
No-one was surprised when Kiko Loureiro’s absence from Megadeth turned from temporary to permanent. After all, this is a band that’s featured upwards of a dozen guitarists since 1983 – it’s not as if lineup stability has been a thing.
Still, Loureiro was a fan favorite. He’d been in Megadeth for nine years and had lent his virtuosic playing to well-loved records Dystopia (2016) and The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! (2022). For some, he even rivaled the iconic Marty Friedman.