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List of Megadeth band members

Wikimedia list of persons

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ1064474 ↗
Source-derived summary

Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine after he was fired from Metallica. The first line-up, in 1983, after their name change from Fallen Angels, featured Mustaine and Robbie McKinney on guitar, vocalist Lor Kane and bassist Matt Kisselstein. The band's current line-up includes consistent member Mustaine, bassist James LoMenzo (2006 to 2010, and since 2021), drummer Dirk Verbeuren (since 2016) and guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari (since 2023).

History

The original Megadeth lineup was short-lived. The band's bassist, Matt Kisselstein, was replaced by Minnesotan David Ellefson, while guitarist Robbie McKinney was replaced with Minnesotan Greg Handevidt (who was Ellefson's roommate). Handevidt soon left the band, as he had a child in Minnesota. Lor Kane, the band's first vocalist, sang on the groups 1983 demo, though he too left the band. The band's first drummer was Dijon Carruthers. He was replaced by Richard Girod in the summer of 1983, though Carruthers returned in the fall and played various rehearsals with the band. The next drummer to join, Brett Frederickson, joined the band in November 1983, though he chose to leave the band as he was busy with work and school.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “List of Megadeth band members” as wikimedia list of persons. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1983, 2006, 2010, 2021—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where List, Megadeth and band can be independently traced.
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Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as wikimedia list of persons. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1064474. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1983, 2006, 2010 and 2021.

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This entry incorporates text from “List of Megadeth band members” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.