Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro previously announced he was taking an extended period of absence from the band due to family commitments. Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari was announced as his temporary replacement, but that could be a more permanent arrangement following recent announcements from both Loureiro and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine.
Loureiro said he was extending his absence, and Mustaine echoed that he supported his decision, but somewhat cryptically ended his message wishing that Megadeth fans support Loureiro “in his next endeavors.”
Mustaine wrote: “Hey Droogies, last week I received a call from my partner, Kiko Loureiro, and we spoke for a while. I asked him how things were going regarding the important issues that led to his absence from our previous run, which was necessary for him to be with his family.”
“I want to update you now on what Kiko shared with me. But before I do, want you to know that I love, respect, and fully support Kiko’s decision. He has emphasized his love for me, Megadeth, and all of you, our fans.”
“As a reminder, Kiko had to leave the tour last August to handle some very important and private family business. He was conflicted but appreciative when I told him that he needed to go to take care of his family. He agreed but was still concerned about us — meaning the fans, and Megadeth. I told him at the time, ‘Go! Kiko, you can never regain this time with your family, I know first hand… I paid the price myself’. Eventually, he agreed.”
“Kiko is a top-notch professional, a maestro — and he did not want to hurt me or Megadeth. We came up with a solution to find a fill-in for him during that time and that’s when he presented and trained Teemu Mäntysaari to take over for us. In the beginning, this was only going to be until the first week of October 2023. However, things rarely turn out the way they are planned.”
“The 2023 tour is over, and it was long and arduous. Last year saw a substantial amount of touring, and it appears that 2024 is gearing up to be even more intense, with extensive touring commitments keeping us on the road for most of the year. We have had many conversations with Kiko about this and they have all been very positive. Kiko is going to remain on an extended leave of absence, due to our heavy touring commitments next year and we are going to continue to move forward with Teemu Mäntysaari as the guitar player for Megadeth.”
“I would like to thank Kiko for his dedication and hard work these past 9 years, helping us to achieve a Grammy on ‘Dystopia’ and the additional awards we have received on this latest record ‘The Sick… The Dying…And The Dead.’ I could not have done this without Kiko Loureiro.”
Mustaine concluded: “We hope to see all of you supporting Kiko in his next endeavors, and we want to see you next year out on the Killing Road. We have exciting plans to share with all of you in our next newsletter.”
Megadeth had former guitarist Marty Friedman appear as a special guest at live shows earlier this year. Friedman appeared on the band’s most commercially successful records including “Rust In Peace,” “Countdown To Extinction” and “Youthanasia.” Friedman and Mustaine also both previously spoke highly of working together again, which will surely leave many Megadeth fans excited about a potential reunion.
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