James LoMenzo: Megadeth is Working on New Music
Megadeth is getting ready for the “Destroy All Enemies” Tour starting in August, but it seems they’ve been keeping busy during their time off the road. Bassist James LoMenzo recently spoke with Jorge Botas from Portugal’s Metal Global to reveal that the metal icons are working on the follow-up to 2022’s The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
“We’re actively working on music right now,” he said. “In a way — well, it is; it’s a new band at this point. It’s a new version of Megadeth, as if nobody expected that coming. We’re talking with Dave every day. Dave really wants to do another record and just get something fresh out there.”
LoMenzo’s note about being a “new band” is in reference to Megadeth’s lineup changes over the last few years. Most recent is the addition of guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who joined in the fall of 2023 to replace longtime member Kiko Loureiro.
Although LoMenzo was a member of the group from 2006 to 2010, when he departed to make way for original bassist David Ellefson. Ellefson was then removed in 2021 and had all his bass parts on The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! scrubbed and redone by Steve Di Giorgio, who only acted as a studio bassist. LoMenzo rejoined the fold to tour for the album and was reinstated as a full-time member after the fact.
“When I had just joined the band, they just finished recording it,” he told Botas. “I begged, I pleaded, I said, ‘I know, I know, I know, but could I please play bass on this?’ Cause there are a few things I had heard that were so great. And they were, like, ‘We’ve been doing this for two years. We just have to get on the road. It’s done.’ I was, like, ‘All right.’ But Steve DiGiorgio – who played bass on The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead’ – did an amazing job. I really love the way he played on this. And I enjoy playing his style.”
Whatever new music they’re working on will be LoMenzo’s first studio work with the group since 2009’s Endgame.
Check out the full interview below.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
