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Benedetta Baldin

Teemu Mäntysaari shared how fan reacted to him joining Megadeth

Author Benedetta Baldin - 30.6.2026

Megadeth guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari was asked about his experience touring and recording with the Dave Mustaine-led band for almost three years during Bleeding Metal’s Tuska Forum at this past weekend’s Tuska event in Helsinki, Finland, as per Blabbermouth.

Well, of course, it all happened very fast in the beginning. I was called as a replacement, and then soon the guys realized that I’m gonna be needed later for a longer time. And then we toured for a little bit, for about a year, and then we already started recording the new album. So everything was kind of almost like a snowball effect. Everything happened very fast, and I didn’t really have too much time to process or too much time to reflect. And, yeah, just going for the next thing and then the next thing and the next thing, and here we are finally [playing] in Finland.

Teemu responded as follows when asked how he has managed to strike a balance between his creative aspirations and his respect and appreciation for the former guitarists in Megadeth.

Yeah, of course, knowing Megadeth for a long time and knowing the band’s legacy and the long history and my huge respect for all the previous guitarists in the band, I kind of decided early on that I’m not gonna stress about anybody else’s opinion about comparing me to somebody else, but just try to be myself and do the best that I can and knowing that there’s gonna be people who love one of the old guys and it’s gonna be hard to convince them with the new guy. But, yeah, just trying to do my best and really pay respect to the music — the old catalog and then, of course, the new music that we’ve been recording and playing live.

Teemu made this statement about how the Megadeth fans have reacted to him.

Yeah, I have to say the Megadeth fans have been super welcoming and very warm from the very beginning, so I’m super humbled to, to be in this position. Very happy to play for the fans.

Upcoming shows:

  • Tuesday, June 30, 2026 – Release Athens, Athens, Greece
  • Friday, July 03, 2026 – Barcelona Rock Fest, Barcelona, Spain
  • Sunday, July 05, 2026 – Evil Live Festival, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Saturday, July 18, 2026 – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, NV, US
  • Sunday, July 19, 2026 – Obsidian Spirits Amphitheater, Corning, CA, US
  • Monday, July 20, 2026 – California Mid-State Fair, Paso Robles, CA, US
  • Friday, July 31, 2026 – Oktoberfest Grounds, La Crosse, WI, US
  • Saturday, August 01, 2026 – Capital Credit Union Park, Green Bay, WI, US
  • Saturday, August 08, 2026 – Sturgis Buffalo Chip, Sturgis, SD, US
  • Saturday, August 22, 2026 – Alaska State Fair, Palmer, AK, US
  • Saturday, August 29, 2026 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • Sunday, August 30, 2026 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • Thursday, September 03, 2026 – Parc Jean Drapeau, Montréal, QC, Canada
  • Saturday, September 05, 2026 – Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, NJ, US
  • Sunday, September 06, 2026 – Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, NJ, US
  • Wednesday, September 09, 2026 – TD Garden, Boston, MA, US
  • Friday, September 11, 2026 – Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA, US
  • Saturday, September 12, 2026 – PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC, US
  • Tuesday, September 15, 2026 – Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA, US
  • Saturday, September 19, 2026 – Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Shakopee, MN, US
  • Tuesday, September 22, 2026 – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL, US
  • Friday, September 25, 2026 – BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • Sunday, September 27, 2026 – BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA, US
  • Tuesday, September 29, 2026 – Alamodome, San Antonio, TX, US
  • Saturday, November 07, 2026 – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
  • Sunday, November 08, 2026 – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
  • Wednesday, November 11, 2026 – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
  • Friday, November 13, 2026 – AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
  • Sunday, November 15, 2026 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Australia
  • Wednesday, November 18, 2026 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
  • Thursday, November 19, 2026 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
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