Dirk Verbeuren Remembers the Moment When He Was a Fan until Joining Megadeth

JAKARTA - Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren shares an emotional story about his career journey that he considers to have surpassed his wildest imagination.

Joining the American thrash metal giant is recognized as an achievement that he never dared to dream of when he was a teenager.

The 50-year-old drummer revealed that the initial moment of his introduction to Dave Mustaine's works began when he found the album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" (1986) at a flea market on the outskirts of Paris, France around 1988.

"I remember going to a small flea market in the city outside Paris where we lived, and I just saw the cover and the photos," Verbeuren said, quoted by Blabbermouth, Sunday, December 21.

"The fourth photo of the band members on the album cover looks really cool to me. I feel, 'I don't know this band, but I have to buy it.' It looks amazing," he continued.

In the pre-internet era, Verbeuren said, finding new music was a very meaningful luck. Megadeth immediately caught his attention because of its unique vocal style, lyrics, and musical approach compared to other bands he was listening to at the time.

The memories felt even more surreal for him, when he recalled his experience watching Megadeth's concert on the Clash Of The Titans tour at Le Zénith, Paris in October 1990 - when he was 15 years old.

Now, after nine years as a permanent Megadeth member, he has performed on the same stage three times.

"Every time I go there, it amazes me because I think, 'I can't believe I was here as a teenager watching bands, and now I'm a part of it.' And years later, being on that stage it's like, 'What happened?'" he said.

For the Belgian drummer, a band with Mustaine for almost a decade was not just a dream come true. Before joining Megadeth, he had spent 12 years with Soilwork and felt satisfied enough to be a professional musician who was actively touring.

"People will ask, 'Oh, is that your wildest dream?' And I say, 'No,' because I never even dared to imagine it would happen," he said.

Verbeuren's existence in Megadeth is not just a tempo keeper behind the drum set. In the album "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" (2022), he contributed to songwriting, including creating the basic structure for the song "Life In Hell" and the riff for "Night Stalkers".

His success proves that hard work and perseverance in difficult times bear sweet fruit.

Currently, fans are looking forward to Megadeth's latest work, which is scheduled to be released on January 23.