Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo recently discussed his experiences playing with the band’s current lineup, which includes guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren in a new interview. LoMenzo highlighted the contributions of both past and present members, praising their dedication to preserving Megadeth’s iconic sound while comparing his experiences with different lineups over the years.

“Well, you know I’ve been in an awful lot of bands…Everybody plays different. Everybody has a certain thing that they uniquely do. Dave [Mustaine] 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.”

“That said though, 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 really tight, so they come at the right time and they fire at the right time,” he added.

LoMenzo also praised Verbeuren’s drumming, describing it as a perfect fit for the band. “Dirk is just a fantastic drummer. 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.”

The bassist shared his respect for original Megadeth bassist David Ellefson after exiting the band, acknowledging Ellefson’s significant influence on their sound. “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.”

LoMenzo joined Megadeth in 2006 and contributed to two studio albums, United Abominations (2007) and Endgame (2009), before departing in 2010. He rejoined as a touring member in 2021 and was officially reinstated in 2022.