James LoMenzo Will Continue as Megadeth’s Touring Bassist

When Megadeth return to the road in April, James LoMenzo will be holding down the bass duties just like he did this past year. LoMenzo's participation in the second U.S. tour leg of the "Metal Tour of the Year" was revealed in a birthday Instagram post sent from Dave Mustaine to the musician.

LoMenzo, who had served a previous stint in Megadeth between 2006-2010, returned to the group last summer after the band parted ways with original bassist David Ellefson, who also was on his second stint in the group. At the time, LoMenzo revealed that he was not available to fill in, but after speaking with Mustaine and realizing the importance of the situation, he was able to work out the opportunity to join Megadeth with his other employer, John Fogerty.

After making his live Megadeth return, the bassist beamed about the current lineup of the group, stating, “Dave [Mustaine]’s been really welcoming and supportive, and the band as a whole is just fantastic! It’s a real power house. Dirk [Verbeuren] is a dream drummer for this type of music, and Kiko [Loureiro]’s just so musically deep. Dave’s playing as good or better than ever and now that he’s on those Gibson guitars, his sound is so much more gut punching than I remember it.”

In Mustaine's birthday posting to LoMenzo, the Megadeth leader stated, "Happy birthday James. With the Metal Tour of the Year starting again soon, we’ll celebrate your birthday with the fans! Wishing you all the best, brother."

Just as last year, the "Metal Tour of the Year" trek will unite Megadeth with co-headliners Lamb of God and support from Trivium. In Flames, who were initially scheduled to be part of the tour prior to the pandemic, had to bow out of last year's tour dates, replaced by Hatebreed. However, the veteran band will be back to complete the bill for the run this spring. The tour gets underway April 9 in Las Vegas. Get dates and ticketing details here.

Megadeth are also expected to have a new album out this year. While it has been revealed that the group re-recorded the bass parts for the album after Ellefson's exit, it has not been revealed if LoMenzo or someone else handled bass for the record.