In May of 2021, Megadeth officially parted ways with founding bassist David Ellefson in the wake of a sexual misconduct scandal that involved leaked sexually explicit videos between Ellefson and a woman other than his wife. Since then, former bassist James LoMenzo has been touring with the band as their live bassist, while the group tapped Testament's Steve DiGiorgio to perform on their upcoming album, The Sick, The Dying… The Dead.
Now, in a new statement issued to fans, the band have finally confirmed who the new official bassist of Megadeth is. It's LoMenzo, who was formerly a part of the band from 2006 to 2010, and is now back in the saddle full-time.
"Megadeth announce bass player James LoMenzo as a permanent member of the band," they wrote in a statement posted to social media. "LoMenzo was Megadeth's bass player in the mid-2000s and recently stepped back in as a touring member for The Metal Tour of the Year. LoMenzo now officially rejoins the Megadeth family."
"I am thrilled to welcome back James to the Megadeth family," Dave Mustaine said. "James rejoined the fold as the touring bassist and it's been a blast having him back, we thought let's make it permanent."
LoMenzo added, "I'm so excited to rejoin Megadeth and move forward full steam into the next phase of this iconic band's history! With Dave, Kiko and Dirk there's no stopping us! It just feels great to be home again."
