Dave Mustaine: “Megadeth have never been a band that was strong in the singing department”
“All of the background vocals we’ve ever had have always been the person at the time that was doing the least amount of playing or whatnot…”
Image: SUZANNE CORDEIRO / Getty Images
Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has opened up about the band’s vocal prowess – or supposed lack thereof – in a new interview.
Reflecting on the band’s lineup changes over the years in a chat with Consequence, Mustaine says, “There hasn’t been that many when you think about how many some of these bands go through. A lot of popular bands will go through lineup changes and sometimes it’s really bad for the band. Other times, it’s necessary.”
“So, I try not to hold it against guys that are in bands when they have personnel issues,” he adds. “Sometimes, you just end up having a different perspective, and when you guys start off doing stuff, it’s very much like a marriage, and you want to have the same vision – but it doesn’t always stay that way. So, compared to some bands, yeah, we’ve had several lineup changes, but not as many as others have. And the lineup that we have right now, I think is magic.”
Mustaine says that while the band may have had times where there was a more popular person on drums, bass, or lead guitar, the “magic” that Megadeth is operating under right now is “so different”.
“I mean, it’s literally mesmerising for me to take a step back from the microphone and look over and see things like Kiko [Loureiro, current guitarist] playing with Marty [Friedman, former guitarist]. And James [LoMenzo] floating around the stage like a sage with his craft, and going up to the microphone and singing as good as I do – or better.”
“And we’ve never been a band that was strong in the singing department,” he says. “All of the background vocals we’ve ever had have always been the person at the time that was doing the least amount of playing or whatnot, if they could even sing the parts would go and sing. And to hear the difference between someone who actually is a singer versus someone like myself who is, is… I don’t know, for lack of a better term, a ‘vocalizer’ – that has made me a better singer.”
“That was one of the things I was hearing every night out on the tour: ‘Man, you’re really singing so much better.’ When we would see our friends that would come out and visit us – ‘Wow, Dave, you’re singing great. Your voice sounds great.’ And I’d like to think I’m not doing anything different. But the truth remains – your vocal box is a muscle just like anything else, and you have to take care of it.”
In other news, Dave Mustaine earlier this week said that Marty Friedman is “the only ex-Megadeth member who’s ever amounted to anything”.