Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman has broken his silence over the recent change of lineups in his former band.
During a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, the guitarist was questioned whether he had an opportunity to listen to the band with its newest member, Teemu Mäntysaari, replacing Kiko Loureiro. He replied:
“I haven’t, as a matter of fact, but I’m sure he’s doing a great job if he’s up there doing it. And I was able to meet him when I played with the band at Wacken [Open Air festival in Germany last August] and he seemed a very, very cool dude. And I wish him tons and tons of success with the band and it’s gonna be a big fun ride for him, I’m sure.”
Mäntysaari Did Not Expect To Get In The Band
Teemu Mäntysaari joined Megadeth last year in September, taking the place as the band’s lead guitarist and replacing Loureiro for their Crush The World tour last year after the release of their 2022 album, ‘The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!’ Loureiro had to step down from the tour due to family reasons.
As it appears, it came as a surprise for the guitarist, as he was not expecting to be a part of the band. Mäntysaari told in an earlier interview:
“I never thought something like this would happen to me. But at the same time, I’ve always felt like being prepared was important in case a big band like this did call me.”
Mustaine Has Regrets About Friedman
Friedman returned to Megadeth for a special show in Tokyo, marking his first performance with the band in 23 years. This sparked speculation about a potential permanent reunion, but Dave Mustaine later announced that they would continue with the Wintersun guitarist. Friedman departed from the band in 2000 after his managers neglected to inform him about re-recording a guitar solo in ‘Breadline’ from the ‘Risk’ album. Mustaine expressed remorse about the matter shortly before their reunion show in Tokyo, telling Guitar World:
“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.”
You can watch the interview below.
