Megadeth have commenced work on album number 17.
The California thrash metal favourites took six years to release latest record The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, the followup to 2016 Grammy winner Dystopia, but seem intent on being quicker this time.
Singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine says via X (formerly Twitter) that he’s currently working on Megadeth’s next album with engineer Chris Rakestraw. He hopes his bandmates will join him in the studio shortly after the new year.
Mustaine comments (per Metal Injection): “Right now I’m in the studio working with Chris Rakestraw. And everybody else is gone. Teemu [Mäntysaari, guitars] is in Switzerland and James [LoMenzo, bass] and Dirk [Verbeuren, drums] are in Los Angeles. So it’s just me here by myself with Chris.”
He continues: “And Chris leaves tomorrow to go on a vacation, and I’m working up to the last second today to get as much done as I can before he takes off because we won’t be starting again until he returns somewhere around New Year’s Day.
“And at that point, it’s only a matter of a couple weeks before everybody converges on to the studio. And for that I’m pumped. And you guys are gonna be excited.”
Mustaine’s statement echoes one Mäntysaari recently made to Megadeth Digital. The lead guitarist, who replaced Kiko Loureiro last year, said he’s been remotely working with Mustaine on new music over the holidays.
“So Dave is in the studio in Nashville, and I’ve been working from home, and now from the vacation location where we are with the family,” he explained (per Metal Injection).
“But I’m working a little bit every day. And just today I was working on some solo ideas, and [I am] talking with Dave on the phone every day and doing Zoom meetings and exchanging ideas. So, there’s progress every day, which is nice.”
Though he stopped short of saying what the new Megadeth is sounding like, Mäntysaari continued, “I feel really good about the album. We have already so many good ideas. I think it’s gonna be a great one.”
The news of another Megadeth album first came from LoMenzo in June. The bassist told Metal Global: “We’re actively working on music right now. We’re talking with Dave every day. Dave really wants to do another record and just get something fresh out there.”
The new album will mark Mäntysaari’s studio debut with Megadeth, as well as LoMenzo’s re-debut. The bassist played on 2007’s United Abominations and 2009’s Endgame before being replaced by returning co-founder David Ellefson in 2010. In a twist of fate, LoMenzo then replaced Ellefson in 2022, shortly after The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!’s bass tracks were recorded by Steve Di Giorgio of Testament.
