For almost every Megadeth fan out there, the band’s lineup changes have been almost as storied as their music. Over the years, the thrash metal pioneers have seen a rotating cast of talented musicians, each leaving their mark on the band’s legacy. In a recent conversation with 518Scene, bassist James LoMenzo offered a reflection on what it’s like to play alongside guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren in the band’s current iteration.
“Well, you know I’ve been in an awful lot of bands, as anybody who’s ever tracked my career knows,” LoMenzo began, speaking to his extensive experience in the industry. “Everybody plays differently. Everybody has a certain thing that they uniquely do. Dave is always going to sound like Dave. As a matter of fact, I always say as soon as he lifts up his guitar and puts it on, it really doesn’t matter who’s playing in the band, because that’s the stamp; that’s the familiar sound.”
LoMenzo emphasized the importance of preserving Megadeth’s musical identity despite the lineup changes. “Everybody is really completely reverent to the past in a very important way. We try to make the music as authentic as we possibly can. You can’t play it exactly — I will not be able to play exactly like David Ellefson, and Teemu will not be able to play exactly like the 20 guitar players before him, but we try and get the essence of it and try and get those parts sewn up tight, so they come at the right time and they fire at the right time.”
Drummer Dirk Verbeuren received special praise for his contributions to the band. “Dirk is just a fantastic drummer,” LoMenzo said. “I’ve played with tons of great drummers, but Dirk is really special in the context of this band. He plays reverently to the music, but he has a certain kind of concussion to his playing that’s immediate and very powerful and very strong and right on the money.”
LoMenzo recounted his first jam session with Verbeuren as a particularly memorable moment. “When I rejoined the band, he was the first guy I played with before anybody else showed up. Just out of motor memory, we went through a bunch of songs, without any guitars or vocals. I was prepared with the music and he had been playing it for a while, and man it was just astounding how tight we were immediately. That’s a testimony to him, maybe not as much as myself because my job throughout my career has been to get into a band and get on board real quick and play the music well. But it seemed to me that when I started playing the stuff with him, it almost made me sound like I was playing it better, so I’m a big Dirk Verbeuren fan.”
When asked about how his bass playing differs from that of David Ellefson, LoMenzo was thoughtful. “As far as rock and roll and metal bands go, I’m an originalist; I love the original band. So as much of an honor and how great it is to be part of this, I still have that little thing, that little fan guy thing, going with the real band. But we are very different in our trajectory. In my estimation, David Ellefson has defined the sound of this band with his bass playing as much as everybody else who’s been in the band, so I try to be very respectful and reverent to that.”
“I’ve always played with a pick and I’ve always played with my fingers, but I know that the music here in Megadeth is very pick-driven. I’m equally as fast either way. When I first joined the band, Dave said, “I’m aware of the way you play. If you want to play with your fingers, you’re welcome to it.” I did try it for a while because at that moment I was playing with my fingers quite a lot. But I listened to it and it just doesn’t catch the vibe. So respectfully I play all the music as close to the original stuff as I possibly can, and I think it works contextually with the band anyway.”