Megadeth touring bassist James LoMenzo shares photos from rehearsals for the Metal Tour of the Year

James LoMenzo – Megadeth's newly announced touring bassist – has shared photos of rehearsals for the band's upcoming Metal Tour of the Year with Lamb of God, Trivium and Hatebreed.

In a new post on Instagram, LoMenzo shared photos of himself next to the band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead, Dirk Verbeuren's drum kit, and a flight case decorated with Megadeth's logo.

“I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all my friends and the amazing Megadeth fans who took the time to wish me well this week,” the bassist writes in the post's accompanying caption.

“Tour prep has been a blast, it's great to be playing with Dave [Mustaine] again! I'm finding that with Kiko [Loureiro] and Dirk, Megadeth feels like a locomotive bearing down the tracks. I can't wait to see you all out there on the Metal Tour of the Year!”

LoMenzo was previously a member of Megadeth between 2006 and 2010, appearing on two of the band's albums: United Abominations (2007) and Endgame (2009). He was replaced in February 2010 by David Ellefson, who remained in the band until his departure earlier this year.

Ellefson – who was fired from Megadeth following the emergence of a series of sexually explicit online communications with a teenage fan – had laid down bass tracks for Megadeth's new album, The Sick, the Dying and the Dead, prior to his departure. However following the events that transpired, Dave Mustaine said that his parts were being re-recorded by a mysterious “stellar bass player”. Whether this musician is LoMenzo remains to be seen.

Aside from his credits in Megadeth, LoMenzo has played with the likes of Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, White Lion and John Fogerty.

The Metal Tour of the Year – which was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic – will be Megadeth's first tour since their run with Five Finger Death Punch in early 2020.

The North American tour is scheduled to commence Friday, August 20 in Austin, Texas, and will run for 29 dates, concluding with a show in Quebec City on October 2.