During a recent conversation with Greg Prato from Ultimate Guitar, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine discussed welcoming Teemu Mäntysaari of WINTERSUN and SMACKBOUND as their new touring guitarist.
Mäntysaari is stepping in for MEGADETH‘s regular guitarist, Kiko Loureiro. Loureiro has chosen to skip the upcoming leg of MEGADETH‘s “Crush The World” tour to spend time with his children in Finland.
Commenting on Kiko‘s non-participation in the current MEGADETH tour, Mustaine said: “I love [Kiko] and I want him to get whatever he’s going through worked out. And fortunately, he had mentioned the name of a guy, Teemu Mäntysaari. Teemu came out, and he was prepared.
He continued: “I don’t know when Kiko is coming back. He won’t be back for this run [of tour dates]. He’s at home, and he’s soldiering on — for lack of a better term — and working through whatever it is he needs to get through.
“Out of respect for him, I didn’t pry and ask what exactly it was — because it’s really none of my business unless he tells me. But I think for any of the fans that are going to say, ‘How’s it going to sound? What’s it going to be like?’ Don’t worry. I’ve picked good guitar players in the past, and I train them well. Teemu is very capable of playing these songs. In fact, we’re adding new songs to the set. That is really exciting, too.”
“I wish Kiko the very best,” Dave added. “I love him, and I hope to get some good news from him soon.”
