<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Megadeth ]]>

<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/megadeth Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “Their first record was very different from the record they made after they met me and the guys in Metallica”: Dave Mustaine on the influence he had on the Big Four of thrash metal ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-on-the-influence-he-had-on-the-big-four-of-thrash-metal itdkNreHfJ6PjJyMqcfqaa Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:23:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Chuck Schuldiner called me. The next thing I knew we’d rented a rehearsal room in Miami. I would just burn a joint and play”: Steve DiGiorgio’s life with Death – and why he wouldn’t trade Testament for Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/steve-di-giorgio-testament-megadeth EuNabmqY7PVDBo3PenHvHZ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:12:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “People wanna assume the worst and say he’s some kind of dictator and forced me to do it. It was totally not like that”: Steve Di Giorgio sets the record straight on what it was like to sideman for Dave Mustaine and Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/steve-di-giorgio-on-what-it-was-like-to-sideman-for-dave-mustaine-and-megadeth hexrgCwPcDgz7fB83njHhJ Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:35:45 +0000 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:36:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Combining two of my favorite things”: Teemu Mäntysaari shreds Megadeth… while ice skating ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/teemu-mantysaari-let-there-be-shred-skate-through Lc5vwDnK9syQn9TkHpWpGW Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:16:01 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Was this an attempt to challenge Metallica’s success with the Black Album?” A guide to every Megadeth album – and guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/a-guide-to-every-megadeth-album-and-guitarist Bpvq9cgFcBRX3S2avTMYxK Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:03:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I wanted to pay my respects to James Hetfield, who I think is an amazing guitar player, and Lars Ulrich, who was an excellent songwriter”: Dave Mustaine breaks down Megadeth’s final album, track by track – and why he paid tribute to Metallica ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-track-by-track-guide-to-megadeth-final-album 8G6qjWAEJTDeijstyrihAC Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:25:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The recording was brutal. Daytime was Dragon's Kiss, nighttime was Jason Becker's Perpetual Burn. I was in the studio 16 to 18 hours a day”: Marty Friedman on leaving Megadeth, reconnecting with Dave Mustaine, and why he wasn't a good fit for Ozzy ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/marty-friedman-drama h2i7jrEyDmeCJUbeGMRm8j Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:10:46 +0000 Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:10:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It's not that I don't want to stay, it's that my hands are betraying me”: Dave Mustaine says his hand problems are forcing him to end Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-says-hand-problems-are-forcing-him-to-end-megadeth wvDnCaPcQEy3rLMJr4Yvie Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:52:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was the best career move I ever made”: Why Marty Friedman has no regrets leaving Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/why-marty-friedman-has-no-regrets-leaving-megadeth pSWC2FRx3wzffUZUQNSBck Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:57:14 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Dave was telling us how those songs from back in the day came about. It helped us understand how to make a good Megadeth album”: Teemu Mäntysaari on the making of Megadeth’s final album ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/teemu-maantysaari-megadeth-final-album 4PGrhdhpDcJECZSb7ocZz Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:15:51 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We’ve been through guitar player after guitar player. We get to the solo, and he nails it. I just thought, ‘Oh my God’”: Dave Mustaine recounts the hiring and firing of every Megadeth guitarist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-megadeth-guitarists hY7YYvjPj9kPbqpoMVjh56 Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:01:23 +0000 Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:07:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “That would be a huge undertaking. It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth’”: Dave Mustaine says he won’t reunite with former Megadeth members on the band’s farewell tour ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-wont-reunite-with-former-megadeth-members-on-farewell-tour fdXQMiMDexZeFGq2tJFS6X Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:46:30 +0000 Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:52:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I said, ‘Man, where’s my audition?’ They said, ‘You got the gig.’ So I got my job just by warming up”: How Dave Mustaine landed the gig with Metallica ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-dave-mustaine-landed-the-gig-with-metallica 2ygy64U7vFGZwdGvZ5Ffrb Tue, 06 Jan 2026 17:31:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’m not leaving things unfinished”: Dave Mustaine reveals the life-changing hand condition behind his decision to retire Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-reveals-the-hand-condition-behind-megadeth-retirement CB46BVHPwqiGdLdSphiM5d Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:35:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was like, ‘It’s time to do your solos.’ He goes, ‘OK, I’m gonna call up my guitar teacher, have him do the solos and then have him teach me’”: Dave Mustaine on the ill-fated guitar appointment that led Megadeth to Jeff Young ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-on-the-appointment-of-jeff-young wCpQ7pQh8oNpt64cUBQL7Q Tue, 30 Dec 2025 10:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We were joking that we have to make this record absolutely shred and that we needed to put a lot of solos in it. I think we accomplished that”: Megadeth shares new single ahead of farewell record – and it’s a shred guitar celebration ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/music-releases/megadeth-let-there-be-shred 7k2TWXs9rJyQKvjci6apqj Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:31:34 +0000 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:36:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was about completing the circle and us showing what James and I as guitar players did to change the world”: Dave Mustaine reveals why Megadeth are covering Metallica on their final album ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-on-why-megadeth-are-covering-metallica-ride-the-lightning LaYFqyKWesyxsaAt2oH6ZQ Fri, 31 Oct 2025 16:53:14 +0000 Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:35:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I came upon the V, but I didn’t think much of it because of the weird shape. I didn’t think it was very playable”: Dave Mustaine first discovered the Flying V when he joined Metallica and wasn’t a fan – this is what changed his mind ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-dave-mustaine-adopted-the-flying-v HKaxk6JSxDutEkwSo7krid Sat, 13 Sep 2025 13:30:00 +0000 Thu, 18 Sep 2025 16:00:01 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We changed the guitar world and how it's played. The bands I played in have influenced the world. Thank you for everything”: Dave Mustaine announces new Megadeth album will be his last ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/music-releases/megadeth-final-album 7GgxRWFQCuedWBNqSho2Kk Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:30:45 +0000 Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:39:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe that anybody asked us”: James LoMenzo reveals Megadeth weren't invited to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/james-lomenzo-megadeth-werent-invited-to-ozzy-osbourne-and-black-sabbaths-final-show Q7sxMZzXSSRxR5joVUECAP Sat, 26 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:55:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The opening has less notes than you are playing”: Instagram guitarist posts Megadeth cover – and Dave Mustaine shows up in the comments with some riff advice ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/instagram-guitarist-covers-megadeth-angry-again-and-dave-mustaine-turns-up-in-the-comments Rgq3m7X76PrVAGdeddE8JH Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:19:02 +0000 Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:48:04 +0000 <![CDATA[ “My hand got totally trashed. I looked down and could see the bone of my pointer finger. I lost the ability to bend it”: An accident defined Chris Poland’s playing, but it didn’t stop him handling the high demands of Megadeth’s debut ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/chris-poland-on-megadeth-killing-is-my-business k24e2D3aK4AdLmC2hWvocA Thu, 22 May 2025 12:34:36 +0000 Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:43:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “My hand hit the glass and it broke. It got totally trashed. I can’t feel my pinky from nerve damage”: The freak injury that changed the way Chris Poland played guitar – and ended up informing the sound of Megadeth’s Rattlehead ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/chris-poland-injury-megadeth-rattlehead 8qN23saznFbsVseWhFXXjK Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:04:32 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:36:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was like, 'I'm a kid. I should apply. He's gonna say no, right?' But he said yes”: This 12-year-old heavy metal prodigy never expected to be mentored by a former Megadeth guitar player – but that’s exactly what happened ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/vox-realis-heavy-metal-prodigy 2YBKVbzNB6jstsM6NsiYvR Wed, 09 Apr 2025 16:30:09 +0000 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:17:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Why didn't nu-metal bands do any solos? They couldn't do solos. Thank God that genre went away”: Dave Mustaine says nu-metal guitarists aversion to solos was down to a lack of lead talent – not stylistic choice ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/dave-mustaine-nu-metal-players-cant-play-solos 82dvpZVgxeYK7qArkKv8Nn Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:31:20 +0000 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:54:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I would bringthis guitar out once or twice because it looked like a curvy version ofmy main guitar”: Marty Friedman takes us back to Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction era to tell the story behind one of the rarest Jackson guitars ever ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/marty-friedman-guitar-world-cover-december-1991-prototype-jackson fsdwuU6JCfTS53uewoNjiG Mon, 24 Mar 2025 09:25:45 +0000 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:57:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was stunned and angry… They easily could have agreed to that, and the reunion would have been on”: Marty Friedman reveals the real reason he rejected Megadeth's proposed Rust in Peace lineup reunion ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/marty-friedman-reveals-the-real-reason-he-rejected-megadeth-proposed-reunion AVTeuMaHgctF7jQcBBf8v5 Fri, 13 Dec 2024 16:25:11 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:49:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Trying to emulate these different players was a challenge. Chris Poland to Marty Friedman is like night and day. But that’s what excites me”: Glen Drover grew up idolizing Megadeth and King Diamond’s guitar heroes –then he had to step into their shoes ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/glen-drover-megadeth-king-diamond 6d3J3wdKthdkEWG7F8Gn37 Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:22:55 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:00:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “David Ellefson told me, ‘You got the gig. Oh and by the way, Dave told me to tell you that you played many of the wrong guitar parts’”: Marty Friedman tells the inside story of his auditions with Ozzy Osbourne and Madonna – and landing the Megadeth gig ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/marty-friedman-dreaming-japanese-excerpt bdWy4WEWmRewDbzMh4sYhm Tue, 03 Dec 2024 09:31:51 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:20:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I started writing two-and-a-half years ago. So it’s not a reflection of Kiko leaving Megadeth, but of Kiko thinking about leaving Megadeth”: Kiko Loureiro on making his first new solo material since quitting one of metal’s biggest bands ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kiko-loureiro-theory-of-mind LFitjkm9h4KUuW6HV48a5T Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:26:01 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It's disappointing when someone you admire talks out their ass about you”: Megadeth fire back at Peter Frampton – who claimed the band damaged a stage during their soundcheck ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/megadeth-peter-frampton-response ZMXVTEtSEUKomXTdryNyCd Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:15:36 +0000 Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:40:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Learn how to play – because if you can’t play, you’ll find a pedal and you’ll cheat”: Dave Mustaine on guitar collecting, switching to Quad Cortex and why some players are “living a lie” with stompboxes ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/megadeth-dave-mustaine-life-in-guitar-gear Y7nbDwCKHcmMxKxtoWfjFk Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:31:04 +0000 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 15:25:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “At one time, it even had a flame thrower on the headstock”: Marty Friedman's rare 1985 Jackson Kelly San Dimas has gone up for sale – and it could go for as much as $125,000 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/marty-friedman-1985-jackson-kelly-san-dimas-up-for-auction 8hQRjj3c97RtqKEnHXRYdY Thu, 15 Aug 2024 16:37:48 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:51:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The loudest, best-performing strings he’s ever used”: Gibson ventures into the signature string market with first-ever Dave Mustaine set ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/gibson-dave-mustaine-signature-strings-strap LjiAG7gWo86hTunmVZkgyF Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:56:56 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:21:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “You can find all the guitars I was using with Megadeth. All the tours, and also the recording of The Sick, The Dying… and the Dead!” Kiko Loureiro is selling his Megadeth gear on Reverb ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kiko-loureiro-official-reverb-store 2tjWkn9v6cVWJkqUuGSFAV Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:14:12 +0000 Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:14:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “You know how much I had to beg for the last 30 years to get any of the other guitar players to learn somebody else’s solo?!” Dave Mustaine says new Megadeth member Teemu Mäntysaari is the guitarist he’s “been looking for for a very long time” ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/dave-mustaine-teemu-mantysaari-is-a-monster vtacckjH7Q4tBbhLurAsXY Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:15:59 +0000 Tue, 30 Apr 2024 09:55:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’m excited to bring my spice to the Megadeth soup. We’ll maybe look to get back to the roots. Maybe you’ll hear some Rust in Peace vibes”: Teemu Mäntysaari reveals how he landed (and nailed) the Megadeth gig – and the band’s new album plans ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/teemu-mantysaari-megadeth YVuw7z2s9y5iUFLMaQUcTG Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:53:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We talked about things like dampening, creating contrast, hand positions... There’s a bit of detective work involved”: Megadeth’s Teemu Mäntysaari explains the skillset that enabled him to leap into one of the most challenging roles in metal ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/teemu-mantysaari-prepared-megadeth-guitarist-role oSpECWAE7San8SQnmBr72m Fri, 23 Feb 2024 10:07:05 +0000 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:54:51 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was approached to audition for Megadeth and Machine Head, but I'm not sure I'm made for being a hired gun”: Gus G explains why he turned down the opportunity to audition for two of the biggest metal bands in the game ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/gus-g-megadeth-machine-head-audition-invite PGt9eMxRb6EpfNn6jiXPUi Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:14:44 +0000 Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:25:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I had two viable options: to be in Megadeth or not. I chose my personal life. No regrets”: Kiko Loureiro opens up on what he meant by “freedom,” how he trained up his replacement, and why he suggested Marty Friedman should return ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/kiko-loureiro-megadeth-departure ZjhjVzeBCQbsbk2iW4wEgn Wed, 10 Jan 2024 10:37:03 +0000 Thu, 31 Oct 2024 11:10:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Are you improvising? Damn, you’re good!” Kiko Loureiro has released his first music since leaving Megadeth: a “harmonically weird” song he wrote with Plini in just one day ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/plini-kiko-loureiro-out-of-the-void E5UV4rw8dFHx3mxmEimUgN Mon, 08 Jan 2024 12:19:02 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I thought bringing Marty Friedman back would be amazing”: When Kiko Loureiro left Megadeth, he suggested Dave Mustaine rehire Marty Friedman to fill his spot ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kiko-loureiro-marty-friedman-megadeth-return n6BiygmwC2TEPagjetXnxA Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:26:34 +0000 Wed, 10 Jan 2024 10:04:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Kiko is a top-notch professional, a maestro – and he did not want to hurt me or Megadeth”: Dave Mustaine pays tribute to outgoing guitarist Kiko Loureiro – and names his successor ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/megadeth-dave-mustaine-kiko-loureiro-replacement 4iTy2cxLaT3gMTMemrV9AL Tue, 21 Nov 2023 12:39:18 +0000 Tue, 21 Nov 2023 22:25:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I don’t want to hinder any of the band’s plans”: Kiko Loureiro announces his departure from Megadeth after 9 years – and his successor may already be in place ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kiko-loureiro-leaves-megadeth ZykBoJ867qrycRtqcAgbK Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:13:41 +0000 Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:48:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Billy Sheehan showed us that the bass can be taken to the same space that the guitar occupies, and he does that better than anybody”: Megadeth’s James LoMenzo names 15 bassists who shaped his sound ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/megadeth-james-lomenzo-15-bassists-who-shaped-my-sound M6mdzZyZcaKqo4cVww2HyC Sun, 08 Oct 2023 11:59:53 +0000 Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:11:39 +0000 <![CDATA[ “How can you possibly be satisfied being a singer when you play like that?”: Dave Mustaine recalls the first time he heard James Hetfield play guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/dave-mustaine-first-time-he-saw-james-hetfield-play-guitar 9tPHodGzk49geHEJUyJvcX Wed, 20 Sep 2023 18:38:06 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2024 15:59:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ Delivering the goods: Teemu Mäntysaari plays his first show with Megadeth –and has it dialled from the second he steps onstage ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/teemu-mantysaari-megadeth-first-show-video VMEPWiKSm5W46sgSLL7sjG Thu, 07 Sep 2023 11:26:53 +0000 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:54:29 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He's an amazing, incredible player”: Meet Teemu Mäntysaari, the fast-fretting fill-in set to take on Kiko Loureiro’s Megadeth tour duties ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/teemu-mantysaari-kiko-loureiro-megadeth-replacement S47WYzZmd35jDffi4vFR7Y Wed, 06 Sep 2023 10:58:15 +0000 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:55:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kramer Dave Mustaine Vanguard review – if shredding is your business... then business is good ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/reviews/kramer-dave-mustaine-vanguard-review 58o6pR93jZs3fCoj83j82Q Tue, 22 Aug 2023 11:40:06 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:21:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ Watch Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro and Dave Mustaine rehearse for one of the summer’s biggest festival sets in new Megadeth behind-the-scenes footage ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/megadeth-marty-friedman-wacken-open-air-rehearsals 5ctSwbkPLWioCbi8hXw7Rm Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:35:31 +0000 Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:35:52 +0000