In a recent appearance on the “Waste Some Time With Jason Green” podcast, Canadian guitarist Glen Drover opened up to host Jason Green about his 2008 exit from Megadeth. Drover, who joined the legendary thrash metal band in 2004 alongside his brother, drummer Shawn Drover, shed light on the real reasons behind his departure and how he handled the transition.
At the time, his exit was officially attributed to a desire to focus on his family. However, Drover clarified that while his family life was a factor, there were other significant personal struggles involved that he needed to address away from the grueling touring cycle.
“Well, some of it was personal beyond that, which I won’t talk about because it’s very personal. But there was another situation where I had to step down. There was a lot of stuff going on at one point, which I got through. But at the time it was kind of heavy. And I had to leave. And they knew it as well. They knew that I was having some issues with a couple of things.”
When asked to clarify if the tension was related to the music or the band dynamic, Drover firmly stated his reasons were strictly personal.
“Personally — and not musically. Musically, I was fine. It was a lot to do with my family and just personal issues that I had, which we’ll leave that at that.”
Drover made sure not to leave frontman Dave Mustaine and the rest of the band stranded. Instead of quitting abruptly, he planned his exit carefully, ensuring a smooth transition during a break in their tour schedule.
“Yeah, I think for the most part. I think Dave was upset. But I think he also understood as well, to a point, because he didn’t really know a hundred percent. But he had a good idea what was going on… And it also wasn’t a situation where I’d stepped down and then they were touring the following week. I wasn’t gonna do something stupid like that. So what I did was — it was about three months. We did the Pacific Ram, and then there was about a break for about three or four months before doing a [European] tour… So, basically, it was about maybe — I don’t know — a couple of weeks after we finished the Pacific Rim where I [went], ‘Okay, I have to do this.'”
To help the band move forward, Drover personally suggested a shortlist of highly respected guitarists to take his place.
“So when I left, I recommended three guitar players [as my possible replacement], which were Jeff Loomis [Nevermore, Arch Enemy], Jeff Waters [Annihilator] and Chris Broderick [Jag Panzer, Nevermore, In Flames]. And for whatever reasons, Jeff had declined — both Jeffs — and Chris said ‘yes’. So that’s how and why [Chris] got in the band.”
Today, Glen Drover remains highly active in the metal scene. He released his debut solo album, Metalusion, in April 2011. Currently, he is focused on his new band, Withering Scorn, which reunites him with his brother Shawn Drover. The group’s lineup is rounded out by former Fates Warning bassist Joe DiBiase and German vocalist Henning Basse (known for his work with Firewind, Metalium, and Mayan).
Withering Scorn released their debut album, Prophets Of Demise, in July 2023. Their highly anticipated sophomore effort, Sanctum Of The Depraved, was recently completed and is slated for release later this year.
