During an interview at this past weekend's Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, MEGADETH guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari was asked about his experiences touring and recording with the band over the past three years.

He responded: “Well, of course, it all happened very fast in the beginning.

I was called as a replacement for previous MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro, and then soon the guys realized that I'm gonna be needed later for a longer time.” Mäntysaari reflected on how he balanced his admiration for past MEGADETH guitarists with his own creative ambitions.

“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,” he said, “yeah, I kind of decided early on that I'm not gonna stress about anybody else's opinion about comparing me to somebody else.

Mäntysaari praised the MEGADETH fans for their warm welcome.

“Yeah, I have to say the MEGADETH fans have been super welcoming and very warm from the very beginning,” he said.

“Very happy to play for the fans.” MEGADETH's lead vocalist Dave Mustaine spoke about Teemu's abilities in an interview with Finland's Radio City.

“Yeah, I'm excited.

I'm really excited for Teemu because he's never played here [in Finland] with us,” Mustaine said.

“And Teemu is a national treasure here \u2014 the first Finnish man to ever have a Number One record in America.

Mustaine reflected on how Teemu had brought a new dynamic to the band since his addition in 2023.

“Well, we are a band again,” Mustaine said.

“it doesn't feel like me and some side players or some session guys.”