Dave Mustaine: 'We Are Reviewing 205 Songs' for Megadeth’s Album 17

Alright folks, gather ‘round—Dave Mustaine has spoken. And when Dave speaks, metalheads listen… usually while arguing on the internet about which Megadeth lineup was best. (If you said “Super Collider era,” we need to talk.)

Let’s break this down, shall we? Megadeth is deep into recording their 17th studio album—creatively titled Album 17 (for now, anyway, because apparently naming albums is HARD). According to Mustaine, they’re “almost 90 days into the making” of this thing, which is producer Chris Rakestraw’s latest project with the band. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he also worked on “Dystopia” (2016) and “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!” (2022), aka the albums where Mustaine really leaned into his whole “still pissed off after all these years” energy.

But let’s get to the real question—is this thing gonna slap?

The Current Lineup: “It Feels Like A Band Again”

Dave (who is basically metal’s grumpy uncle at this point) brought in Teemu Mäntysaari—the Finnish guitarist who had the impossible job of replacing Kiko Loureiro. No pressure, dude! Mäntysaari, who has been in the band for over a year now, has been tossing out riffs like he’s at an all-you-can-eat riff buffet. And apparently, Mustaine is loving it.

According to Dave, “Well, we are a band again. It doesn’t feel like me and some side players or some session guys… this new relationship I have harkens me back to the days when we had Marty Friedman in the band.”

(Translation: Megadeth fans, get ready for 4,000 solos per song, because we are SHREDDING again.)

Also in the mix: James LoMenzo (bass), Dirk Verbeuren (drums), and Mustaine’s eternal struggle with patience because, according to him, things are moving “slower than I want.”

The Writing Process: Mustaine Made Everyone Listen To every Megadeth Song Ever

In classic “control freak but make it metal” fashion, Mustaine made the entire band sit through all 205 songs in the Megadeth catalog. That’s right. Every. Single. One.

Why? Because he wants to make sure everyone understands the “chord progressions, lyric patterns, tempos, starts, stops”—basically, he wants them to absorb the essence of Megadeth like it’s some kind of thrash metal osmosis.

Dirk and Teemu have been contributing ideas, which is great, but let’s be real—Mustaine is still running this show. He even threw in this little nugget of wisdom:

“It was funny because sometimes when you think, ‘Ah, I don’t really know that that riff is that good,’ and then you go back and you listen to it another day and say, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty cool.’ ‘Well, you already listened to it and you didn’t like it.’ ‘What?’ That kind of thing.”

Is Dave Mustaine arguing with himself about whether his own riffs are good? Possibly. But honestly, I’d pay money to hear a Mustaine vs. Mustaine debate. (Someone make an AI deepfake, thanks.)

A History Lesson From Teemu (who Is Definitely Trying His Best)

Teemu Mäntysaari—who, reminder, is Finnish and probably never expected to be thrown into the chaotic world of Megadeth—has been stockpiling riffs like a doomsday prepper. His process? Recording videos of himself playing random ideas in hotel rooms because that’s just how Megadeth rolls now, I guess.

“Yeah, actually, already a while back Dave started talking about making the next album and kind of starting to do pre-production… once it was clear that I’m gonna be staying with the band, then I kind of started putting my ideas down.”

Teemu also said that Mustaine wants everyone to contribute to the new album, which is great news because more collaboration = better chances of a banger album.

(Or, worst-case scenario, another Super Collider, which, let’s be honest, we all try to pretend never happened.)

What About Kiko?

Okay, so remember Kiko Loureiro? The dude who absolutely CRUSHED it on Dystopia? Yeah, he left to spend more time with his family, which is the nicest possible way to exit a thrash band. No drama, no lawsuits—just a guy wanting to be a dad.

But wait. He’s touring again.

Which made Mustaine go, “hmmm…”

“I thought I was gonna finish my career out with Kiko… but when he left, he introduced us to Teemu. And it was an even closer connection between me and Teemu than Kiko and I had.”

Translation: “Kiko who? We’re moving on.”

So What Can We Expect?

Here’s what we do know:

• Album 17 is in progress.
• Mustaine is still kind of mad about everything, so the riffs will be aggressive.
• The band is actually working together this time.
• Teemu is bringing fresh ideas.
• James and Dirk are also contributing (but let’s be real, Mustaine is still calling the shots).

Here’s what we don’t know:

• When the album is coming out.
• If the title will be something better than “Album 17” (it won’t).
• If Mustaine will change his mind about everything in a month.

“Just Release The Damn Album Already”

Look, at the end of the day—it’s a Megadeth album. We know it’s gonna be fast, angry, and filled with guitar solos that make our fingers hurt just thinking about them. Will it be another Rust in Peace? Probably not. But will it be another Super Collider? Also no, because Mustaine isn’t THAT self-destructive.

So whenever this thing drops, we’ll all be there—arguing on Reddit about whether or not it “sounds like old-school Megadeth” and debating if Mustaine’s voice is “getting better” or “totally shot.”

Until then… we wait. And in the meantime, go listen to Dystopia again because that album actually aged well.

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