be like some kind of super-heroin,” he says. “It’s made from a drug that’s been approved, but when you mix it with something else and inject it, it makes your skin rot until your bones stick out. 

“Now, why on earth would anybody do that? It’s cheaper than heroin and the high lasts way longer. And the life expectancy of somebody who uses it is two years. Jesus, knowing that just makes me think about how precious life is.” 

Though it mostly hides under the surface – like a crocodile – there’s something irking Mustaine a little more than the thought of kids injecting flesh-melting junk, and while he keeps his cool for a while, he gets a little cranky when asked about the title of Megadeth’s 16th album, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!

He doesn’t object to the question per se; it’s the misinterpretation of those who automatically think they know the answer that ticks him off. The song is clearly about the black plague and was written long before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

And the album cover depicts band mascot Vic Rattlehead standing on a street in an age before electricity, dead bodies lying at his feet, a burning church steeple in the background. Yet some gossip mongers still wrongly assume the album title and song have got to be about Coronovirus or Mustaine’s recent battle with cancer.

“The lyrics are about infected rats and fleas on a ship of people going from the Black Sea to a port of Sicily [in 1347],” he says with a slight growl. “It just frustrates the hell out of me when people write about stuff and they don’t do any research.”

Mustaine has good reason to be a little irate. Decades after he stopped drinking, drugging and picking fights, and learned to turn the other cheek, naysayers still look for openings to poke and prod him. Strictly from an artistic standpoint, however, it’s worked for him. As he’s proven throughout his 40-plus-year career, adversity stokes his creative flames and inspires his edgy, angular, attitude-laden songwriting. 

There’s some truth to the idea that Megadeth’s main man is at his best when he’s at his worst. He has created some of the band’s greatest riffs, solos and songs – and Megedeth’s most trenchant albums – when dangling over the precipice, a snapped thread away from a fatal fall. 

Early in their career, when Megadeth were penniless, practically homeless and battling heroin addiction, Mustaine led the band through such pioneering thrash albums as Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! and Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? 

A few years later, when wrangling with internal friction, pills and the pressures of success, he conjured the seminal technical thrash albums Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction. 

And after recovering from an arm injury he was told would end his guitar-playing career, he lashed back with a string of records that showcased his exceptional syncopated riffing and rapid-fire lead guitar work. He thinks about this for a moment. “You know, sometimes the best things for me come after I’m told I can’t do something,” he says. “I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah? Watch me!’”

Mustaine’s former Metallica bandmates may have penned the line, “What don’t kill ya make ya more strong” (Broken, Beat & Scarred), but it’s Megadeth’s main man that has more accurately demonstrated the grammatically correct aphorism by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” 

Over the decades, substance abuse, exploitation, betrayal, injuries and – more recently – cancer have tested Mustaine’s stamina, mental stability and creativity. His faith and determination have not only allowed him to persevere, but, like the sea captain whose storm-tossed ship is being broken, beaten and riddled with holes, the frustration has left Mustaine shouting with rage-filled glee, throwing his fists to the sky and metaphorically shouting, “Is that all you’ve got?!?”

Like a profound discussion with the man behind the tunes, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! Is a multi-dimensional and sometimes prickly endorphin rush – a twisting roller coaster ride brimming with speed, aggression, sonic exploration and lyrics that touch on past glories and failures. 

Despite being a devoted Christian, Mustaine addresses the occult on Sacrifice and emphatically writes about addiction on Junkie and Life in Hell. In addition, he cheekily injects songs with references to catalog tunes by Megadeth and other thrash titans, and theatrically heightens the record with spoken-word segments, dramatic production effects and dialog snippets that belie some of the brutality.

“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a record to be totally brutal,” Mustaine says. “I don’t think this record is all hateful. I think people that like this band will find it a fun listen.”

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is the second Megadeth album to feature ex-Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro, a classically trained player who resembles a hybrid of Marty Friedman and Randy Rhoads. 

Unlike his playing on the Grammy Award-winning Dystopia, the Brazilian-born Loureiro graces The Sick, The Dying... And the Dead! with an abundance of neo-classical and vintage metal chops that blend well with Mustaine’s earworm hooks and frantic thrash leads.

During a shining spring day in Nashville cooled by soft gusts of wind that feel like an oscillating fan on low cool, Mustaine and Loureiro talk about the trials and tribulations that led to the ultimately triumphant The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is a heavy, eclectic record that captures the urgency, desperation and even some of the hope of the years in which it was recorded.  

Dave Mustaine: “I think that’s a really important point. I’ve talked about my battle with cancer and I don’t take getting sick lightly. I do believe it was well-wishers and people who prayed or sent good thoughts my way that really helped me.

“Of course, I was praying my butt off and doing everything the doctors said. But there was a serious reality check that took place as well. And I think I might’ve been a little bit worried that I wouldn’t get it done if I got a whole lot worse. So there was urgency and a lot of emotion there to finish it.”

You received the tongue cancer diagnosis from an oral surgeon after experiencing tooth problems on the Experience Hendrix tour with Zakk Wylde.

Mustaine: “I got a root canal to fix one of my bottom teeth on the left side, but it kept hurting. So I went to see the oral surgeon. I’m sitting there in the exam room and he opens up my mouth and goes, ‘Oh, I think you got the Big C.’ I thought to myself, ‘What the fuck did he just say? The Big C? Has he ever heard of having a bedside manner?’ 

“It was tongue cancer. I went back to my car and sat there with tears running down my face for what seemed like 10 minutes. Then I picked myself up, got a great team of doctors together and we came up with a plan to beat this. And now I’m in full remission.”

During the time you worked on The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, you endured nine sessions of chemotherapy and 51 radiation treatments, and while you took the required mediation and medical advice, you didn’t take much time off. Did working obsessively on the album help distract you from the medical procedures? 

Mustaine: “I think it did, to a degree. The toughest part wasn’t the process of going through all the radiation and the chemotherapy. I had two really bad days when I was throwing up all day, and I thought I was gonna have to go back to the hospital and stay there. 

“The rest was everything from okay days to good days to great days. A lot of the cancer medication they gave me fucked with my memory really bad. They call it chemo brain, so I’ve been having a hard time staying in the moment, but it’s getting better. Every day is a little better.”

Did you have any other symptoms aside from nausea and confusion that made it difficult to work on the new album?

Mustaine: “I used to be so physically unstable. When I would walk through a doorway I would usually hit the door frame because I had no balance. I would run into stuff all the time and fall because my balance was just shot. That was a bit of a problem, but if anything, it gave me the willpower to work even harder. If you have the will to fight and you don’t give up no matter what, I believe you’re gonna be really surprised by the outcome.”

When you were throwing up for two days straight and falling down, did you ever worry you might not win the battle?

Mustaine: “I never thought I was going to die because I had already died once before [Mustaine overdosed on Valium in 1993 and was resuscitated]. And even though I knew I was really sick, I wasn’t scared because I wasn’t afraid of dying. I was ready [just in case I didn’t make it]. 

“It’s very comforting when you get to that place in your life where you’re so happy and you’re so full of love that you’re ready. You’ve made peace with everything and everyone. And that if your time is now – today – it’s okay. If that happened, I would have peace with that and be ready to go.”

Kiko, where were you when you heard Dave had cancer?

Kiko Loureiro: “I was driving and my phone rang. It was Dave and he started telling me he had cancer. I said, ‘Wow, that’s awful.’ I was devastated. I told him I couldn’t talk because I was driving and to hold on a second. I pulled over and said, ‘Tell me again what they said.’ 

“He told me and then he said, ‘Don’t worry. We’re going to keep our schedule. I still want you to come here to Nashville because everything is booked.’ I was like, ‘Okay, if that’s what you want, but if you want to take some time off that’s okay.’ He said, ‘No, we’re going to keep everything the same.’”

Dave, when you were under treatment and taking meds for your condition, did the doctors tell you that you might have numbness in your hands or that there could be other side effects that would affect your dexterity and challenge your ability to play?

Mustaine: “Doctors told me that when I had the ‘Saturday Night Palsy’ episode back in 2001. I had fallen asleep on my [left] arm, which was draped over a chair. [Editor’s note: the amount of time he spent in that position caused a nerve in his left bicep to become severely compressed, making the arm completely numb]. 

“Afterwards, I was seeing a doctor in Texas and he said, ‘You’re going to get 80 percent use of your arm back.’ I said, ‘80 percent of my playing back?’ And he said, ‘No, you are never gonna play again.’ I grabbed my stuff and said, ‘You don’t know who I am’ and walked out. I flew home and met with another doctor, who put me on this radical shock treatment therapy.

“I had to wear these crazy contraptions, and there’s still a little bit of damage to the arm. But having 80 percent use of my arm and never playing again versus shredding my ass off and having a little clicking sound... Yeah, it’s a good thing I started with a piece-of-shit car. I’m used to all kinds of clicks and cracks when I drive. So, having made it through that, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to let cancer affect the way I played.”

Kiko, did Dave’s perseverance make you all feel like you were taking adversity by the horns and flinging it to the ground?

Loureiro: “Yeah, definitely. I could see he was tired. He was coming from chemo and he was still showing up for work every day. When you see him doing this, you’re like, ‘Fuck yeah, let’s work on this album, man!’ It was very inspiring to see him come in and pick up his guitar and not slow down. 

“The songs, the whole thing. Everything was there. Nothing can destroy this guy, you know? We were like, “Are you sure you want to work today? If you go home, we can still work on some stuff.” And he’d always say, ‘No way.’ He wanted to be there. And he put everything into the songs.

Mustaine: “It was great to work with Kiko and [drummer] Dirk [Verbeuren] for three months in Nashville in the summer of 2019 to make these demos into songs. I would get to the studio and they would all greet me with hugs, high fives and pats on the back. 

“All I got was encouragement. I’d play something and it was: ‘Great solo, Dave.’ Just encouragement, encouragement, encouragement. And I think besides making a great record, we’ve made a great band.”

How long before you were diagnosed did Megadeth start working on songs for The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!?  

Mustaine: “When Dystopia came out in 2016, we started touring a little bit with [ex-Lamb of God drummer] Chris Adler, who played on the album. And then Dirk came in and everything started to get wonderful with the band. The addition of Dirk and Kiko increased our level of creativity, and they were really great and productive. 

“There were several different times we were out on the road that we put a little piece together here or pieced something together there. And then we came back home and I really got inspired. We would go into my home lab and work on ideas and sections of songs for hours and hours. We finally got enough stuff put together where it was time to start assembling the full songs.”

The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! includes strong melodies, complex rhythmic shifts, abrupt tempo changes, acoustic passages, sound effects and spoken bits. It’s epic, it’s cinematic, it’s infectious. It’s Megadeth! Did you know what kind of record you wanted to make when you started writing, and did you create the bulk of the songs during a certain time period?

Mustaine: “I’m always writing and coming up with stuff, so I never go into an album saying, 'I want it to sound like this.' These songs all had different lengths of germination for them to actually get finished. I wrote some of the riffs years before we started working on the album. Some were finished in the middle of the session before we took a break. 

“We’d jam on stuff when we were on the road. Then we had the pandemic, the cancer thing. The guys all went home for a little bit. And we worked together when we could, but when we weren’t touring, the process was slower because we don’t all live near each other. Kiko’s in Finland, Dirk’s in L.A. and I was in San Diego at the time.”

The Megadeth rhythm sound is largely dependent on the style of picking and palm muting you do. So no matter what riff you play, whether it’s delicate and melodic or fast and heavy, it sounds like you.

Mustaine: “A lot of the technique is in the right hand. It’s not what the left hand is doing at all. Yeah, sure, there are notes threaded in there, but I think it’s the way they’re picked that makes them exciting. Doing that and having the right sound is the name of the game with Megadeth. 

“You don’t have to understand exactly what’s happening; you just have to let the music take you where it goes.

Kiko, this is the second Megadeth record you’ve worked on. Did you find it easier to write for this album than for Dystopia?”

Loureiro: “When I joined the band in 2015, I went straight to the studio to record Dystopia. I knew the music, of course, and I had ideas for songs. But it’s really hard to work with a band until you really get to know them as people. And it’s only after you tour that you really get to know their style. 

“After a lot of touring, we created this bond so I had more confidence to show them my ideas and participate more. I contributed writing to five songs on the album, including the acoustic parts for Dogs of Chernobyl and the beginning part of Night Stalkers.”

Dave, did you have more confidence in Kiko as a songwriter this time? 

Mustaine: “Yeah, because I’ve played with him a lot and he knows the process. When we have an idea for something, we talk about it and then we work on it together in pieces. When we did Night Stalkers, for instance, it’s a song about a bunch of helicopter pilots that fly at night under darkness. 

“So, there’s this spy-versus-spy excitement going on that you need to capture. The wrong music with the wrong lyrics would be a catastrophe. So we talk about what the lyrics mean and what the solos should feel like if the solo had words.”

Kiko, how do you bring your songwriting ideas to the band?

Loureiro: “It doesn’t really work to just go in and say, ‘Hey, check this out’ and play a whole riff. It’s hard for the other guys to understand how something you’ve written will work within a song when you do that. So I made a computer folder and filled it with a lot of riffs. I named each of them and kept them short. 

“Each file was just the good part of the riff – the main idea. I think of it like the headline. Dave doesn’t want to read the story. It’s more like, ‘Just read me the headline and let me see if it’s catchy or cool enough.’ Then co-producer Chris Rakestraw helped me rate the riffs as well: ‘Okay, this is great. This is more Megadeth. This is not so Megadeth.’ Then we put some of the riffs together and started to make them into songs.”

Loureiro: “For me, it wasn’t so much about the solos. It was more about the riffs. Dave is very particular. He has his way of playing riffs as one of the founding fathers of this kind of music, and, for me, it’s very important to respect the style that creates those sounds, even though it’s not the way I learned to play. 

“I played a lot of classical guitar and learned theory and all that. So every time I played, I used as minimal hand effort as possible and I tried to be as clean and accurate as possible. 

“Dave is the opposite. He plays aggressive and dirty. I had to learn to play his way, and that includes the way you pick the strings and the chords with the right touch, the way you mute the strings – all those fine details of the rhythm guitar that Dave brought to Megadeth to get that powerful guitar sound. So when I joined the band, that’s when he went, ‘Let me show you the way we do things here.’”

Your rhythms blend together well. Are there differences between the way you set your guitar tones? For instance, do either of you scoop the mids?

Loureiro: “I like the mids. I think guitar has to have a lot of mids because the bass has a low end and a top end as well. That’s very characteristic for Megadeth from the bassist playing with a pick. So you need the mids so the guitars can fit right in that unfilled region of the sound. 

“So neither of us scoop the mids. But my guitar sounds cleaner than Dave’s. He has more gain and I like a signature DiMarzio pickup that’s based on the P-90, so it’s classic-sounding. It’s not as hot as a lot of players.”

Dave, what’s the trickiest element of your rhythm playing? 

Mustaine: “I like to do this thing called hand economy, where I keep my hand on one part of the guitar because I’m singing at the same time and I want to be in that area. I don’t want to have to be all over the neck and looking at my guitar and not singing right because I’m looking sideways and singing out of the side of my mouth. That’s why I’ve sung funny like that before.”

Is that one of the drawbacks of having extra time to work on an album?

Mustaine: “I don’t know. I just know I listened to what we did over and over and I kept finding new things that would make something better. And because this part got better, it made the corresponding parts or any of the subsequent parts, maybe, not as good anymore. 

“So now there were these other things we had to go back and listen to carefully. And sometimes, a part we thought was fine before suddenly needed a little TLC with a new hook or riff so that it would live up to the level of the other new parts we were playing.”

Loureiro: “I did most of my stuff in Tennessee with Chris Rakestraw. Dave likes me to record first. I had the demos to work from so I recorded rhythm guitars and then the solos and acoustic guitar and some keyboards. Then Dave started recording his guitars. But it’s never that easy. I get a call, ‘Do you mind coming in to change this riff or this note…?’ 

“It can be the smallest detail. You can’t imagine; like, ‘Let’s start this chord with a slide.’ OK. We both record it. And then Dave goes, ‘You know what? I liked it better before.’ So, it’s minimal stuff but every little detail is carefully thought out before it ends up on the record.”

Kiko, did you have to adapt to a certain style when you tracked leads?

Loureiro: “Not really. Everyone is okay with my way of playing as long as it fits in with the band. I have some solo albums where I explore more styles and more different scales. I have to find the right spots to add those elements with Megadeth and I play them where it fits. 

“And I have opportunities to do that because of the styles of past players like Chris Poland and Marty Friedman, whose solos are different from that basic pentatonic rock ’n’ roll solo. So that leaves some open doors for me to experiment.”

Have any Megadeth guitarists, despite their skill, lacked the right feeling and attitude when they did a lead?

Mustaine: “I’ve always believed we should give the guitar player an opportunity to do a solo that he feels is right for the song. If someone plays something that doesn’t work for the part, then I may make some suggestions. If it’s still not happening, I might say, ‘Okay, this is what I want you to play here.’ So it’s ‘His Way. Our Way. And if it doesn’t work it’s My Way.’ If a lead totally doesn’t work then I’m going to do the part myself. That’s what happened in Breadline. And Marty Friedman quit over the solo in Breadline [from the 1999 album Risk].”

What happened?

Mustaine: “When we were in the studio, Marty was really excited to do a solo on that song. Then, when we went to mix the album, management didn’t like Marty’s part. They wanted “Breadline” to be a single and they didn’t think the solo Marty recorded was right for that. 

“I said, ‘Well, you have three choices. Either you mute the solo completely, have Marty come back and redo it, or I do it.’ And then I said, ‘If I do it, you’d better tell him.’

“Well, I redid it and nobody told Marty. So we’re in there listening to the finished album and the solo comes on. It’s my solo, not Marty’s… I looked at him as tears ran down his face and I knew right away that nobody had told him. And I knew that was probably going to be the end of Marty Friedman.”

Couldn’t you have explained that it wasn’t your call?

Mustaine: “Having been a partner with Marty for so many years, as much of an enigma as he was, I could tell he was really upset and he had had enough. What happened to Marty was definitely not okay. Our management was supposed to tell him and, for whatever reason, they didn’t do it. I think that was a terrible thing to do to him.” 

Some multi-guitar bands have one player record all of the rhythms. Did you and Kiko work that way for The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!?

Mustaine: “No. In the very beginning, when Chris Poland was in the band, I did the majority of the guitar work. I would do a track on the left and the right and then he would do one in the middle. It was kind of the same way with Jeff [Young] and Marty. 

“With Al [Pitrelli], we may have doubled one in the middle. I can’t remember. With Chris [Broderick], there may have been two tracks and that may have led to what we’re doing now with Kiko. For this album, we each recorded our own main rhythm and harmony parts.”

At least you got the Grammy bucket-list item out of the way with Dystopia.

Mustaine: “The Grammy was very important to me when we got it. But I’ve got to say it was kind of odd because it felt like a lifetime achievement award and right now I don’t want to be recognized for a lifetime achievement. 

“I want to get an award for something I did, I’m doing and I’m gonna do, not something I used to do and I’ll never be able to do again. At the same time the past few years have made me really appreciate the time I have left and the friends that I have. And I certainly don’t wanna leave the planet with the experience that I have and the things that I’ve learned without passing them on to somebody else.”

How do you plan to do that?

Mustaine: “I sometimes think how much better things would have been if we would’ve all tried a little bit more within The Big Four. The four of us still have so much authority and power and we could do so many great things. 

“It would be great if we could get together and have a meeting of the minds as these four figureheads – the metal Mount Rushmore – and think of something special we could do to really benefit young bands and musicians and artists. 

“It would be great to help them avoid some of the situations we got into with contracts and substances. Because most bands make their mistakes right at the beginning of their careers. I’d love to be a mentor to some of these guys and to really help them out. That would be a really good way to give back.”

• The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is out now via UMe.

When Kiko Loureiro isn’t melting faces while shredding alongside his Megadeth bandmates, he can often be found with a camera in his hand, documenting and vlogging the trials and tribulations of being one of today’s foremost metal guitar players.

In fact, such is the quality of his content – he has previously published behind the scenes rehearsal footage and a tour of his Neural DSP Quad Cortex-loaded rig – Loureiro is becoming something of a guitarist influencer.

With that in mind, the Megadeth maestro has been active once again on his YouTube channel, partaking in a Q&A in which he name-drops the best bass guitar player he’s ever played with.

Well, sort of. He doesn’t name drop one specific player per se, but he does list a number of bassists with whom he has a particular penchant for performing with.

To start, he reserves specific praise for his current Megadeth bandmate James LoMenzo –  who was drafted in to replace David Ellefson as Megadeth's touring bassist after Ellefson was sacked from the band – citing his strong jamming skills and robust musicianship.

“I’m enjoying so much to play with James now.” he commented. “He’s a great player, and actually I enjoy jamming with him, because he has this jamming vibe.

“On the Megadeth concerts, of course he plays what is there,” Loureiro continued, “but when we jam I think he shows all his skills and musicality on another level I would say, or in a different way.

“It’s great to get to know people through music. Same with Dirk [Verbeuren], same with Dave [Mustaine]. We’re creating music [and] composing.”

LoMenzo isn’t the only bassist to get an honorable mention from Loureiro, though, and given the guitarist's prolific career it’s unsurprising that he’s shared the stage and studio with a wealth of low-end heavyweights.

Others to receive Loureiro’s praise include Felipe Andreoli and Carlinhos Noronha – with whom Loureiro recorded most of his solo albums – as well as the Brazilian Luis Mariutti, Doug Wimbish and LoMenzo’s predecessor David Ellefson.

“I’m fortunate to have the chance to play with great players,” Loureiro noted. “I believe choosing the right musicians to play with you is so important, because in music there is no right and wrong. In art you have the skills, so depending on the style, the musician has to have certain skills.

“But art is not about the technique, it's about the style. You have to choose the right musician to play with you. You need to find the right person that fits your concept – your musical concept.”

Elsewhere in the Q&A, Loureiro discussed his off-stage relationship with former Megadeth man and In Flames touring guitarist Chris Broderick, whose current band toured with Megadeth earlier this year.

He also delves into a bit of technical chat, discussing juggling piano and classical guitar responsibilities – and the manicure-related problems that such duties create – and how he practiced and perfected his smooth fretting skills by using a bathroom mirror.

Megadeth have continued the build up to the release of their 16th studio album, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, with the release of its latest single, Soldier On!

And as 21st century Megadeth songs go, this is straight out of central casting – a cornucopia of metal guitars in formation, applying the band’s start-of-the-art thrash metal sound to an all-action martial groove. 

The lyrics can be read as a comment on frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine’s indefatigability in recording this album while receiving treatment for cancer, and as an exploration into the psyche of the armed services as the call to fight is answered. 

Either way, all gnarly themes to pin a metal jam to and for heshers who enjoy their Megadeth mega – i.e. precision riffs, laser-guided guitar solos, Mustaine annunciating vocals with trademark sneer – is sure to be a real treat. 

Following on from previous single, Night Stalkers, which features rap royalty Ice-T, Soldier On! finds Mustaine coloring the jam once more in Army fatigue green. The song even concludes with a military foot drill featuring service members from Fort Campbell. 

In this month’s Guitar World cover story, Mustaine says that the troops’ appearance “gave the song a lot of credibility.” It was for similar reasons that the Megadeth main man enlisted Ice-T’s help on the black ops-inspired Night Stalkers – though Ice-T did not see any action in black ops or otherwise while he served.

Mustaine likened Soldier On! to classic Megadeath tracks Peace Sells (But Who’s Buying?) and Symphony of Destruction in the sense that it came together easy. 

“For me, Soldier On! is about gathering your strength and saying, ‘Wait! Not anymore. This may have happened. It may still be happening. But right not it stops and I’m gonna soldier on,’” Mustaine explained. 

He added that recording with the Fort Campbell troops was a hoot. They apparently appeared just for fun, and are not credited on the album by name because they are “still operatives.” And afterwards, Mustaine got to ride in a helicopter simulator, which was big fun.

“When it was over, we all celebrated and talked and laughed and I actually flew a helicopter simulator,” he said. “I only crashed it twice. Oh boy, it sure was fun, man – a multi, multi, multi, multimillion-dollar helicopter ride.”

Mustaine, 60, isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He says that Night Stalkers is the fastest song the thrash institution has recorded in its history, clocking in at 190 bpm. 

After a quick tour of duty of the European festival circuit, Megadeth with hill the road across the U.S. with Five Finger Death Punch for company. The tour picks up in Ridgefield, WA, on August 19. See Megadeth for a full itinerary. 

To read our in-depth interview with Mustaine and Megadeth lead guitarist Kiko Loureiro, pick up a copy of our October issue at Magazines Direct.

The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! is available to preorder now via UMe.

Thrash metal titans Megadeth are currently gearing up to release The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead!, their first new studio album in six years.

In anticipation of the new LP, Guitar World recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the band's frontman, Dave Mustaine, and lead electric guitar player Kiko Loureiro. 

During the chat – which can be perused in its entirety in Guitar World's brand-new October issue – Mustaine touched on a number of topics, including the single fastest song the band have ever written. That honor, he says, goes to the band's most recent single, Night Stalkers.

"I think that’s the fastest song we’ve ever done – 190 bpm – and it took a while to get working up to that speed," Mustaine explained. "The song just needed that frantic pace because Night Stalker is a secret helicopter division of the military. They fly missions at night and no one knows what they’re gonna do until it happens. Ice-T does some great [acting] parts in the song. 

"I’ve been friends with Ice-T for a long time," Mustaine continued. "When we first met in Los Angeles he told me he was an Army Ranger, so it was only natural that I would get him to do this because I wanted to get a great musician who has cred as a military guy. I asked him if he would do a spoken part and he gave me so many good ones it was hard to pick which one to use."

Elsewhere in the interview, Mustaine discussed his determination to work on The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead! even while receiving radiation and chemo treatments for cancer. 

"I could see he was tired," Loureiro told Guitar World. "He was coming from chemo and he was still showing up for work every day. When you see him doing this, you’re like, 'Fuck yeah, let’s work on this album, man!' It was very inspiring to see him come in and pick up his guitar and not slow down. The songs, the whole thing. Everything was there. 

"Nothing can destroy this guy, you know? We were like, 'Are you sure you want to work today? If you go home, we can still work on some stuff.' And he’d always say, 'No way.' He wanted to be there. And he put everything into the songs." 

"It was great to work with Kiko and [drummer] Dirk [Verbeuren] for three months in Nashville in the summer of 2019 to make these demos into songs," added Mustaine.

"I would get to the studio and they would all greet me with hugs, high fives and pats on the back. All I got was encouragement. I’d play something and it was: 'Great solo, Dave.' Just encouragement, encouragement, encouragement. And I think besides making a great record, we’ve made a great band."

To read Guitar World's full interview with Mustaine and Loureiro – which, among other topics, also touches on their different playing styles, and the solo that led to Marty Friedman's exit from the band – pick up a copy of our October issue at Magazines Direct.

NAMM 2022: Everybody, stop what you are doing – Ibanez has just dropped its 2022 lineup of signature guitars, which features new models for Tom Quayle, Nita Strauss, Joe Satriani and more.

Leading the list is an all-new single-cut signature for fusion wizard Quayle, as well as a new-look iteration of Strauss’ flagship JIVA10, which arrives in a sleek Ghost colorway.

The menu also includes a number of slightly tweaked versions of Ibanez royalty Satriani, Steve Vai and Kiko Loureiro’s own existing signature designs, with highlights including Satch’s none-more-gold HSS JS2GD.

Elsewhere, the comprehensive, eight-strong list is capped off by a classy hollow-body for George Benson, totally redesigned, 27-fret double-cut for Periphery mastermind Jake Bowen and the first left-handed version of Strauss' existing signature.

Read on to find out all you need to know about Ibanez’s 2022 signature lineup.

Ibanez TQMS1-CTB

First up is Tom Quayle’s new TQMS1-CTB. It’s the fusion virtuoso’s second Ibanez signature model following the TQM1, though is notably the axeman’s first T-style guitar.

With the DNA of an Ibanez AZS series model, Quayle’s latest namesake six-string sports an alder body with maple top, as well as an Oval C, S-Tech Wood roasted maple neck and rosewood fretboard.

Atop the ‘board sits 22 jumbo stainless steel frets – with Prestige fret edge treatment, of course – a bone nut and regular dot inlays. It’s also worth noting the Gotoh T1802 bridge, which throws a whammy bar into the Tele-style mix.

In the pickup department, Quayle’s premiere single-cut boasts a Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-mini neck pickup and Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Custom bridge single-coil, both of which are at the mercy of the three-way pickup selector and master volume and tone parameters.

There’s also Ibanez’s proprietary Alter Switch, which accesses a multitude of series and split-coil pickup combinations.

Ibanez JIVAX2-GH and JIVA10L-DSB

Up next is a new-look, slightly altered version of Nita Strauss’ JIVA10, the JIVAX2. Aside from the stunning Ghost colorway, the only specs that deviates from the flagship JIVA10 blueprint are the neck – now a five-piece maple/wenge, as opposed to five-piece maple/purpleheart – and the bridge, which is now an Edge-Zero tremolo w/ZPS3.

Elsewhere, it’s business as usual. An HSH pickup configuration comprising DiMarzio Pandemonium humbuckers and a True Velvet single-coil returns to the starting lineup, and is joined by a bound ebony fretboard with Beaten Path inlays.

The Ghost model has been dropped alongside the JIVA10L, which is, as the name suggests, a left-handed version of Strauss’ original JIVA10.

Ibanez JBM9999-AMM

The JBM9999 is the latest signature guitar for Periphery’s resident prog phenom Jake Bowen – and yes, it does indeed feature 27(!) frets. Unlike his previous models – the JBM27 and JBM10FX – the Azure Metallic Matte stunner features an HS configuration composed from an all-new JBM9999 custom single-coil and humbucker pickups.

The simple pairing is at the mercy of a sole volume knob and versatile five-way switch, which offers a range of split, series and parallel configurations.

Also on the spec sheet is a new basswood body, five-piece maple/walnut neck and bound ebony fretboard, which features those 27 jumbo frets. The revamped six-string also has a 17” radius, a Gibraltar Elite bridge and a Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL nut.

Ibanez JS2GD

New aesthetics – and a new pickup configuration – are also on the cards for Satch’s latest JS2GD model, which boasts a glorious Gold colorway.

Notably, it employs an HSS configuration, which is made up of two DiMarzio Satch Track single-coils – only one is used on his current HS signature models – and a DiMarzio FRED bridge humbucker.

With the new configuration comes a souped-up control system, which is headed up by individual on/off toggles for each pickup, as well as the tried-and-trusted coil-tapping tone pot. There’s also a high pass filter that has been added to the volume knob.

Aside from that, it’s a regular Satch model, comprising an alder body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard, as well as 22 Jescar EVOgold frets and an Edge tremolo bridge.

Ibanez PIA3761C-BLP

Steve Vai’s PIA3761C has also been treated to a new cosmetic pick-me-up, thanks to the new surf-approved Blue Powder finish. Joining its Onyx Black and Stallion White ancestors, the revamped PIA3761C otherwise throws up no surprises, though swaps the gold hardware out in favor of chrome counterparts.

At its core, it’s got an alder body, five-piece maple/walnut neck and 24-fret rosewood fretboard, and flashes an HSS set of DiMarzio UtoPIA single-coil and humbuckers. 

Ibanez KIKO100-TRR

The Transparent Ruby Red KIKO100 flashes all the hallmarks of the Megadeth man’s previous KIKO10BP model, though has been tweaked to include a five-piece maple/walnut neck and Edge tremolo bridge.

The rest of the model should be pretty familiar to fans of Loureiro, thanks to the DiMarzio KIKO original HSH pickups, flamed maple top, rosewood fretboard with KIKO special inlay and 24 Jumbo frets.

It’s also got the same versatile switching system, headed up by a five-way blade switch and push/pull volume pot that accesses even more pickup combos.

Ibanez GBSP10

The final six-string of the drop is perhaps one of the classiest – George Benson’s GBSP10. As well as flashing a gorgeous red colorway, it also introduces a few tweaks that can’t be found on its closest comparison model, the GB10.

It introduces an all-new GBSP10 special ebony bridge and a revamped GBSP10 special tailpiece, which debuts some eye-catching inlays.

Elsewhere, it features a pair of GB special humbuckers controlled via a standard three-way switch, as well as a half-bone/half-brass nut and a body composed from flamed maple top, back and sides.

For more information about all the new signature models, head over to Ibanez.

Heavy metal fans are all too often misunderstood, as Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro remembers firsthand from his school days. 

As he explains in a new interview on the Chuck Shute Podcast, he once wrote a story describing a metal festival, featuring typical elements and themes of the genre – “loud guitars, mud, skulls and blood” – and was subsequently asked by his school principal to attend therapy.

“I was like 13 or 14,” Loureiro recalls, “and then of course, the principal from the school asked my mother to go there for a meeting. She said, ‘Your son probably has a problem – you need to take him to a psychologist or something.’”

But instead of sending the young Loureiro to receive professional help, his mother opted for a solution that would turn out to be infinitely more productive for her son in the long run: buying him an electric guitar.

“The classical guitar was not enough,” the Megadeth man remembers. “My classical guitar teacher said to my mother, ‘Buy him a guitar. He's into rock now. And then I went to start having lessons.”

He then recalls his first guitar lesson, in which his teacher played Led Zeppelin's Black Dog. “It [was] like, ‘Wow, that's what I want,’ you know. So from then on, I started practicing a lot.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Loureiro talks about his audition tape for Megadeth, for which he learned Hangar 18, Holy Wars... Symphony of Destruction and Trust only a day prior.

“I got the call from Dave [Mustaine] and he asked, ‘Can you send some videos of you playing the songs?’ So I chose Trust, Holy Wars, Symphony [of Destruction] and Hangar 18.

“I had a weekend – I wanted to send the videos as fast as I could, because I thought a lot of guitar players are probably sending those videos. I remember Saturday and Sunday I was playing [the songs] over and over. [I was] practicing and memorizing the songs because in rock you cannot have a piece of paper [to read from when playing live].”

Megadeth are currently embarking on the second leg of their Metal Tour of the Year with Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames. The trek kicked off at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (April 9), and will make stops in Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Kansas City and Pittsburgh before wrapping May 15 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

“I think it's an amazing package,” Loureiro says, “because even if you're an old-school Megadeth fan who doesn't know the new bands, it's a great opportunity to get to know those other bands.”

And in other news, Kiko Loureiro recently announced the launch of his own online Guitar Academy, in which he breaks down his most elaborate compositions, hosts monthly hangouts and tutors technique and theory.

Kiko Loureiro has announced the opening of his very own online Guitar Academy, which promises to be the “ultimate path to becoming a high-level guitarist”.

By the looks of things, it’s a pretty comprehensive package. Highlights from the academy – which will have new material added each month – include tuition methods that aim to hone your technique and musicality, and an entire section dedicated to theory, harmony and scales made simple.

Of course, Loureiro has added his own personal USP to the academy. Not only will he be hosting monthly hangouts with subscribers, he’ll also take the time to break down his “most elaborate” compositions.

Kiko Loureiro’s Guitar Academy also promises to provide an online community of like-minded electric guitar players and Loureiro fans – created via online chat rooms – and is said to be suitable for guitarists of all levels, from beginners to pros.

All of the above will be divided into eight separate courses. 7 Factor and Guitar Hacks will focus on modes, musicality and technique, while 21 Licks will aim to bolster your soloing vocabulary by teaching you, well, 21 different licks. There’s two volumes, though, so technically it’s 42 licks.

There’s also a Metal Riffs course, which boldly states it will give you “everything you need to know to master technique and create powerful metal riffs”, as well as The Practice Room, which Kiko will use for streaming sessions.

Subscription to Loureiro's Guitar Academy is currently available for $219 per year.

To find out more, and to see all the included courses, head over to the Kiko Loureiro Guitar Academy.

Kiko Loureiro is set to hit the road with Megadeth next month as part of their Metal Tour of the Year II with Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames. The tour will kick off on April 9 in Las Vegas, and will conclude on 19 May in Quebec.

For tickets and a full list of tour dates, head over to Megadeth’s official website.

The Athens, Greece-based Halkidonio Conservatory Group has been offering high-level, quality musical studies for 30 years, with seminars, masterclasses and festivals that have welcomed players like Mike Dawes, Aniello Desiderio, Zoran Dukic and others. 

Now, the Conservatory is offering a slew of amazing new seminars through its online platform, liveonguitar.com. The instructionals run the gamut from electric to acoustic to classical guitar, and feature a roster of top players in each style.

The electric guitar seminar will be hosted by Megadeth shredder Kiko Loureiro, who will teach technique, composition, career, music analysis and improvisation. The 90-minute seminar will be interactive, with Loureiro, who is also fluent in jazz, rock, fusion, progressive and other styles, answering students’ questions at the end of the session.

Louriero’s seminar will take place Saturday, November 27 at 7:00 p.m. EEST. The price is 50 € (approx. $57). What’s more, exclusive for Guitar World readers, until November 15 you can use the coupon guitarworld and get a 30% discount for Kiko’s online seminar.

You can book a ticket here.

Master player Mike Dawes, known for composing, arranging and performing multiple parts simultaneously on a single guitar, will serve as instructor for the acoustic seminar. Dawes is hailed as one of the world’s most creative modern fingerstyle guitarists and was named Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World two years in a row in Total Guitar/MusicRadar readers’ polls.

His group of four seminars, designed for both beginners and advanced students, will take players through original modern fingerstyle music techniques, from using harmonics and alternate tunings to percussive playing, fingerpicking and more. 

Dawes’ sessions will take place Friday, November 5, 12, 19 and 26  at 6.00 p.m. EEST. The price for the four-session package is 120€ (approx. $140), and you can book a ticket here.

The classical seminar, meanwhile, will be taught by Aniello Desiderio, one of the biggest names in classical guitar. Performing since the age of eight, Desiderio graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Music in Alessandria and has won 18 first International Awards in both national and international competitions. He will be giving seminar-courses beginning Monday December 1 and every Monday at 7:00 pm (EEST TIME) for the following four weeks.

The following issues will be analyzed in Desiderio’s seminars:

Dec. 1 – How to get the best guitar sound (movements – nails)

Dec. 8 – Right hand guitar technique

Dec. 15 – Left hand guitar technique

Dec. 22 – Open conversation: Questions, Program; Repertoire; Memorization of guitar pieces; Coping with stress on stage; and more

The price for Desiderio’s seminar is 160€ (approx. $185) for all four, with an early bird special of 150€ (approx. $173) until November 15. And exclusive for Guitar World readers, until November 15 you can use the coupon guitarworld and get a 30% discount for Aniello’s online seminar.

You can book your ticket here.

And for all your electric, acoustic and classic instruction needs, head to liveonguitar.com. Or check them out on Instagram and Facebook.

They say less is more, though anyone who’s familiar with electric guitars or acoustic guitars knows that simply isn’t true. More often than not, more really is more.

Kiko Loureiro is clearly an advocate of such a school of thought – so much so that he’s revealed he’s taken 13 (!) guitars of varying type and style on the road with him for Megadeth’s ongoing tour.

And, while usually we’d have to accept the fact we’d only be able to see these axes from afar via grainy online footage from various live shows, Loureiro – who has quite the YouTube presence – has released a video that lets us get up-close-and-personal with his catalog of tour instruments.

Joined by guitar tech Keaton Rich, the pair pick apart the well-stocked guitar stand, which, in total, features 11 electrics and two acoustics.

Of course, Ibanez is very well-represented in Loureiro’s stand, with five signature Kiko models making the cut. The current tour’s opening axe is a Kiko200 in D-standard – used for the first four or five songs – which is swapped out for a lighter weight Kiko100 LA Custom.

The first Kiko100 LA Custom is brought on to the stage for Conquer Or Die at the same time as the Takamine TC 132, though a Yamaha NCX3 classical guitar – a recent acquisition for Loureiro – is set to take the Takamine’s place in upcoming shows.

A burst-finished Kiko200 LA Custom is next on the list, with Loureiro also giving us a teasing glimpse of his matte red AZ prototype model, selected for its different neck profile and 12” radius.

Further Ibanez guitars arrive in the form of a Red Kiko100, a low-action RG for tapping workouts, a “hotel room” Kiko200 standard and a super-thin S-Series, the latter two of which won’t be played on stage during the tour.

Finally, a fresh-out-the-box, budget-friendly Kiko Series SP2 model is also brought along for the ride, as is Loureiro’s Megadeth artwork-adorned “Burn” RGA LA Custom. Though it used to be his go-to guitar for Conquer Or Die, the tour’s tweaked setlist means it no longer gets any on-stage action.

Oh, and just for good measure, Loureiro has also made room for a red Gibson Les Paul Modern, which features a scooped, ergonomic neck heel.

The video also revealed Rich’s string-changing regiment, with the guitar tech explaining he routinely replaces Loureiro’s electric guitar strings every two or three shows, just to keep them fresh.

There you have it, folks. Anyone else now thinking about their own guitar collection with some serious gear envy? Yeah, us too.

“Improvising while reading the comments is my new late-night practice routine.” This is a somewhat comical but certainly zeitgeist-tapping caption to a recent Instagram post from shred king-cum-social media influencer Kiko Loureiro. 

The accompanying video is the kicker. If you’re a longtime fan of Loureiro – who first rose up in the '90s with Brazilian metal icons Angra – you know his painfully scrunched brow has nothing to do with his chromatic waggling, or the outsized bends he’s stretching across the sunburst Ibanez AZ on his lap. 

That’s just him trying to keep up with the mile-a-minute scroll of messages from eager fans, likely chiming in with anything from a “Sick lick, Kiko!” to “Check out my band at the link.” This is all to say that the internet is a hell of a place, but at least Loureiro’s having fun with it. 

Though he may be best known these days as the current lead guitarist for Megadeth, the past couple of years have clearly also found the Brazilian-born Loureiro making a home for himself on social media. 

Especially during this past year of lockdown – with Loureiro grounded in his current base of Helsinki, Finland – the guitarist has turned to his Instagram profile and YouTube channel as sounding boards for song ideas, places to teach the occasional string-skipping technique, and just as a way to connect with other players, since meet-and-greets were off the table until Megadeth’s COVID-delayed tour with Lamb of God kicked off in August. 

Getting back to those Instagram comments, it’s that free exchange of ideas that taps into the central theme of Loureiro’s latest instrumental solo album, Open Source. Likening the album to how anyone with internet access can technically contribute to Wikipedia, Loureiro was excited to explore a similar concept with his fifth instrumental solo album. 

He conceived the 11-song Open Source as a project where he could “collaborate with different people from different places.” There’s an argument to be made that this can be said about any album, but Loureiro pushes the concept, like his runs, to the extreme. 

First off, Open Source reunites Loureiro with the thunderous drumming of his former Angra bandmate Bruno Valverde. It also includes jams with contemporary Instagram guitar hero Mateus Asato and Megadeth alum Marty Friedman. 

It’s a record that has Loureiro gleefully diving into progressive shred with melodic finesse (Overflow); floating a wah-soaked vibrato over thrash-tastic territory (Imminent Threat); locking into a raw and chunked-up, eight-string djent percussiveness (Liquid Times, Black Ice); and even working a uniquely cheerful, crossover pop-rock moment with Dreamlike. 

While the record is as varied as it is vibrant, the guitarist may be even more excited for what could happen with the music next. You see, his album arrangements are just a starting point. 

Taking the open-source concept to heart, Loureiro has since uploaded all the stems online pro bono – from beats to solos – so that adventurous music makers can do with them what they will; he’s already received script-flipping EDM-style remixes of Open Source tracks like E-Dependent Mind. 

While extremely proud of his latest solo release, his first since 2012’s Sounds of Innocence, its ideas are meant to outgrow the confines of its original 52-minute framework.

“It’s more, like, ‘power to the people,’ you know? Do whatever you want,” Loureiro says of the flux nature of the LP. “The rock-star attitude is, ‘I’m the best, here’s my music. Nobody is better than me.’ A modern attitude would be, ‘This is what I’m able to do now, [so] here are all the tracks.’ I’m sure somebody’s going to come up with an incredible idea.”

That’s not to say the guitarist hasn’t laid out some brilliant choices of his own across Open Source. Loureiro’s playing is palpably wide open and free, the instrumental pieces exploring all the jaw-dropping, technical whimsy the guitarist has accrued across 30-plus years of professional shreddery. 

That bag of tricks is secondary to Open Source’s overall songcraft, though. “Well, the technique – slides, bends, hybrid picking, tapping, alternate picking – it’s all there, you know? But I was really putting my effort into the compositions, the melodies,” he says. 

“There are some difficult sections in there, but my goal was, ‘How can I balance the melodic sensibility with some flashy, fancy technical things?’ I’m always afraid to be this boring guitar player, just playing fast all the time. I like the shred world, but I want to be melodic [too].” 

To that end, Open Source’s plethora of hummable moments include the neo-classical guitarmonies of Overflow and the lyrical, rafters-reaching pop-metal motifs within Sertão. Dreamlike, a yearning, mid-tempo outlier full of organ-saturated tones and soulfully spacious bends, works more of a John Mayer vibe than what you may normally expect from a master shredder. 

On the technical side of things, however, Open Source’s most complex moment may be the knuckle-snapping fretboard crawl on the aforementioned E-Dependent Mind – Loureiro’s YouTube channel explained as much via his “The hardest phrase on my new single” video upload. As he notes in the step-by-step breakdown, the mercurial phrase had been written and recorded on piano before being doubled with his six-string. 

“I’m using kind of a pentatonic on the piano, but I was playing it slower [when it was first written],” he further explains to Guitar World. “My [original] idea was to have only the piano, but then I thought maybe not – then it’d sound more like Dream Theater. I don’t know… it’s a guitar album. It has to have guitar!” 

Having recorded the album just a few blocks away from the Bogner factory in Los Angeles, Loureiro rotated between the company’s Shiva, Ecstasy and Helios heads. That said, he chose an EVH 5150 III for Open Source’s chunkiest rhythm sections. In terms of the guitars, he put an arsenal of Ibanez axes to work. 

Some of the album’s most soaring moments are courtesy of his trusted Ibanez signature – a deep green KIKO-200 and an OG, black-and-red KIKO-100 – though elsewhere he turned to an RG Prestige 7. He played an eight-string Ibanez RG852MPB for the chewier, djent-like grooves of Liquid Times but switched back to six strings for its sustained high notes, harmonic ring-outs and soft-touch trem bar work.

Liquid Times is also home to a 30-second guest spot from Asato, with the social media wunderkind going supernova in his section with a series of dives, compound sweeps and bluesier slides. Having himself crossed over into the world of social media, Loureiro was glad to connect with one of Instagram’s most prolific influencers. 

“He represents the modern guitar player, the guy that has a mosaic of one-minute musical ideas on his Instagram. It took me a few years to understand that this is an art form,” Loureiro says of Asato’s online etiquette, at least before the younger guitarist put himself on a so-far temporary Instagram hiatus at the beginning of 2021.

The title of Liquid Times is a comment on the “here today, gone tomorrow” aesthetic of Instagram, where moments of inspiration can be pulled offline with the push of a button.

“Recording an album is such a stressful time, because you have to decide who you are in that one hour [of music], and you cannot [take it] back,” he says. “The Instagram posts you can just delete, right? How many times have you seen people say stupid stuff, and then they just delete the post? That’s liquid time. I cannot delete Open Source. It’s here forever; that’s my stamp as an artist.” 

Though Loureiro has become a prolific poster in his own right, it’s fair to say he still has some reservations about the online world. He points to people, like his friend Asato, getting burned out on being connected 24/7. Let’s not forget that there are trolls tucked under countless crevasses of the online landscape, faceless figures looking to pit Loureiro and his contemporaries against each other. 

“One of the worst things about the internet is how people are comparing you with other guitarists,” he says. “I’m exaggerating, but for the past five years, most phrases on the internet that have ‘Kiko’ and ‘Megadeth’ in them have ‘Marty Friedman’ in the same paragraph, right? ‘I prefer Kiko!’ or ‘I prefer Marty!’ 

“I thought the greatest message [to send out] would be to have Marty Friedman [on the record], not only because he was the Megadeth guy, but to show that music is not a competition. The best way to show that I’m into this open-source, collaborative vibe is to bring the guy over as a guest.” 

Loureiro notes that he’s been a fan of Friedman for decades, but they hadn’t met IRL until Loureiro invited Friedman out for lunch while Megadeth were touring Japan in 2015. The guitarists talked about music for hours – without ever actually talking about their respective tenures in Megadeth. 

It hadn’t dawned on Loureiro at the time to compare notes, though he did eventually fire off a video tribute to Friedman’s legendary run with Megadeth.

“I remember sending him a video of [myself playing] Tornado of Souls, because people use it as a benchmark,” he recalls with a laugh. “I sent it to him and he was like, ‘Oh… cool!’” The pair’s collaborative Imminent Threat may be Open Source’s most frantic, go-for-the-throat moment. 

Loureiro explains that the song was crafted late into the album’s production, after the guitarist realized the collection “was missing that fast shred song.” For his part, Loureiro rifles off a series of wired-and-inspired runs, judding metal rhythms and wah-obliterated phrases.

Mid-song, Friedman taps in with a fiery display of shred theatrics (“It’s not easy to compose a solo when the chords are changing so much – it’s a modal harmony there”). While currently promoting Open Source, Loureiro is also in Megadeth mode, with the Big Four favorites getting closer to unveiling the follow-up to 2016’s Grammy-winning Dystopia. 

Pre-production began in 2019, but those plans were put on pause when Dave Mustaine was diagnosed with throat cancer. Following his treatment and recovery, the band went back on the road in early 2020, but then, of course, COVID hit. 

More recently, the band faced another roadblock after dismissing founding bassist Dave Ellefson following the online leak of sexually explicit videos the musician sent to a teenage fan. Megadeth are in the midst of a fall tour with Lamb of God, with James LoMenzo resuming low-end duties.

That said, the basic tracking for the 16th Megadeth album is complete, though Loureiro has punched in the occasional flourish as late as this spring. While relatively mum on the specifics of his second album with the band, Loureiro notes that, as with Dystopia, he does have a few co-writing spots on the record. 

He’ll also concede that some songs have a “rock ’n’ roll” vibe to them, arguably along the lines of Countdown to Extinction opener Skin o’ My Teeth. Suiting that old-school heaviness, Loureiro kept his eight-string in the case. 

“There aren’t any eight-string guitars, because that’s not the concept of the band. I can explore that [on my own] – but I believe a band is more of a conceptual thing. When I’m there with Megadeth, it’s, ‘How can I be as aggressive and heavy as possible without cheating?’” he says with a laugh. “I remember recording Dystopia [and saying], ‘Hey, Dave, let’s put a drop D [in there].’ He didn’t want it. I remember recording it to show him the idea, but it’s not on the album. He was right; it would’ve sounded like somebody else.”

• Open Source is out now.

It’s no secret that Kiko Loureiro’s YouTube channel is an absolute goldmine for Megadeth fans, and now the band’s talismanic electric guitar hero has delivered the goods once again, sharing a behind-the-scenes video that features an unfiltered look at the group’s six-day pre-tour rehearsal sessions.

Filmed before the band kicked off their Metal Tour of The Year tour, which is currently underway, the 24-minute vlog sees Megadeth rattle through renditions of a number of their classic tracks.

Hangar 18, Symphony of Destruction, Conquer or Die and Holy Wars...The Punishment Due are all songs that crop up throughout the video, with In My Darkest Hour, Peace Sells and Poison Was The Cure also getting a run-out.

It’s also a good opportunity for us to hear Loureiro’s new Neural DSP Quad Cortex-based rig, which replaced the axe slinger’s once-trusted Fractal Axe FX II-loaded setup.

As expected, the tones on display are supremely sweet and gorgeously gain-y, with Loureiro wielding a series of six-strings – such as his Ibanez KIKO10, his Ibanez KIKO200-GMT and a Gibson Les Paul – throughout the course of the video.

Dave Mustaine – a recently recruited Gibson signature artist – can also be spotted taking his signature Metallic Silver Gibson Flying V EXP for a spin.

There’s a fair share of stage-direction insight too, featuring none other than Vic Rattlehead, who emerges from a faux Marshall stack placed underneath the drum riser. The Megadeth mascot also attempts – "attempts" being the key word here – the moonwalk, though whether that made it into the live shows remains to be seen.

Megadeth, whose current lineup comprises Mustaine, Loureiro, drummer Dirk Verbeuren and new live bassist James LoMenzo, are currently in the midst of their Metal Tour of the Year tour, which kicked off on August 20 in Texas.

For a full list of tour dates, head over to Megadeth’s official website.

Thanks to his YouTube channel, Kiko Loureiro is doing a marvelous job of keeping us up-to-date with all things Megadeth, and the Brazilian electric guitar player recently shared a neat behind-the-scenes look at the band’s rehearsals ahead of their upcoming tour.

And, as well as providing a brief rehearsal room tour and a chat with returning bass guitar player James LoMenzo, the video also threw up a gear revelation – namely, that Loureiro has switched to a Neural DSP Quad Cortex for the forthcoming live shows.

It’s a notable departure from Loureiro’s previous tried-and-trusted Megadeth live rig, which featured Fractal’s digital amp modeler, the Axe Fx-II XL+.

After ambushing guitar tech Keaton Rich with his camera, Loureiro gives viewers a glimpse of his updated modelling unit-based rig, with which Rich fiddles while wielding the Megadeth man’s own Ibanez KIKO10 signature guitar.

With an eagle-eyed Loureiro filming, Rich can be seen tweaking one of the Quad Cortex’s presets, dialing up the gain and fine-tuning the tone by way of the unit’s intuitive parameter-sculpting control layout.

While Rich does his thing on the expression pedal-paired unit, Loureiro then reveals an additional pair of Neural DSP’s floor modelling units, which are hidden within the guitar player’s wider rig.

No comment is made by Loureiro at the time, though given his previous history in answering his fan's calls to film in-depth rig overviews – including his old Megadeth rig and live trio show setup – we expect a more thorough rundown to crop up in a future video.

And when it does, you best believe we’ll be all over it.

Megadeth's Metal Tour of the Year tour kicked off on August 20 in Austin, Texas –  a show that marked the first time in 12 years the band had played alongside James LoMenzo, who was rehired following David Ellefson's departure.

The band's next show is scheduled to take place this Thursday (September 9) at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Chicago.

For a full list of dates, head over to Megadeth's official website.

Playing the electric guitar is hard enough at the best of times, even when you have both eyes wide open. Take away your sense of sight, and playing the six-string suddenly becomes an exercise fraught with logistical problems. For Kiko Loureiro, however, using his eyes is merely an added bonus.

Appearing on the latest installment of Herman Li’s mammoth Jason Becker fundraiser livestream, Loureiro was challenged by the DragonForce guitarist to take part in the blindfold challenge, a daunting activity that tasked the pair to – yep, you guessed it – shred without being able to actually see.

“Is this serious? Will I have to play like this?” quizzes Loureiro after being instructed to cover his eyes. “Yeah! It’s easy!” Li replies. “Alex Skolnick played even better blindfolded, so we should all be better.”

His trepidation is, of course, absolutely unnecessary. You can watch the entire jaw-dropping exchange, which begins at the 16:45 mark, in the video below.

Li, a blindfold challenge veteran, kicks off proceedings, easing his way in with some silky slides and run-of-the-mill, uber-melodic licks. Loureiro, on the other hand, wastes no time with such formalities.

After his initial effort, which was absolutely stacked with blinding scale runs, effortlessly executed fretboard-spanning lines and wailing bends that hit the nail right on the head, Li decides things are too easy, and introduces the two-hand tapping technique to the fold.

And, in one final flex of his ridiculous guitar powers, Loureiro boldly slides between blink-and-you’ll-miss-them low fret licks and exquisite high-note bends. Talk about showing off.

“That was fun,” he quips after he crushes the challenge. 

It's not the first time that Li has taken his guest stars out of their comfort zones at the behest of his Twitch viewers. 

Recently, Tim Henson was forced to improvise – a drastically different approach to the guitar in comparison to Polyphia's intricately crafted, carefully choreographed fretboard masterpieces.

Since Dave Mustaine's announcement last week that Megadeth's new album will be called The Sick, the Dying and the Dead, fans have been eagerly awaiting further details about its release. One YouTuber, however, is sick to death of the wait.

So much so that in a new video posted to his channel, guitarist Shawn McNair has pieced together what he believes to be a track from the album, using snippets from Dave Mustaine's Cameo profile. It's safe to say, regardless of how accurate his prediction turns out to be, the results are pretty astounding.

Firstly, as an intro, McNair recreates the clean arpeggiated riff heard in the background of the same Cameo video that revealed the title of the album. Next, he puts together a rhythm section to accompany a rapid-fire thrash riff revealed by Mustaine last week.

He then tags on a riff revealed by the Megadeth frontman at a Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp masterclass earlier this year, before composing completely original-yet-uncanny solos in the styles of Mustaine and lead guitarist Kiko Loureiro.

“At the time I'm recording this, at least to my knowledge, there's been three riffs that have been previewed from the upcoming Megadeth album, mostly through Dave Mustaine's Cameo,” the guitarist explains.

“So, what I thought I would do is work out how to play those riffs, add some drums and bass to it, and solo over it in the style of both Kiko and Dave, and see what a new Megadeth song could sound like.

“I don't know if these riffs are from the same song – I don't even know if they're going to end up on the album – but we'll see when it comes out. I'm really excited for that.”

In a recent Cameo video, Dave Mustaine revealed that the forthcoming album is “almost done”.

“I'm just listening to the last little bits right now,” he said. “Kiko's stuff is all done. We should be turning this in any day now. We've been turning in individual songs, and right now it's down to just approving the last couple of songs. So, keep your fingers crossed and hold your breath. It won't be long till there's a new Megadeth record.”

Like all of us, Marty Friedman is looking forward to a better year in 2021. And he’s doing his best to kick it off in style, with a New Year’s Day livestream featuring a “multi-dimensional visual atmosphere” designed by Japanese motion graphics creator Nobuyuki Hanabusa.

“Playing live is what I want to doing in real life, but it can't be done in real life right now,” the electric guitar whiz explains, calling Guitar World from his Tokyo home. “So I figured, at least we can make the best out of this situation and use some new technology to do something really cool.”

Indeed, the livestream, which will present Friedman and his band performing songs from his forthcoming album, Tokyo Jukebox 3, onstage for the first time, looks to be something “really cool” (for just how cool, read on). But beyond that, Friedman has been busy this past year otherwise.

In addition to the aforementioned Tokyo Jukebox 3, he also recently teamed up, to the surprise and delight of fans, with current Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro on a shredding new song, Imminent Threat, jammed virtually with members of Mastodon and Baroness on an awesome cover of Fleetwood Mac’s You Making Loving Fun and declared, to much interest from GW’s readers, that he was done with effects like reverb and delay.

Friedman spoke with Guitar World about his busy 2020, as well as what’s on tap for the upcoming year. Beyond the livestream, he said he hopes to be able to get out on the road and play the Tokyo Jukebox 3 material live in person. But, he added, “much more important than my silly record is that I hope for a lot of health and happiness and safety for people.”

He continued, “Music is obviously such an important thing for me and for people who read Guitar World. But for most people, music is kind of a nice diversion and then they have to get on with their lives. And those are the people that make life good for the rest of us. So, you know, we get crazy because we can't do a tour or anything like that, but there are people who are having real serious problems out there, and hopefully 2021 will be a better year for them. Hopefully, it will be for all of us.”

What can you tell us about the New Year’s Day livestream concert?

“It's a very new interpretation of what people might have seen me do in the past. Basically when I've played live it's been in a very traditional format – normal staging, normal venues, a pretty stripped-down rock band approach. But having the opportunity to do a streaming concert has given us a chance to work with people who are taking the medium to the new levels.

“Since live concerts aren't happening there's just been an amazingly huge leap in not only the technology around a performance, but the imagination in terms of how to present a musical concert. It’s been happening in Japan, and probably in America, too.

“To get into more details about my particular concert, we'll be doing a normal show for us, but as far as the venue and the technology involved, we'll be in a completely LED environment. It’ll be 360 degrees, meaning the ceilings and the floors and all sides, we're completely surrounded by LEDs.

“The designer who’s doing this is a really avant-garde guy who has done so many of the bigger concerts here in Japan. He’s created content for different worlds for us to be performing in, and each song is interpreted with a different motif. It's really something I've never seen before. When I saw a video explanation of what was going to happen in a run-through my jaw just hit the floor.”

And this will be the first time we get to hear you playing a lot of the material from the new Tokyo Jukebox 3.

“Absolutely, yeah. A lot of this stuff is not released anywhere but Japan and it hasn't been played live anywhere. I've done a couple of songs on TV here in Japan, which you can probably find on the internet. And there's a video for a song called The Perfect World. But the songs for the most are going to be completely new to people.”

What can you tell us about the new record?

“It's the third in a series of albums of Japanese songs that I've covered and destroyed. [laughs] It's been nine years since the last Tokyo Jukebox, and in those nine years I've released a lot of other albums and I've toured everywhere. 

“But the reason I wanted to do this third one now is because I've played so many of these Japanese songs around the world, and a lot of people have discovered Japanese music through my playing the songs and touring with them.

“It's just an amazing feeling to go to a foreign country, or even America, and play these songs as if they were mine and then have the fans discover that they’re really covers, and through that they discover Japanese music and hopefully get the same kind of fever that I got for it when I first decided to move here. It's wonderful to watch that cycle happen and to be kind of a conduit for folks discovering something really, really fresh.”

A few months back you talked about ditching effects like reverb and delay on the new record. What was that about?

“I don't want to say there’s none on the new record, but I noticed when I was tracking that, usually when guitar players track stuff, there's some kind of wetness on melodies and solos. I'm exactly the same. And then I noticed that when the engineer took off the wetness there was this kind of 'slap' to my tone. Like a spank that kind of took away some of the softness and led to a more in-your-face-ness. Does that make sense?”

It does.

“So we took a lot of delay off when we were monitoring things back and I said, 'Let's leave it like that.' Then when the final mix started to happen I wound up taking more and more of that stuff off and you could hear more of the nuances in my playing.”

So you actually recorded with effects, and then removed them after the fact.

“Yeah. You monitor with effects a lot. And often when I'm playing live and I have in-ear monitors, I have the monitor person make it super-wet because it's just comfortable to play with wetness. But since this record got mixed, I kind of like the dryness.

“So I’ve started rehearsing with my band with a little bit drier of a tone. And it's not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. It was really quite an easy transition. And it helps a little bit with accuracy, which has never been my top priority. I'm not going to go down in history for being Mr. Accurate. [laughs] So anything that can help me play a little bit more accurate is okay.”

Beyond your own record, you recently guested on a track, Imminent Threat, from Kiko Loureiro’s new solo album.

“Oh, Kiko and I are bros! He's a good, good friend of mine. Whenever he comes to Japan we hang out. I don't think we've ever sat in a room together playing guitars, but I would certainly love to. He’s a super, super, super guitar player, and a super guy. So when he asked me to play on his thing I jumped to it. I had no idea what he was going to come up with, but the song was really cool. So I did my thing with it and a good time was had by all.”

As would be expected, the idea of the two of you playing together excited the Megadeth fanbase.

“Oh, yeah.”

When you’ve spent time with Kiko do you guys ever trade Megadeth war stories?

“I don't remember talking too much Megadeth with him. But he's a real intelligent fellow. So I have to keep up with him! I remember one thing he said that was really interesting – we were talking about Allan Holdsworth for some reason, and he said something about how when you hear any guitarist or any artist, you're kind of hearing their life in their music. And he used Allan as an example, and he used me as an example.

“I'd never really heard it put in those words before. Normally that kind of New Age-y talk makes me want to vomit. But it actually made sense the way he was saying it. I just thought it was a brilliant thing to say.”

So what you’re saying is your conversation is more elevated than, “Dude, how do you play that lick in Tornado of Souls?”

“[laughs] I don't really talk like that with anybody. Although occasionally with the guys in my band, if they play something I think is cool – which is often – I’ll say, 'Dude, show me that!' I've always done that. It doesn't matter who it is, whether I know the person or not. If they're there and they're doing something cool, I'll just stop them and try to try to figure out what it is and how I can make it my own somehow.”

Speaking of cool guitar licks, you recently covered Fleetwood Mac’s You Make Loving Fun with Two Minutes to Late Night. Are you a fan of the Mac?

“Big time. Lindsey Buckingham is one of my favorite guitarists in history. I've ripped off so many motifs from that guy. He plays very basic melody lines, but the way he hangs on single notes, no-one else does it. And it's just so gut-wrenching.

“That was a huge influence on me when I first started playing lead guitars – how do you get that emotion? He's playing the same scales as everybody else is, and he's not doing these, like, 20-finger tapping things, but the second you hear the guy you know it's him. And what he does always elevates the song.

“You know, most pop songs don't have lead guitars in them, and they don't need lead guitars in them. But Fleetwood Mac have the ultimate pop songs, and they all have great lead solos in them. So what does that tell you? That tells you that the guitar player is just amazing.”

He’s definitely an underrated player.

“A lot of people notice how fantastic he is with his fingerpicking and his acoustic playing, and that's something that people can work really, really hard at and kind of master. But there's only one Lindsey who can emote the way he does on leads. And I don't think anybody can really copy that.

“I think this is really important, because a lot of guitarists don’t have that. Even me, I don't really have that one thing. Whereas with, like, Eddie Van Halen, everybody tries to do the fret tapping. I don't really have something that people can pick up on like that. It's all just gut stuff. I kind of wish that I had more of a thing where you could go, 'Oh, do this and you'll sound like Marty,' because it might open some more doors for me. But I think my playing is a bit too eclectic.

“If anything, the thing that people often pick up from my playing is bending from a half-step below a note. But that’s so on-the-surface, and such an absolutely throwaway meaningless thing, that when brought to the forefront it just sounds really weird.”

Well I would make the argument that people tend to characterize your playing as having a certain exoticism, as far as note and scale choices.

“That's true. That's a good point. But it’s not something that’s so tangible.”

It’s more like, you know it when you hear it.

“Right. You know it when you hear it. But I kind of always wished it was more doable by other people. But it is what it is. Some people are easier to impersonate on a surface level. I've heard guys who sound really, really, really good at the surface level doing Eddie Van Halen’s playing. But even so, you can never get the soul of a Van Halen. You can never get it.

“But I think it’s a wonderful thing to be able to do. Although I really have yet to hear people do a surface of my playing that really sounds that much like me. I kind of wish that more people could. I wish I could be a little bit more accessible like that!”

• Marty Friedman's Tokyo Jukebox Live Worldwide 2021 streaming event takes place on Jan 1 2021. To buy tickets, head over to Zaiko.

It’s been a good month for Dream Theater-related solo album news, and now here’s more: former DT keyboardist Derek Sherinian, also known for his work with Sons of Apollo, Black Country Communion and many, many others, will release a new album, The Phoenix, on September 18 2020.

The record, his first solo effort since 2011’s Oceana, features an insane lineup of guest electric guitar players, including Zakk Wylde, Kiko Loureiro, Sherinian’s Black Country Communion bandmate, Joe Bonamassa, and his Sons of Apollo bandmate Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal.

Also on tap for the record is Steve Vai, who Sherinian said in a statement “has always been on my hit list. But it was when I played keyboards on the Generation Axe tour of Asia in 2017 that I asked him to play on my record, which he gladly accepted.” 

Further appearances on The Phoenix include bassists Tony Franklin, Jimmy Johnson and Billy Sheehan and longtime drummer Simon Phillips.

“I truly feel that this is my best solo record to date,” Sherinian said. “Simon [Philipps] and I put a lot of energy into the writing, and I am grateful to all of the great players that contributed to this recording."

For more information, head to Derek Sherinian’s official Facebook page.

If you had to pick an electric guitar player that Megadeth’s Kiko Loureiro would be unlikely to collaborate with on a song, Marty Friedman – who has had a tumultuous relationship with Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine since leaving the band at the end of the ‘90s – would probably land near the top of that list.

And yet, Loureiro has just released a new solo track, Imminent Threat, with a guest appearance from none other than Friedman.

"For the last five years, I've always been compared to Marty Friedman, and Marty Friedman is a great musician – not only a great guitar player but an amazing musician,” Loureiro said.

“And I'm a big fan of his solo work and Cacophony and, of course, other Megadeth years, and I had a chance to meet him two times and have great conversations about music and about life with him.

"I have some guest musicians, guest guitarists on my new album, and guess what? Marty Friedman is one of them.

"I'm so happy to have Marty Friedman. He did, of course, an amazing solo on one of my songs. So, thank you, Marty."

Imminent Threat is the second single from Loureiro’s forthcoming fifth solo album, Open Source.

Recently, Loureiro also posted his original audition tapes for Megadeth, showing him tackling Friedman songs like Holy Wars, Trust and Hangar 18 – one day after first learning how to play them.

For more information on Open Source, head to Loureiro's Indiegogo page.

Marty Friedman, meanwhile, was most recently spotted shredding up the fretboard in a demo for Fender's Japan-exclusive - and thoroughly desirable - Modern Series Telecaster.

Kiko Loureiro has been teasing his upcoming solo album, Open Source, for a while now, and the Megadeth electric guitar player has finally unveiled the first song from the record, an instrumental titled EDM (e-Dependent Mind).

The new track features Loureiro on guitar and keyboards, as well as Felipe Andreoli on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums. You can check it out above.

Loureiro has been crowdfunding Open Source on Indiegogo, with the record achieving its main goal just five hours after launch.

Says Loureiro, “The recordings started in September 2019 and I've been working on the album since then, in between Megadeth's activities.

“The purpose of being fully independent with this project, and crowdfunding, is to make it all much easier to give me the freedom of making music the way I want,
having you as a collaborator and part of the process with me. Simple as that.”

He goes on to explain that the title of the album, Open Source, is something of a statement of concept.

“I want you to have access to the way I created the album concept, the songs, how I played, and, of course, the backing tracks so if you play an instrument you can have fun with it.

“In addition, I will make the stems of the songs available for download. So you can remix, recreate, make new versions of the songs. I can expect different approaches and probably even better versions than mine.

“Some of the perks are unique. Brings us closer, we can collaborate together. I'm very excited to have this possibility through this campaign.

“When you participate in this limited-time exclusive crowdfund, you officially become a partner with me. And you’re helping to launch this album worldwide.”

For more information on Open Source, head to Loureiro's Indiegogo page.

A few weeks ago, Kiko Loureiro posted an audition video of himself playing Megadeth’s Hangar 18, which he shot as a tryout for the lead guitar slot in the band in 2015. Amazingly, Loureiro had only learned the song the day before filming the clip.

Now, Kiko has posted two more songs from his audition – Trust and Holy Wars… The Punishment Due – both of which, like Hangar, he had just tackled the day before shooting.

Regarding Holy Wars, he says, “that’s a tough one. Pretty hard to learn and to memorize.”

He continues, “I missed the coolest thing on the main riff, which is a small 16th note pause. I didn’t notice when I was learning because I had two days to learn the solos and the riffs and I missed that.”

Discussing Trust, Loureiro says, “It’s an easier song to memorize, to learn how to play. The chords are a little bit off timewise, also the solo is not exactly as the original.

“And the interlude, the clean part, I’m improvising something like the album. But actually my line that I play live nowadays is the second voice and is something completely different.”

When it comes to looking back at his audition videos, Loureiro continues, “[It’s] interesting because for me it’s kind of impressive that I memorized because I’m not reading anything.

“That shows that I was really focused on learning the song and also very excited to prove that I would be able to play those songs.

“I don’t think I would able to do this again five years later.”

We’d have to respectfully disagree.

Best of 2020: Kiko Loureiro has posted plenty of clips to his official YouTube page demonstrating how to play various Megadeth songs, including Bullet to the Brain and Poisonous Shadows.

But the electric guitar player’s latest clip is something different. As he states very clearly: 

“This is not a how to play a Megadeth song video. So don’t try to learn how to play this song from this video. There’s a lot of wrong notes, a lot of wrong riffs, but there’s a story behind this video.”

The story, as Loureiro goes on to explain, is that the video is part of his audition tape after being asked to try out for the lead guitar slot in Megadeth in 2015.

Upon being invited to travel to Nashville to meet Megadeth main man Dave Mustaine, Loureiro offered to film himself playing a handful of tunes in advance of the trip.

“So I had a Saturday and Sunday to learn a few songs and shoot a video,” he says.

That Saturday he learned four songs: Hanger 18, Symphony of Destruction, Trust and Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.

The next day, he filmed his performances. “I found some backing tracks on YouTube, put up my camera, [had my] little amp and played,” Loureiro says.

“I didn’t fix any notes, didn’t try to edit or anything. Just the real Kiko trying to play the four songs in two days. 

"The idea was to show I had the technique, I had the style, and I would be able to play the Megadeth songs if I had more time to learn all the notes.”

As for Mustaine’s response after watching the video? “There’s a lot of wrong notes,” Loureiro recalls with a laugh.

“But then on Monday I flew to Nashville, and here I am.”

The clip that Loureiro shares here presents his performance of Hanger 18 – including Marty Friedman’s ridiculously complicated solos – after having just learned the song the day before.

As Loureiro says, “Please enjoy. But don’t try to learn the way I’m playing here, because it’s not correct.”

Megadeth electric guitar player Kiko Loureiro is the latest artist – alongside Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, and Louireiro’s Megadeth partner Dave Mustaine – to team with Reverb for an online guitar shop.  

The Official Kiko Loureiro of Megadeth Reverb Shop will feature more than 80 pieces of gear, including guitars, amps and pedals, used on albums and tours throughout his career.

Some of the items available, with descriptions from Reverb and Loureiro, include:

A Tagima K-1 electric guitar made by master luthier Márcio Zaganin. Its fretboard is made of wood from the jacarandá-da-baía (Brazilian rosewood) that previously made up the floors of City Hall in São Paulo, Brazil. "I want to know who is going to buy this guitar. I want to be friends with this person," said Loureiro. 

An Ibanez Prestige RG752WMFX fixed-bridge electric guitar that was used extensively on Megadeth’s 2016 album Dystopia. “This guitar is very special to me,” said Loureiro. “It was used to record 90 percent of the riffs on Dystopia. So if you buy this guitar, you can have a Grammy-winning guitar.”

Three Ibanez 100-TRR Kiko signature model guitars with now-discontinued red finishes that Loureiro used on Megadeth’s Dystopia tour from 2015 to 2018.

Two Ibanez Kiko 200 electric guitars with fast necks, scalloped frets and bright green burst finishes that Loureiro used to compose a new album for Megadeth, as well as for solo concerts, clinics, and YouTube videos. 

An Achim acoustic guitar that Loureiro had handmade in Germany after he sold multiple other nylon classical guitars to purchase it. “The bass that comes from this instrument is something that I never heard in my life. It’s something really special,” said Loureiro. “You can hear this acoustic guitar on the song Awakening Prelude, the first track of my solo album, Sounds of Innocence.”

A Laney Lionheart amp head and 4x12 cabinet that Loureiro used when he first moved to LA. “I used this specific amp for all the small gigs and videos that I did in LA at that time,” said Loureiro. “It’s got a beautiful, classic British tone.”

“I’m a gear fanatic and have been collecting guitars, pedals, and amplifiers throughout my life and world travels," Loureiro said. "I’ve got gear from my homes in Brazil and LA, from the Megadeth camp in Nashville, and from Finland, where my wife is from.

“As tough as it is to part with these pieces, I believe that instead of letting them sit in storage, I want people to play them and use them to make new music and memories.”

The Official Kiko Loureiro of Megadeth Reverb Shop launches March 10. For more information, head to Reverb.

Guitarist Kiko Loureiro operates an active YouTube page, most recently posting a clip demonstrating how to play the solo to Megadeth’s “Bullet to the Brain.” Now, he’s back with another instructional video, this time showing the solo to “Poisonous Shadows,” another track from Megadeth’s 2016 album, Dystopia. 

“Here’s my way of creating a short solo over a one-note riff,” the guitarist explains in the video above.

Loureiro’s official YouTube channel has offered up a wealth of interesting clips over the past couple of years, including him reacting to videos of other guitarists playing his solos and also discussing whether he plays the famous “Tornado of Souls” riff incorrectly. 

You can check out more of Loureiro's videos here.

Kiko Loureiro recently posted an instructional video detailing how to play the solo to “Bullet to the Brain,” from Megadeth’s 2016 album, Dystopia. As Loureiro says, “It’s not a super technical solo so I’m sure you’re going to be able to play it and learn something from it.” 

Check out the clip above and give it a shot.

Loureiro’s official YouTube channel has offered up a wealth of interesting clips over the past couple of years, including him reacting to videos of other guitarists playing his solos and also discussing whether he plays the famous “Tornado of Souls” riff incorrectly. 

You can check out more of his videos here.

Kiko Loureiro recently posted a video to his official YouTube page showing the Megadeth guitarist reacting clips of other players covering his solos.

Among the many tunes that are covered in the video are “Dilemma” and "Escaping," from Loureiro’s 2005 solo album, No Gravity, and "Conquer or Die!” and “Dystopia,” from Megadeth’s most recent album, 2016’s Dystopia.

Regarding the “Dystopia” cover, which is performed by a young boy, Loureiro exclaims, “How old are you? 11? 12?” After the boy pulls off the particularly difficult hybrid-picked section of the solo, Loureiro comments, “That’s hard—I know!”

You can check out the full clip above.

Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro recently posted a short video clip to his official YouTube channel that shows him attempting to play one of the more demanding solos from his catalog. The song is question is “Morning Star, from his former band, Angra.

“I decided to challenge myself and revisit some of my old solos,” Loureiro writes. “This is a difficult solo for me—‘Morning Star’ [from the] Temple of Shadows album.”

Recently, Loureiro also posted a clip responding to online comments that he plays the solo from “Megadeth’s “Tornado of Souls” incorrectly.

"Do you think I would be playing a Megadeth song wrong in front of Dave Mustaine for over three years, for over 300 concerts?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”

"Do you think I would be playing a Megadeth song wrong in front of Dave Mustaine for over three years, for over 300 concerts?” asks Kiko Loureiro in a new YouTube video. “I don’t think so.”

Apparently, some viewers have felt differently. As Loureiro explains, after he posted a video of himself playing through the entirety of the Rust in Peace track, he read comments saying that he picks the main riff wrong, and that it should be done using all downstrokes, rather than alternate picking.

In response, Loureiro says he decided to create a new video “explaining why I don’t do downstrokes all the time.”

Which is exactly what Loureiro, in typical lighthearted fashion, does in the clip above. Check it out and it will be become clear that, no, Loureiro does not play the “Tornado of Souls” riff incorrectly.

In this new video, Joe Satriani, Kiko Loureiro, Lari Basilio and Bumblefoot discuss the upcoming guitar extravaganza, G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert.

Taking place January 3-7, 2019 at Hotel Zosa in Palm Springs, CA, G4 will include the stellar lineup of guitarists mentioned above, in addition to Carlos Alomar, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, and Journey's Neal Schon for four days and nights of pure guitar pleasure.  

“The students that have come to the first four G4 Experiences have been as unique and eclectic as you could imagine, so for G4 Experience V5.0, I’ve put together a team of instructors that really reflects that diverse nature,” Satriani said. “The lineup this year is probably our best yet. It’s so exciting, getting to be so totally immersed and getting to be so close to these great players. You never know what’s going to happen and  at the end of the week you’ll think, 'I went somewhere beautiful, I had  fun, I made some new friends, and I grew as a musician.' And there’s nothing better than that.”

In addition, Satriani will be joined at G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert by his own touring band, Mike Keneally (guitar and keyboards), Bryan Beller (bass), and Joe Travers (drums), all of whom will also serve as instructors and accompaniment for each night’s all-star concert.

Presented annually by Dreamcatcher Events, G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert is an all-inclusive event with a jam-packed schedule sure to keep guests involved from morning until the wee hours of the night. It will feature four days and nights of activities, including multiple workshops led by each instructor, access to fully loaded jam rooms, meet-and-greets and nightly concert performances.

A variety of guest packages are available, with all registrations including accommodations, three meals a day, parking, Wi-Fi, and an exclusive welcome kit from D’Addario. Musical gear is not provided—guests are asked to please bring their own instruments.

As an added bonus, attendees who sign up by November 1, 2018 will receive $1,000 in free gear! 

Complete information and registration details can be found now at g4experience.com.

How did you spend your Labor Day? If you’re Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro, you posted a video of yourself hanging out in a recording studio and working on some 8-string guitar shred licks.

Loureiro, who uploaded the video to his official YouTube account yesterday, wrote: “I'm trying to get used to the size of an 8 string neck, so I'm just jamming randomly  over this endless loop. Here's 8 minutes of it. Let me know if it's boring or not...”

Check out Loureiro’s licks below:

In this new video from Joe Satriani, the guitarist discusses the teachers and special guests who will be appearing at G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert.

Taking  place January 3-7, 2019 at Hotel Zosa in Palm Springs, CA, G4 features a top-notch teaching staff that includes Carlos Alomar, Lari Basilio, Bumblefoot and Kiko Loureiro, along with special guests Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Neal Schon of Journey. 

“The students that have come to the first four G4 Experiences have been as unique and eclectic as you could imagine, so for G4 Experience V5.0, I’ve put together a team of instructors that really reflects that diverse nature,” Satriani said. “The lineup this year is probably our best yet. It’s so exciting, getting to be so totally immersed and getting to be so close to these great players. You never know what’s going to happen and  at the end of the week you’ll think, 'I went somewhere beautiful, I had  fun, I made some new friends, and I grew as a musician.' And there’s nothing better than that.”

In addition, Satriani will be joined at G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert by his  own touring band, Mike Keneally (guitar and keyboards), Bryan Beller (bass), and Joe Travers (drums), all of whom will also serve as instructors and accompaniment for each night’s all-star concert.

Presented annually by Dreamcatcher Events, G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert is an all-inclusive event with a jam-packed schedule sure to keep guests  involved from morning until the wee hours of the night. It will feature four days and nights of activities, including multiple workshops led by  each instructor, access to fully loaded jam rooms, meet-and-greets and  nightly concert performances.

A variety of  guest packages are available, with all registrations including  accommodations, three meals a day, parking, Wi-Fi, and an exclusive  welcome kit from D’Addario. Musical gear is not provided—guests are  asked to please bring their own instruments.

Complete information and registration details can be found now at g4experience.com.

Joe Satriani has announced G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert, the latest edition of his annual guitar camp.

This year's edition will feature Journey's Neal Schon, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Bumblefoot, Megadeth's Kiko Loureiro, former David Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar and Lari Basilio. It will take place January 3-7, 2019 at Hotel Zosa in Palm Springs, CA.

“The students that have come to the first four G4 Experiences have been as unique and eclectic as you could imagine, so for G4 Experience V5.0, I’ve put together a team of instructors that really reflects that diverse nature,” Satriani said. “The lineup this year is probably our best yet. It’s so exciting, getting to be so totally immersed and getting to be so close to these great players. You never know what’s going to happen and at the end of the week you’ll think, 'I went somewhere beautiful, I had fun, I made some new friends, and I grew as a musician.' And there’s nothing better than that.”

In addition, Satriani will be joined at G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert by his own touring band, Mike Keneally (guitar and keyboards), Bryan Beller (bass), and Joe Travers (drums), all of whom will also serve as instructors and accompaniment for each night’s all-star concert.

Presented annually by Dreamcatcher Events, G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert is an all-inclusive event with a jam-packed schedule sure to keep guests involved from morning until the wee hours of the night. It will feature four days and nights of activities, including multiple workshops led by each instructor, access to fully loaded jam rooms, meet-and-greets and nightly concert performances.

A variety of guest packages are available, with all registrations including accommodations, three meals a day, parking, Wi-Fi, and an exclusive welcome kit from D’Addario. Musical gear is not provided—guests are asked to please bring their own instruments.

Complete information and registration details can be found now at g4experience.com.