James LoMenzo will reassume bass duties for Megadeth during the forthcoming second leg of their Metal Tour of the Year with Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames.
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine confirmed the news earlier today on social media while wishing the bassist a happy birthday. “With the Metal Tour of the Year starting again soon, we’ll celebrate your birthday with the fans,” Mustaine wrote. “Wishing you all the best, brother.”
LoMenzo was announced as Megadeth's new live bassist for the first leg of the Metal Tour of the Year back in August. The announcement followed the departure of founding bassist David Ellefson, who was fired from the band after the emergence of a series of sexually explicit online communications with a teenage fan.
“While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward,” a statement from Mustaine read at the time.
LoMenzo had previously served as Megadeth's full-time bass player from 2006 until 2010, during which time he appeared on two of the band's records: United Abominations (2007) and Endgame (2009).
“I’m super stoked to be rejoining Megadeth for the upcoming Metal Tour of the Year,” LoMenzo said in a statement last year. “There are no better fans than Megadeth fans, I can’t wait to get out there and shred some Megadeth music with you all.”
LoMenzo appeared to slot back into Megadeth with ease, as shown in footage from his first live show with the band in almost 12 years. In the clips – taken from the group's Austin, Texas show on August 20 last year – LoMenzo can be seen providing the low end for an 11-track set of classics, including Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls, Symphony of Destruction and Holy Wars...The Punishment Due.
Following the departure of Ellefson back in May, it was announced that his bass parts for the band's new album, The Sick, the Dying and the Dead, were being rerecorded by a mystery “stellar bass player.” At this time, it's unclear if LoMenzo is the mystery bassist in question.
The second leg of the Metal Tour of the Year is scheduled to kick off April 9 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, wrapping up at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
“The Metal Tour of the Year is exactly what it sounds like – a night of some of the best heavy metal bands in the world – live and loud,” Dave Mustaine says. “Anyone who came to a show last year knows what I mean, only this one's going to be even better. Do not miss out.”
