OBEYING THE CALL

TEEMU MÄNTYSAARI ON THE MAKING OF MEGADETH AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE BAND'S FINAL GUITARIST IN A LONG LINE OF GREATS

- BY ANDREW DALY

AT 38, TEEMU Mäntysaari is Megadeth's youngest - and newest - member. But don't discount him - he was handpicked by Megadeth's commander-in-chaos, Dave Mustaine, to carry on a lead-guitar legacy that includes Chris Poland, Marty Friedman and Kiko Loureiro.

That's not an easy task, especially given that part of said task includes helming the band's six-string duties (besides Mustaine, of course) for their final studio album and tour. But Mäntysaari isn't sweating it.

"It was a pretty amazing process," he says. "After I got the gig, Dave said, 'If you have any ideas, it's good to start saving them.' By the end of the 2024 touring season, we started talking more and more about what we wanted to do."

Mäntysaari says that one of the first things Mustaine had the band do was listen to the group's entire 16-album discography to catch an amalgamated vibe that would springboard them into what would become 2026's Megadeth.

"We'd have an Excel spreadsheet where we'd make notes about every song," Mäntysaari says. "That was the first bit of inspiration, and also, us looking back at the legacy of the band."