Metroactive.com recently spoke with Megadeth founder/frontman Dave Mustaine about the band's new line-up, touring, and Metal Church. Following is an excerpt from the story.

Mustaine partially attributes his band’s newfound strength to the addition of two new players—Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren—who joined Mustaine, along with co-founder David Ellefson, quite recently.

“Kiko definitely did give us a blood transfusion of sorts,” Mustaine says, speaking over the phone from his home in Nashville. “And it’s really fun for us to go out and get these new guys out there and let people see what they’re all about.”

Verbeuren takes over from Chris Adler—the full-time drummer for Philadelphia death metal outfit Lamb of God who laid down the drum tracks for Dystopia. Mustaine says he sees flashes of two former Megadeth drummers in his playing. “Dirk is remarkable,” he says. “The first time I played with him I said, ‘I love this guy, he’s like Nick Menza and Gar Samuelson rolled into one.’”

Samuelson, who played with the band from 1984-87 and appeared on Megadeth’s first two albums, Killing is My Business…and Business is Good! and Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? died in 1999. Menza, who hit the skins from 1989-98, and played on fan favorites Rust in Peace and Countdown To Extinction, among others, passed away unexpectedly in May at the age of 51. His death came as a shock to both Mustaine and a legion of fans around the globe.

“I know he’s in a better place now, so I’m happy for him, he had a super successful career, he’s got a beautiful child that he left behind, and his legacy speaks for itself, there’s not a lot of guys that make that kind of statement in heavy metal,” says Mustaine.

Mustaine says the band’s current lineup is fun to play with and feels more like a family than many of the group’s more recent iterations.

“We didn’t hang out at all,” he says of previous Megadeth casts. “That’s bad for me, because when you’re spending years of your life with people, you want to be able to hang out more than just ‘I’ll see you up at the salt mine today.’”

Read more here.

Verbeuren, now a permanent member of Megadeth, is featured in a new interview with All About The Rock. An excerpt from the discussion is available below.

Q: How does it feel to be the drummer of such a legendary band? Has it actually sank in that you now play in one of “The Big 4” of thrash bands?

Dirk: "It feels surreal, for sure. Initially I was filling in for Chris Adler while he was busy with Lamb of God. When I got the call, I wondered if Megadeth might ask me to join them full time. The fact that it actually happened probably won’t fully sink in until later. I’m just grateful to be here and enjoying every minute."

Q: The first night you were sat behind the drums for Megadeth. You are sat at your kit, the intro music is playing, the lights are still off – you can hear the fans cheering and the gig is about to start. What was going through your head at that exact moment?

Dirk: "'Is this really happening?' At the same time, I was focused on delivering the best performance I possibly could. No matter how well prepared you are, the first few shows with a new band are going to be a little stressful.  Now we’ve been touring for several months, so everything feels more natural and it’s easier to be in the moment, to enjoy the crowd and whatever happens on stage."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Megadeth tour dates in support of Dystopia are listed below.

October
1 - Broomfield, CO - 1st Bank Arena
3 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Rec. Center
4 - St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium
5 - Chicago, IL - Sears Center
7 - Moline, IL - iWireless Center
8 - Milwaukee, WI - UWM Panther Arena
9 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
11 - Bethlehem, PA - Sands Events Center
12 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center
13 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
14 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
15 - Camden, NJ - BB &T Pavilion