Kiko Loureiro Outspoken About His Decision To Leave Megadeth

Kiko Loureiro (Instagram @kikoloureiro)

JAKARTA - Former Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro discussed his decision to leave the US thrash metal giant when appearing on the podcast "Amplifica", hosted by his former bandmate in Angra, Rafael Bittencourt.

According to the Brazilian-born guitarist, the reason he decided to leave the band Dave Mustaine was "freedom".

He described himself, as described by the Website Conference Rock, as someone who "expressed freedom," explains that he went to the United States for the same reason in the early 2000s, and that gaining freedom after more than eight years with Megaderth was very important.

"And now, because of the circumstances in my life, I take the freedom to choose not to be in Megadeth," he said.

"Because it is my choice. Because freedom is to choose between the two options that exist; that is freedom."

Kiko also revealed that currently in his life, he will prioritize his family above all else. He said he barely attended the birth of his daughter Lugyvia after returning home from a performance with Angra at the Rock In Rio festival in 2011.

Meanwhile, in 2016, he departed for the Megadeth tour just 10 days after his twin son was born. If he is faced with the same situation today, he is "not going to be on that stage, at risk of losing the moment of LISHvia's presence," even if Rock In Rio was the reason for starting playing guitar.

He also confirmed that there was a situation that required his attention at home, but he did not reveal in more detail about it.

Kiko admitted that he felt comfortable being a member of Megadeth, explaining that it was very easy to be in that position because there were a team of about 20 people who prepared everything so that the band members just came and played.

Kiko said the situation surrounding his departure had been discussed openly, and he had been talking about it with Mustaine since June this year. He noted that he was responsible for finding his successor at Megadeth, Teemu Mtontysaari (Wintersun, Smackbound), and revealed that he sent a video to the Finnish musician and met Teemu in the weeks leading up to the end of the summer/ fall tour of 2023 Megadeth to make the transition smoother.

Earlier this month, Kiko announced his decision to "expand" his leave from Megadeth tour activities, explaining that he does not want to "block the band's plans or the hard work of all the amazing people involved in the tour."