KIKO LOUREIRO Discusses His Favorite MEGADETH Albums (Video)

In the one-minute clip below, MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro discusses his favorite albums from the band he officially joined more than three years ago. He says: "My favorite MEGADETH album… Of course, I would say 'Dystopia' [2016], but 'Rust In Peace' [1990] was very important for me as a kid listening to MEGADETH. And also 'Youthanasia' [1994], because I was already a professional guitar player. I remember doing a tour in France, and then everybody talking about [the song] 'À Tout Le Monde', and I remember listening a lot to that album in mid-'90s. So I was already a professional, so I was listening to MEGADETH as a professional guitar player. 'Rust In Peace', also listening kind of as a fan. So those two albums. And, of course, 'Dystopia' as a member of the band."

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine told Revolver magazine that finding Loureiro "was really a mind-blower. It was the first time since Marty Friedman joined the band that I was really intimidated as a player," he said. "He's such an amazing talent, and he's been coming in with all of these fresh ideas." Mustaine has also called Loureiro the "best guitarist we've ever had," adding that he was a good fit personality wise. "Chris [Broderick] and I had a good chemistry, but we weren't really as close as I would have wanted us to be," Mustaine explained. "Kiko, I feel like I've known him for years."

Asked if he tries to play the classic MEGADETH songs his own way or he if he makes an effort to stay true to the way the original guitar players recorded the tracks, Kiko told Loud Trax: "When it comes to the rhythm parts, I play with Dave [Mustaine], so I have to match the way he plays, which is really hard, because he has his unique way of playing the rhythms, the riffs. That was the toughest part, I have to say. But now, I'm playing way better — the rhythms and the riffs now. I'm learning with the master, so it's great for me. And the solos, I don't play much [along to the albums] — I just listen and I try to get the vibe of the solos of the song, and then I keep listening and listening, and then I get the instrument and then I try to play. I've been playing guitar for many, many years, so I think it's just a combination of the feeling that I get from the song and then the way I play."

MEGADETH's 15th studio album, "Dystopia", was released in January 2016. A follow-up effort is tentatively due next year.