Is Kiko Loureiro Still Officially in Megadeth or Not?

In early September this year, thrash metal legends Megadeth announced that guitarist Kiko Loureiro would be taking a temporary leave from the lineup due to personal matters. The musician also said that he recommended Teemu Mäntysaari, a Finnish guitar virtuoso known for his work in Wintersun.

“I have something that is difficult to share,” Kiko said in the official statement in September, “but we always like to keep you informed with the truth. I have to leave the tour for now, to be home with my children, and to help them face the difficult challenges that arise from us being ‘Dads that work away from home.”

“I found a guitarist, Teemu Mäntysaari, to fill in for me during the fall, and I think you’ll be very happy. He’s an amazing, incredible player.”

Teemu had his live debut with Dave Mustaine-fronted thrash metal band on September 6 this year at the Revel Arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Apart from some fan speculation online (as was expected), things were going smoothly and Teemu kept playing shows. However, people wanted to know when Kiko is coming back. However, when speaking to Ultimate Guitar in an interview published in early October this year, Dave Mustaine said that he wasn’t sure when Loureiro would rejoin the lineup for live shows.

“I don’t know when Kiko is coming back,” Mustaine offered. “He won’t be back for this run [of tour dates]. He’s at home, and he’s soldiering on – for lack of a better term – and working through whatever it is he needs to get through. Out of respect for him, I didn’t pry and ask what exactly it was – because it’s really none of my business unless he tells me.”

Once again, this wasn’t that much of a surprise. Kiko is back home and is waiting for the suitable moment to come back to the lineup and continue where he left off.

However, on Sunday, November 19, Loureiro shared a statement through his social media, revealing that he’ll be “extending” his absence from the band. What made this a little unclear is that he wasn’t direct whether he’s leaving the band or not. Some parts of the message indicate that he’s still in the band, while others make it feel like he’s leaving for good. He offered:

“After thorough reflection and discussions with Dave Mustaine and Megadeth’s management, we have collectively agreed that it is the right move to extend my absence.”

“My nine years with Megadeth have been an unbelievable journey, filled with countless ‘pinch-me’ moments. Unforgettable tours, a Grammy Award for ‘Dystopia,’ a Grammy nomination, and various accolades for ‘The Sick, The Dying, and The Dead’ are just a few of the highlights.”

“It is hard to put into words the magnitude of these experiences. I am sure any heavy metal fan can appreciate how incredible it is to play and create music in a band you grew up listening to, and to share the stage with a guitar legend like Dave Mustaine, along with phenomenal musicians like James LoMenzo and Dirk Verbeuren, not to mention our incredible crew.”

“The most cherished aspect of these nine years has been getting to know the incredible army of devoted Megadeth fans around the world. Your dedication is inspiring, and I have immense admiration and respect for all of you. Much love, see you soon!”

Some of the comments on the Instagram post also reflected on this. One Instagram user commented:

“This still is unclear on the future of your presence or not in the band. You state that your absence will be ‘extended,’ but you speak like this is goodbye. So what’s up, man?”

Joining Megadeth in 2014, it didn’t take long for Kiko to win the hearts of the band’s fans of all generations. Although Megadeth is well-known for having incredible guitar players, many felt like he was up there next to Marty Friedman.

Of course, Teemu is still rocking it and doing his great work with Megadeth. But Kiko’s statement made things feel a little unclear.

If that wasn’t enough, Dave Mustaine’s official statement the next day didn’t help clear things up either. Hitting Megadeth’s social media channels, the frontman and leader of the band said that they’ll “continue to move forward with Teemu Mäntysaari” and that he’ll be sticking for the 2024 tour dates.

Although Dave was incredibly positive towards Kiko, thanking him for all the work in the band, once again we have things hanging in the air. After mentioning that he’s been in contact with Kiko Loureiro, Dave reflected on the guitarist’s decision to leave, revealing that he was the one to tell him to go back home and spend some time with his family.

“Kiko is a top-notch professional, a maestro,” Dave offered, “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.”

Dave then said:

“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.”

“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.”

Finally, Teemu also shared a brief statement, thanking fans for all the support. But one question still remained — is Kiko Loureiro still a member of Megadeth? Well, the answer may not be simple.

The mild ambiguity of these statements might be a deliberate decision. This is, of course, nothing but speculation. But Kiko’s socials still say that he’s still a member of Megadeth. At the same time, on the professional side of things, they’re aware that these things might not work out in the end and that he’ll have to officially leave. After all, Kiko is from Brazil and it’s not the simplest position to be in if you’re playing with an American band.

So far, there seems to be nothing definitive. And if you’re a Megadeth or Kiko fan feeling odd about things hanging in the air, it might stay like that for a while.

Photos: Arthurdsb98 (Kiko Loureiro, em Fort Rock, DystopiaTour 2016), Selbymay (HF2022Megadeth 2)