In a fresh discussion with Finland’s Chaoszine, Teemu Mäntysaari, the latest addition to Megadeth‘s guitar lineup, delved into the experience of performing pieces originally recorded by the band’s former guitarists. Reflecting on the journey, Mäntysaari noted, “There are, of course, challenges in every guitarist’s parts, different kinds of challenges. But the kind of good thing is that I’ve been a fan of the band and I’ve known the previous guitarists and their styles in some capacity already in the past.”
Mäntysaari shared his insights into the intricate styles of his predecessors, particularly highlighting the influence of Marty Friedman and Kiko Loureiro. He explained his preparatory efforts, stating, “I’ve studied quite a bit of Marty Friedman‘s style and even Kiko‘s style before I stepped into the band.”
Mäntysaari confessed to having less familiarity with Chris Poland‘s work but expressed his enthusiasm for learning about Poland‘s distinctive bluesy and fusion-infused techniques: “I have to say I didn’t study that much Chris Poland, but I knew kind of what kind of style he plays, and then I was really curious to find out that he has some of these more bluesy and fusion-y things, which I also learned before. So it has been really interesting and enjoyable to have not only one style that you need to handle and play well, but kind of from all these different guitarists — Dave‘s rhythm playing, of course, and then all the solo guitarists, the lead guitarists who have been in the band.”
The guitarist emphasized his respect for the original solos, aiming to play them as authentically as possible while adding his personal touch. “I try to pay respect to everybody, not necessarily try to imitate 100 percent each one of them… I do wanna respect the songs,” Mäntysaari said. He acknowledged the significance of delivering the solos as fans remember them, noting, “If I think of myself as a fan, if I go see a band that I like, I like to hear the solos as they are on the record because that’s how I know them. Of course, it depends on the style of music, but in this style of music, I think that’s what fits and that’s what I try to do. I try to play them as much original as I can with my own little nuances maybe.”
When asked about the challenges posed by the styles of former Megadeth guitarists, Mäntysaari singled out Jeff Young and Chris Poland: “Chris Poland has a quite special style with his special intonation, very special vibrato, and the whammy-bar use. So that’s probably more out of my comfort zone, but it has been also very nice to be able to then learn some of those things,” he admitted.
Mäntysaari also recounted meeting Marty Friedman at the previous year’s Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Describing the encounter, he said, “We met briefly at Wacken. This was the first time that I actually met all the guys in Megadeth, Wacken last year. And then he was there as well. And we got to chat just a little bit. And, of course, I got to see the guys jamming backstage and that was really cool. And seeing the show also, I was on the side of the stage and filming everything there and trying to take as much like study material as I can.”
Mäntysaari expressed his admiration for Friedman‘s unique, exotic playing style, which blends elements of jazz without strictly adhering to its vocabulary. He reflected: “Marty‘s style is such a special style, exotic style. I think he has a lot of this jazzy approach, but not necessarily jazzy vocabulary… But, yeah, I’ve loved his style all the way from the Cacophony and then his solo albums and then, obviously, all the Megadeth stuff. So I’ve been following him for a long time and, yeah, try to play some of his things every once in a while.”
