February 28, 2010 - SHAWN DROVER'S SIGNATURE SNARE DRUM HAS ARRIVED
Shawn Drover has issued the following update: "I am thrilled to inform you that the ddrum Shawn Drover signature snare drum is now available through this link. I have been using this snare for the past year now and I swear to you it is the loudest snare I have ever heard!!!!! Yet it also has both great warmth and punch to cut through well in any live setting as well as in the studio (I used this snare on both "Head Crusher" & "The Right To Go Insane" from the 'Endgame' record) I hope those of you who are interested in obtaining my snare will enjoy it as much as I do." MORE

February 27, 2010 - MEGADETH FILMING 'THE RIGHT TO GO INSANE' VIDEO
Dave Mustaine has revealed in his latest TheLIVELine "audioblog" that the band has commenced filming a video for the song "The Right To Go Insane". DM: "I'm here at the video shoot [Thursday, February 25] in South El Monte. We just got done filming some footage of a M60 Abram Tank which was fantastic, and the cops are here so will do pretty hairy with this video shoot. I don't know what's going to happen from this point forward, but man we're excited. David Ellefson is here; it's the first video with this band again and we're doing "The Right To Go Insane". Listen to Dave's entire audio message at TheLIVELine.

February 26, 2010 - MEGADETH TO HEADLINE SHOWS IN ITALY AND RUSSIA
Megadeth is confirmed to play shows at the Estragon in Bologna, Italy on June 3rd, Atlantico in Rome, Italy on June 4th, Alcatraz in Milan, Italy on June 5th, and two shows at the B1 Maximum in Moscow, Russia on July 13th and 14th. Support acts to be announced soon. Tickets are on sale now. Check the Killing Road for details.

February 26, 2010 - CHAT LIVE WITH DAVID ELLEFSON SATURDAY AT THE MFC!
MegaFanClub members, chat live with David Ellefson this Saturday, February 27 at 2:00PM Mountain Time (21:00 GMT) at the MegaFanClub chat room! This will be David's first fan club chat since rejoining Megadeth and you don't want to miss this! Chat is exclusive to MFC members. Not a member? Join today! HERE

February 25, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON INTERVIEWED BY SAN ANTONIO EXAMINER
Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with David Ellefson. "Original bass player and backup vocalist David Ellefson is back in the mix, and the timing couldn't be more apropos. Megadeth is about to head out on the road with Testament and Exodus to celebrate 20 years of arguably their best album, Rust In Peace. They'll be playing the nine-song gem in its entirety along with 10 other classics throughout next month, including a March 26 stop at Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin." MORE

February 24, 2010 - MEET MEGADETH ON THE 'RUST IN PEACE 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR'
Meet 'N Greet passes to meet Megadeth on the "Rust In Peace 20Th Anniversary Tour" are now available through the MegaFanClub! Club members, check the "Meet The Band" page at the fan club for details. Not a member? Join HERE! The MegaFanClub gives you the opportunity as fans to gain even more access! A premium membership provides a fan package including an exclusive fan club shirt, 8X10 band photo, and much more, including your chance to meet Megadeth on tour! MORE

February 24, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON ON MEETING DAVE MUSTAINE ON 'ROCK SHOP'
David Ellefson has a YouTube series called "David Ellefson's ROCK SHOP" where he covers things from playing tips, music business topics and more. At this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) David interviewed bassist Michael Anthony of Chickenfoot (former Van Halen) and told him the story of how Van Halen's "Running With The Devil" was an odd introduction to me meeting up with Dave Mustaine. View the short clip HERE. Watch the entire interview HERE

February 24, 2010 - VIP PACKAGES & TICKETS PRESALE FOR SAN DIEGO AVAILABLE
Megadeth Ultimate Fan Packages for the San Diego 'American Carnage' show on August 29 2010 will be made available exclusively to MegaFanClub members starting Thursday, February 25th @ 10AM and ending Friday, February 26th @ 10AM. Packages include concert ticket in first 10 rows or priority access with general admission ticket, meet ‘n greet & photo op with Megadeth, pre-show party, exclusive Megadeth gift bag, early entrance to venue, and more! Packages are limited! MFC tickets presale for San Diego starts on Friday, February 26th from 10AM to 10PM. Public on sale start Saturday, February 27th @ noon. Details are at the MegaFanClub.

February 23, 2010 - 'TALKING METAL' PODCAST FEATURING DAVID ELLEFSON
Talking Metal celebrates their 300th podcast featuring an interview with David Ellefson (originally broadcast live on Talking Metal Live 2/9/10). Ellefson interview topics include his return to Megadeth, the twenty-year cycle of metal, his 14-year-old son, Exodus, the "Rust In Peace" album and 20th anniversary tour, the song "Head Crusher", Hail, and Frank Bello. In this interview Ellefson states that he has no problem with playing songs live of the last couple Megadeth albums, even though he was not involved in the recording of them. Download the audio interview HERE

February 23, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE: "READY FOR THE 2010 MEGADETH WORLD TOUR"
Dave Mustaine has issued the following update: "Five more days and I will be standing in a hotel room getting ready to start my day again on the 2010 Megadeth World Tour. I know that I have said that there was not much gas left in the tank over the years, and I know I have a reputation for changing my mind, but we all do that, its just my choices are more public than most of y'alls. I can't tell you how rewarding it has been to make a new start with David Ellefson, and I can't tell you all of the other people that I have come across that are happy for me, for us, for Megadeth, and for Heavy Metal." MORE

February 22, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE TALKS DEAN GUITARS, MARSHALL AMPS, & MORE
In November 2009, Musician's Friend spoke to Dave Mustaine about Dean Guitars; Marshall amps; the band's self-built recording studio Vic's Garage in San Marcos, California; and using the Internet and modern technology to build Megadeth's fan base. Watch the chat in two parts  HERE

February 22, 2010 - FORMER TOUR MANAGER: "DAVE MUSTAINE IS A GENUINE SOUL"
Vicky Bradley (a.k.a. Vix the Angel Of Metal) recently conducted an interview with Tracey Wiedeman, former tour manager for Megadeth, Marilyn Manson, and Danzig, and current head of her own artist-management company, T Management. When asked about her personal experience working with the Dave Mustaine, Wiedeman said, "Dave Mustaine is a genuine soul — extremely, extremely intelligent. There was never a day that went by where I did not learn something amazing from him". Read more and listen to the audio interview HERE

February 21, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON INTERVIEWED BY ULTIMATE-GUITAR.COM
Robert Gray of Ultimate-Guitar.com conducted an interview with returning bassist David Ellefson on February 16, 2010. "In the world of rock 'n' roll, over the course of time friendships may strengthen, weaken, and possibly even come apart. Life on the road, away from the family and inside the tour bus in the constant presence of fellow band members, can certainly challenge friendships. One such friendship that has had its share of ups and downs is that of Megadeth co-founders Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson, whose triumphs and tribulations have been well documented by the press. In recent weeks however, that friendship has returned to a position of strength." Read the interview HERE

February 20, 2010 - MEGADETH CONFIRMED FOR FINLAND'S TUSKA FESTIVAL
Megadeth, Mastodon, Obituary, Overkill and Testament are among the confirmed bands for the thirteenth annual Tuska festival, set to take place July 2-4, 2010 in Helsinki, Finland. Tickets go on sale on March 1. For more information, visit www.tuska-festival.fi.

February 19, 2010 - THE MAKING OF 'HEAD CRUSHER' AND 'ENDGAME' - VIDEO AVAILABLE
DiMarzio, Inc., the Staten Island, New York-based company that manufactures magnetic pickups for electric guitars, has posted a six-minute video clip of guitarist Chris Broderick and then-bassist James LoMenzo talking about the making of the band's new album, "Endgame", and their DiMarzio pickups. They also break down the song "Head Crusher". Watch the video HERE

February 18, 2010 - 'THE BIG FOUR' SONISPHERE SHOW CONFIRMED FOR ATHENS
Another Sonisphere show has been confirmed for Athens, Greece on June 24, 2010 at Terra Vibve Park. "The Big Four" — Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax will appear together for first time in history, along with the Stone Sour, Mastodon, and Bullet For My Valentine. For more information, click HERE. Tickets go on sale Monday, February 22nd at 10:30AM HERE

February 17, 2010 - MEGADETH NOMINATED FOR REVOLVER GOLDEN GODS 2010 AWARDS
America’s first-ever hard-rock and heavy-metal music awards show is back! The second annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards presented by Epiphone will take place Thursday, April 8, returning to Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. The show will later be televised on VH1 Classic on Saturday, May 22 (air time TBA). Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 19 via Ticketmaster. New for this year, fans everywhere can cast their vote beginning today to choose who will take home the awards. Dave Mustaine is nominated for "Best Guitarist", "Endgame" is nominated for "Album Of The Year". Cast your votes HERE

February 16, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON IS DAVE MUSTAINE'S 'JUNIOR' NO MORE
Dave Mustaine tells AOL's Noisecreep that he is no longer calling David Ellefson "Junior" like he used to back in the 1980s and 1990s. "Dave was my ambassador back then," Dave tells Noisecreep. "I was a pretty loose and unpredictable cannon, and he brought a very calming effect, so he was very much like a mediator, and that's how everyone looked at us." MORE

February 16, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON & SHAWN DROVER INTERVIEWED ON CHOM-FM
David Ellefson and Shawn Drover were recently interviewed for a special edition of "The Metal File" podcast from Montreal's CHOM-FM. On what was it like walking into the room for the first time to play with Megadeth again: DE: "It's interesting, because... Dave [Mustaine] has reached out to me several times over the years, to his credit. And for various reasons, we had discussed things and we had talked, and there was a period of two years when we didn't talk again. So I'd seen Dave — we hung out, we had dinner before, we talked about these things in recent years. So coming back in with guitars in hand is the only thing we hadn't done in the last eight years since we played together." Listen to the interview HERE

February 15, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON INTERVIEWED FOR NEW 'SHOCKWAVES' PODCAST
Shockwaves/HardRadio Podcast #43, in which host Bob Nalbandian conducts an interview with David Ellefson is available for download HERE (M4A file, 56 MB). David talks about his return to Megadeth, preparing for the "Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Tour", and more. Shockwaves podcasts can be heard at www.hardradio.com

February 15, 2010 - MEGADETH TAKES TOP HONORS IN GUITAR WORLD READERS POLL
Megadeth take top honors in the 16th Annual Guitar World Readers Poll 2009. Results are as follows: 1st Place - Best Metal Guitarists - Chris Broderick and Dave Mustaine. 1st Place - Most Valuable Player - Dave Mustaine. 1st Place - Best Metal Album - "Endgame". Results are published in the new edition of Guitar World. See the page scans HERE

February 14, 2010 - SETLIST REVEALED FOR 'RUST IN PEACE 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR'
Dave Mustaine has issued the following update: "Happy Valentine's Day! I thought that Happy VD was a bit funny, but I really wanted to stop and take the time to thank you all for your support and especially thank all of the ticket holders for the RIP tour cities that have already sold-out. Rehearsals are all done and we are ready for pre-production next week, and then we will be heading out to start the tour. Please send your prayers, best wishes, and positive thoughts our way, and if we are playing in your city or town I sure hope to see you. A big thank you goes out to all of the cities that are sold-out already!" MORE

February 13, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE OPENS UP ABOUT DAVID ELLEFSON'S RETURN
Dave Mustaine recently spoke to the World Entertainment News Network (WENN) about the return of David Ellefson. "He's the best bass player for Megadeth and he's been there since the beginning," Mustaine said. "The time without him was difficult for me. He was my partner and one of my best friends. I asked him to forgive me, too, and that's really important too because I realized that I had made a lot of mistakes in my leadership. I was a kid when we met and, granted, I was an adult when we parted ways, but I made a lot of mistakes along the way that affected him. We're still working through all this stuff and talking about the future."  MORE

February 12, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE ON VH1'S 'THAT METAL SHOW' - VIDEO AVAILABLE
On Saturday, February 6, Dave Mustaine appeared in the first episode of Season 4 of VH1's 'That Metal Show' — a talk show hosted by Eddie Trunk with co-hosts Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. The show focuses on discussions and debates about "all things hard rock & heavy metal", past and present. The episode featuring Dave is now available for viewing online HERE

February 11, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON: "IT IS GREAT TO BE BACK IN MEGADETH!"
David Ellefson has issued the following update: "Greetings Droogies, Rattleheads and Everyone Around the World! It is great to be back in MEGADETH! As you can imagine, it's been quite a week getting back in the saddle with a gazillion things to get a handle on before we hit the road. We are rehearsing for the upcoming "Rust In Peace" 20th Anniversary tour this week at Vic's Garage, and I must say, the songs are ripping! Dave and I sound like we haven't missed a beat. We have a special style we've created together over the years and it just fell right back into place instantly. I've definitely missed his ferocious guitar playing....no one does it quite like him." MORE

February 10, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE ON LOMENZO'S DEPARTURE & ELLEFSON'S RETURN
Jon Wiederhorn of AOL's Noisecreep conducted an interview earlier today (Wed, February 10) with Dave Mustaine about the departure of bassist James LoMenzo and the return of original bassist, David Ellefson. "The surprise reunion between Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine and the band's original bassist Dave Ellefson lends credence to the old cliché that time heals all wounds. But the reconciliation has just as much to do with circumstance as it does with time. When better to introduce Ellefson back into the Megadeth camp than on the band's 'Rust in Peace' 20th anniversary tour, on which they will play that album -- arguably their finest -- in its entirety?" Read the interview HERE

February 10, 2010 - MEGADETH TO PLAY SWEDEN'S GETAWAY ROCK FESTIVAL
Megadeth has been confirmed for this year's Getaway Rock festival, set to take place July 8-10, 2010 in Gävle, Sweden. "To be able to present the legendary Megadeth for an exclusive Swedish festival show at Getaway Rock its first year is amazing," comments festival manager Tomas Jernberg. For more information, visit www.getawayrock.se

February 10, 2010 - JAMES LOMENZO COMMENTS ON HIS DEPARTURE FROM MEGADETH
James LoMenzo has issued the following update at his official Myspace page: "Friends, my heart is full with your kindness and well wishes. This is the richest part of my years with the mighty Megadeth. I'm truly excited about the 2 Dave's getting back together. I think it will be great for Megadeth fans. Anyone who knows me, knows I love doing all kinds of things musically and other wise so I'm excited for what's ahead and very grateful for all the great music, fantastic shows and the many friends and fans I've come to know over the past 4 years. Stay tuned and I'll let you know what's next when it's next!" MORE

February 10, 2010 - 'RUST IN PEACE' ALBUM ADDED TO THE ROCK BAND MUSIC STORE
The entirety of the seminal metal album "Rust In Peace" from Megadeth, has been added to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Megadeth is among the more than 390 bands currently available through the Rock Band platform. With more than 1,000 songs available, Rock Band is, without question, the industry leader in providing the best selection of interactive musical content, songs and artists. MORE

February 9, 2010 - MUSTAINE HOPES REUNION WITH ELLEFSON IS PERMANENT
Dave Mustaine has released an audio message at TheLIVELine.com in which he comments on the the departure of James LoMenzo and the return of David Ellefson. DM: "First, I wanna say thank you to James LoMenzo for his years of faithful and consistent service to Megadeth and to me and to the fans. James, I love you, and I wish you well in everything that you do. Now, the most exciting thing I've had to say for quite some time... Like I said at our web site, I had a huge announcement to make.... It's David Ellefson returning back to his home, to his roots, to where his partner has been waiting to one day jam with him again, and that wait for me is now over." Dave's entire message can be heard HERE

February 9, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON TO GUEST ON TONIGHT'S 'TALKING METAL LIVE'
David Ellefson will be the special guest on tonight's (Tuesday, February 9) edition of "Talking Metal Live". David's live interview will take place at 7PM EST / 4PM PST. The episode will air from 7 to 10PM Eastern Time (4 to 7PM Pacific Time) and can be heard live online at TalkingMetalLive.com as well as on iTunes at Mark Strigl Radio.

February 9, 2010 - DAVID ELLEFSON TALKS ABOUT HIS RETURN TO MEGADETH
David Ellefson has exclusively told Classic Rock about the motivations behind his return to Megadeth, after an eight-year absence. “It literally happened over the weekend,” says the delighted bassist. “And I can hardly believe it myself. There was clearly gonna be a change in the line-up, because James Lomenzo was leaving. Dave (Mustaine) and I talked on the phone, and all the feuds, all the arguments we’ve been having over the years just melted away. It just goes to show what direct contact can achieve!” MORE

February 8, 2010 - BASSIST DAVID ELLEFSON RETURNS TO MEGADETH LINE-UP
Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has announced the return of original bassist David Ellefson (1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group. This reunion is appropriately timed to Megadeth’s upcoming historic month-long "Rust In Peace" 20th anniversary tour which launches March 1 in Spokane, WA. At these incredibly special shows, Megadeth will play their landmark, genre-defining 1990 album "Rust In Peace" in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites. Read the press release HERE

February 8, 2010 - MEGADETH TO PLAY NORWAY ROCKS FESTIVAL AND AUSTRIA
Megadeth is confirmed to play at this year's Norway Rock festival on Wednesday, July 7 in Kvinesdal, Norway. Aslo performing at the festival, running July 7-11, is Twisted Sister, Immortal, Queensryche, Black Label Society and more. Check NorwayRock.no for details. Megadeth will play a headline show in Vienna, Austria on July 1. Support bands to be announced. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, February 10. Check the Killing Road for details.

February 7, 2010 - 'BIG FOUR' CONCERT GIVEAWAY CONTEST AT THELIVELINE.COM
TheLIVELine.com has issued the following update: "We, here at TheLiveLine, are pleased to announce our Big 4 Giveaway contest. The Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two (2) to Warsaw, Poland for the Big Four Sonisphere Concert. Includes airfare to and from Bemowo Airport, 3 night hotel accommodations, 2 tickets to the Sonisphere festival, 2 guest passes to get backstage, $500 USD Mad Money, transportation: airport to hotel, hotel to venue, venue to hotel, hotel to airport." Contest details are HERE

February 6, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW SIGNATURE DEAN GUITARS
Dave Mustaine was interviewed by Jose Mangin, on-air personality and program director for Sirius XM and guest host of MTV2's "Headbangers Ball", at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 14-17, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The chat, which originally aired as part of Dean Guitars' "Live from NAMM" webcast, can be viewed HERE

February 5, 2010 - MEGADETH'S 'RUST IN PEACE' HITS ROCK BAND STORE NEXT WEEK
All the tracks from Megadeth's iconic 1990 album "Rust In Peace" will be added to the Rock Band Music Store on Tuesday, Harmonix has announced. The tracks will be available for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii versions of Rock Band. The album is available for the 360 and Wii on Tuesday (Feb. 9), and for PS3 on Thursday (Feb. 11). There are nine tracks in all, and they'll be available for $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU, or 160 Microsoft Points or 200 Wii Points per track. The whole album is $14.99, £7.49 UK, €10.99 EU or 1200 Microsoft Points.  MORE

February 4, 2010 - AMERICAN CARNAGE TICKETS & VIP PACKAGES PRESALE ON TODAY
American Carnage tickets presale and Ultimate Fan Packages presale for select shows on the American Carnage tour are on sale today, Thursday, February 4 at the MegaFanClub. MFC members, log in to the fan club and go to "TOUR" - "TICKETS". Your password and instructions are provided there. Get your presales tickets and packages HERE

February 4, 2010 - MEGADETH TO HEADLINE SHOW IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Megadeth is confirmed to perform in Budapest, Hungary on Sunday, June 20th at the Petofi Hall. This is the first non-festival show that Megadeth has announced for the Europen summer tour. Megadeth will headline the show with support act(s) to be announced soon. Tickets are on sale now. Check the Killing Road for details.

February 3, 2010 - DAVE MUSTAINE HINTS AT AN UPCOMING PROJECT AND TOUR NEWS
Dave Mustaine has issued the following update: "For the last few weeks I have been telling you about a huge project coming up. Well, yesterday I submitted our work for approval and it was approved, so very soon we will be able to say 'what' this very big announcement is. Rest assured it involves a new song that I have just recently written, with more co-writing from Chris Broderick. It's another aggressive, complicated Megadeth track, and I will give you more details as soon as I can." MORE

February 2, 2010 - MEGADETH TO HEADLINE SHOWS IN DENMARK AND IRELAND
Megadeth is confirmed to perform at the Copenhell Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday, June 11th and at the Live At The Marquee festival in Cork, Ireland on Monday, June 14th. Support acts for both shows will be announced soon. Tickets for Copenhell are on sale now and tickets for the Live At The Marquee festival are on sale Friday, February 9th at 9AM. MORE

February 1, 2010 - NEW DATES ANNOUNCED FOR AMERICAN CARNAGE TOUR
Megadeth and Slayer are thrilled to announce the new, confirmed routing for the American Carnage North American Tour, which will commence with the rescheduled Canadian Carnage East dates in Quebec City on Friday, July 23. Slayer will then head to Europe for a run of festival dates, returning to kick off the American Carnage leg in Albany, NY on August 11. American Carnage will play 26 dates across the United States and Eastern Canada up to the Labor Day weekend, ending in Portland, OR on September 4. Testament will be Special Guest on all shows. Read the press release HERE