Currently on the Latin American leg of their Crush The World Tour, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine spoke with Alejandrosis about new guitarist, Teemu Mäntysaari, who replaced Kiko Loureiro last year. Check out the interview below.

Mustaine: "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. 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 can tell you I was not really looking at guitar like something that 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."

Featured in a recent interview with Guitar World, Mäntysaari discussed replacing Kiko Loureiro, working with Dave Mustaine, what he hopes to accomplish with Megadeth, and more. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Guitar World: What led to getting the call to join Megadeth?

Teemu: “I was doing some shows with my other band, Smackbound. I got a call from Kiko Loureiro, who explained the situation and asked if I’d possibly be available for some touring in the fall of 2023. I was immediately very excited and said, ‘Yeah, I’m available.’ He asked if I could record some video clips as an audition to send to management to check out my playing, and I did. Things progressed from there.”

Guitar World: It seems safe to say that you were a fan going into this.

Teemu: “Megadeth was always kind of there in the background for me. I was very aware of the band – they’re one of the biggest metal bands in existence. So, of course, when they called me up, it was a bit surreal. But from the first phone call with Dave, they were so welcoming. He even said, ‘I really liked your audition,’ meaning the videos he saw. The momentum from that, and how fast-paced it’s been, has allowed me to concentrate on getting my work done, so there wasn’t much time to be nervous.”

Guitar World: What types of tips and tricks did Dave give you?

Teemu: “Dave is very detail-oriented. I learned the songs by ear and from some tips Kiko gave me. Kiko showed me how things work within the band and gave me some tips, but I’ve worked mainly with Dave. I’d have Zoom meetings with Dave, go through the riffs, and look at the small details of how they groove, the moods, and the technical side. We talked a lot about what Dave wants to project, picking directions, being very aware of down-picking, alternate picking, and, in many of the songs, being aware of both."

“We also talked about things like dampening, the flow of songs, creating contrast, hand positions, and trying to get things right fingering-wise, all of which I enjoy doing. There’s a bit of detective work involved, and to get that information from the source in Dave was amazing.”

Read the complete interview here.

Megadeth are currently on their Crush The World Tour. The band made their triumphant return to Latin America for ten shows, with the first stop in Lima, Peru on April 6th. In addition to Peru, upcoming stops include Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and México.

Tickets are available now. Megadeth VIP Package Upgrades, including a VIP Q&A and Meet & Greets with band members, will be available through Megadeth.com.

Crush The World Tour 2024

April
16 - Asuncion, Paraguay - Jockey Club
18 - São Paulo, Brazil - Espaco Unimed
21 - Bogota, Colombia - Movistar Arena
23 - San Salvador, El Salvador - Complejo Cuscatlan
25 - Ciudad de México, México - Arena Ciudad de México
27 - Monterrey, México - Arena Monterrey