FORMER MEGADETH BASSIST JAMES LOMENZO RE-JOINS THE BAND FOR THEIR “THE METAL OF THE YEAR” TOUR
In just nine days, The Metal Tour Of The Year co-headlined by Megadeth and Lamb Of God will lay waste to cities across North America as the highly anticipated trek finally hits the road. Megadeth has just announced that joining them to take care of bass duties for this tour will be former Megadeth member James LoMenzo.
Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine commented, “I’m happy to announce that former bassist and Megadeth alumni James LoMenzo has graciously stepped in on The Metal Tour Of The Year. Tour rehearsals just began, and we cannot wait to start crushing North America.”
LoMenzo added, “I’m super stoked to be rejoining Megadeth for the upcoming Metal Tour Of The Year. There are no better fans than Megadeth fans, I can’t wait to get out there and shred some Megadeth music with you all.”
Other bands on the Metal Tour Of The Year include Lamb Of God, Trivium and In Flames.
Original Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson was terminated following allegations of sexual misconduct with a teenager. Ellefson subsequently hired an attorney and is pursuing looking into charges of revenge porn.
In a statement released on May 26th, Ellefson wrote:
“”Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me. The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge. I am working with Scottsdale Police Department in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted this video. Also, my lawyers are preparing a defamation lawsuit to be filed against this person. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I am taking this time to be with my family. I wish my bandmates the best with their upcoming tour.”
Great bassist who said Megadeth was the most music challenging job he’s ever had. But when will it be announced who played bass on the forthcoming Megadeth album?
Perfect, he was one of my 2 picks . Excellent bass player and one of those kind of people that gets along with everyone . Hopefully he`s with the band to the end . woohoo
Ray, J Lo is an excellent bass player. Plus, any musician who performs with Megadeth has to have some “chops” in order to perform the complexity of their music.
Dave Mustaine may constantly change lineups, but he always brings aboard top talent with these changes…..
Hey Rattlehead, was Slayer in 1984 the best one? I’ve seen Slayer a few times in the ’80s and nothing came close to that show at the Olympic. Not even the Hollywood Palladium in ’87, which saw a few ambulances show up…people really used to get hurt…did Yngwie seem like a team player when you saw him in Steeler? Rik Fox isn’t on that Steeler record either by the way…that’s Yngwie and/or Ron…
Shannon, I’ve seen Slayer countless times, including their last ever show at the LA Forum and their “Big 4” show in Southern California, it’s hard for me to pick which one I thought was their best…..But of all their shows, I enjoyed their smaller venues shows the best cuz they created such a thrash atmosphere.
Yngwie seemed like a team player with Steeler. The show was probably my third favorite show ever, behind KI$$ and Ozzy w/Rhoads. I have a few bootleg recordings of Steeler live with Yngwie, including the show I saw at the Country Club. Yngwie only played 9 shows with Steeler before leaving for Alcatrazz.
It’s news to me if Rik Fox didn’t play bass on the Steeler album cuz from what I’ve always thought, and confirmed from interviews I’ve read, was that Rik Fox did indeed play on the Steeler album. IDK, but the bass playing is kinda too generic to be Yngwie.
I saw Rik Fox’s band Sin perform a few times….a couple times at the Country Club and again at a roller rink in San Diego. I have a CD of all the recordings Sin ever did.
Rattle & Shannon: Thanks for the info and sharing your experience. That was neat to hear about. \MM/ Regarding Slayer, I only ended up seeing in a cornfield in Hillsboro, Oregon circa 2010′ w/ MegaDave RIP Tour & Testament w/ Bostaph on the drums- somewhat ironically, to me at the time. Lol. The the two Big 4 American shows- they were great with Jeff showing at the Inland Empire and the Yankee show was off the hook for all the bands including a neck-braced Mustaine. Lombardo was a monster. Then I saw their last show in Spokane. Love Bostaph, yet, he doesn’t have the accenting capability that Dave does. I’m a drummer—it’s opinion. HA!
Sadly, for me while I was born in the early 70’s and I’m almost 50, I didn’t see Slayer until 2010. Somewhat interestingly enough, my first talent show- the Ebony talent show in February in Tennessee!- in 1988 we covered Sweet Child & Mandatory Suicide! It was fuk’n great…we blew the crowd away and may have shocked a little bit!! MF Slayer!!!!
Cheers, \MM/
Right on, Tasker! Playing Mandatory Suicide at the talent show! That’s awesome! Great Slayer tune!
I saw that Slayer\’Deth\Testament tour, too! Slayer was performing its entire “Seasons in the Abyss” album that tour. I saw it at the Long Beach Arena. Stupid me wore my glasses rather than my contact lenses! I got caught in the pit and my glasses fell off and got crushed!
I f-n’ love Slayer! The most consistent band of all the “Big 4”. I wish they would have been the headliner for the “Big 4” shows cuz no band, including Metallica of that period, can follow the intensity of Slayer!
OMG, Rattle…too funny.
Thank God, your glasses got the worst of it.
That Olympic show is legendary…I ended up watching by the soundboard …the guys working the board were hurling unopened cans of Budweiser into the pit like baseballs…these kids would get hit in the head and just crumple to the floor…remember the days when that scene had no security? Seeing them in a club would’ve been great…I am sure I would’ve been impressed with that performance Tasker…and I’m tellin’ ya, there has to be a show back then where some of us were there at the same time.
Well, Rattlehead, actually Priest had no problem whatsoever following Slayer on the Ram It Down/Seasons in the Abyss tour…Long Beach…the Slayer fans were booing Priest at first…and they sure shut them up. But, that wasn’t the same Slayer I saw at Olympic…Kerry and the guys were on the road eating too much Taco Bell…
All bow to the mighty Priest. 😉
Shannon, was Priest’s success following Slayer due to Slayer’s poor performance, or was it due to Priest’s great performance? No offense to Priest, but I don’t consider a tour for the “Ram it Down” album to be stellar, considering I don’t think it’s one of Priest’s top albums. I think “Seasons…” is one of Slayer’s best albums……
Rattle,
I saw the Ram It Down tour in NJ, Cinderella opened. I really do not like that album at all, save a song here, or there, but that tour was amazing.
They preformed Beyond the Realms of Death and Marc said to me, “They are breaking up.” I looked at him with a quizzical expression, and asked him, “Why would you say that?” He replied, “Because this is my favorite song, and they never play it live.” Well, they did not break up, but one album later, Halford left, so, he was definitely on to something.
RIP Marc, I will always LOVE you.
It was more Priest’s great performance…third song in..they laid Sinner on those Slayer fans…and that just shut them right up..Slayer wasn’t poor, it just wasn’t that very rare, universe quaking, earth shattering, blow your mind open experience that the Olympic was…and they never topped that show even when they were well rested such as at the Palladium in ’87…and hey, Slayer wasn’t on that Priest tour for long, so they were doing something right.
Wow, Dave really f%&#’d Dave didn’t he…..lol. \MM/ Thank goodness he didn’t stay in Metallica as he might of chased out members of the band…..oh wait James did that already. ;o] No wonder James & Dave couldn’t stay together in the same band cause there can’t be two chiefs or enough room for their insecure burgeoning ego’s marinated in booze and crusted in cocaine. Lol!
Seriously, I’d love to be a rock star just without all the hangups, but what fun that would be without offending a few people…..imagine seeing METALLICA with Dave in the band along with Cliff in a small club?!! I was too young still. Didn’t become a fan until 1988’s Monster of Rock in DC. Ahhh, to be a rockstar.
Let me preface my comment below by writing that I am merely commenting on society at large, not Elllesfon’s incident.
Thank God, most of us lived our youths in the 70’s/80s before the era of cell phones, cancel culture (although the PMRC was the 80’s version and was a colossal failure), political correctness gone mad/#metoo and social media. If we had these “measures” in place back then, most of the bands we love, would have never even made it out of the gate, never mind their lyrics, stage shows, etc..
So true, we wouldn’t have the greatness of Eddie Murphy. Tipper and all that PMRC stuff was happening when I was 17 & 18 in the late 80’s. Such silliness along with satanic backward masking in the earlier part of the 80’s. Remember that nonsense and the association with Satan worshipping?! hahaha–ignorance is bliss sometimes
Yes, it was all so overblown, and thankfully, it disappeared. Sadly today, if one has a differing opinion, the establishment makes you disappear. It’s very authoritarian, the first amendment seems to be dissipating right before our very eyes.
I guess it started with “ 1000 points of light” & “ New World Order”. What an era the 80’s were.
…and we got to experience all of Sabbath’s comebacks…no band has ever risen from the dead as many times as Sabbath…and there’s only one Stonehenge…that’s the sound of Sabbath rising from the ashes one more time…I love Stonehenge…the real one…not that fake movie b.s.
In my opinion, I think Mustaine jumped the gun, for whatever reason he seemed to believe the worst regarding Ellefson right from the beginning of this story. I wonder how he is going to feel if Ellefson is cleared of all charges and exonerated 100%? When did we go from innocent until proven guilty, to guilty until proven innocent? As if this country isn’t f–ked up backwards enough already.