*4/2/15 Update – Kiko Loureiro of Angra saddles up and joins Megadeth.

The band also recently announced that Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler will be smashing hardware on their 2015 album. Whether or not he will tour is unknown, but unlikely.

The first thing this tells me and fellow Megadeth lunatics is that the dream reunion of the classic lineup is officially smoked. After Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover presumably got bored of playing “plug-and-play” for almost a decade, rumors naturally began to swirl.

I don’t blame them necessarily. You’re pretty much riding the Mustaine train of fame, success, and villainy when you join this band.

I doubt this would turn into a touring effort for Adler. Lamb of God is still going strong so there is no reason to believe he would just abandon his main project.

The seasoned metal vet could drop a nice groove-death-metal feel on the next record. It’ll be interesting to see how much rope he gets.

Could he be stepping in until Menza gets his chops back? If that’s the case, it would be pretty weak on Menza’s part.

When it comes to new material, few bands ever even remotely match the Herculean efforts conjured forth by their younger selves. Fans bitch because every submission thereafter comes in well under the bar.

But decline in “greatness” makes complete sense. I am a huge believer in the idea that music transfers a mental state. The language of the soul.

When you’re young and your mission is world domination, your music follows suit. Energy, creativity, chemistry, power, excess. Once in a lifetime riffing and soul stealing lead lines.

Making it to the top brings on a degree of satisfaction. As age sets in your mission becomes a creative outlet, relaxed and experimental. You enjoy anniversary tours that only privileged artists will experience. Fewer and fewer bands or artists will enjoy 30+ years of success.

Last year, Nick Menza said that Dave Mustaine essentially “blew him off” during a NAMM convention. This made plenty of people groan and grumble that the 90’s era lineup would never return.

One year later you have NAMM Winter 2015 and both Nick and Marty Friedman are in the building. Menza hinted that a reunion may be in the works. Friedman fucked around with Steel Panther on stage and was otherwise quiet on Megadeth.

Let’s talk about Marty Friedman for a second.

This guy is otherworldly, an absolute thrash Titan that created some of the most memorable solos in history. He complemented Mustaine’s exotic riffs so damn well. We’ll never get that legendary touch again but I’m excited to hear Kiko Loureiro throw his hat in the ring.

Artistic chemistry is painfully hard to get right. Broderick was virtuosic but wasn’t the greatest fit in my opinion. I saw Megadeth live at least twice a year for the better part of 5 years and only once did he recreate Marty’s feel to a degree. String bends are so important to get right, and it seems that some masters have an X factor nobody can touch.

But look, Broderick is not Marty, so what can you expect.

Here’s one of my favorite Megadeth songs – Lucretia. Marty’s solo here is SIGNATURE. One of his most creative and soulful. Menza’s contribution behind it is also quite memorable.

That whole riff at 2:06 is damn cool, utterly unique, creepy, and Mustaine.

It will be interesting to hear the influence of Chris Adler on the next Megadeth effort. Who the hell knows what we’re going to get. And hell, Kiko Loureiro has one of the toughest gigs on his plate.

As for a touring lineup – we may never escape that tornado of souls.