In a new interview with “Drummer’s Review” presenter Ollie Winiberg, Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren spoke about him joining to the band a decade ago. Prior to his arrival, then-Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler had performed all the drum tracks on Megadeth‘s 2016 album, Dystopia, and toured with them when he wasn’t occupied with his full-time band.
Reflecting on the monumental transition, Verbeuren detailed the mental intensity of stepping into the role, while noting that his previous musical endeavors gave him the tools necessary to succeed.
“Well, I’m not gonna lie — it was intense, as you can imagine, mentally. But at the same time, I would also say that the years leading up to that, all the work I put in, obviously as a member of Soilwork and other bands I was a part of, but also as a studio musician, as sometimes a live session musician, those years prepared me to be in that position at that point. And so I think that’s the biggest thing that I took away from it, is that, at the end of the day, the path leads you where it’s gonna lead you. And I kind of embraced it at that point, and I was, like, I have to trust myself. And I did. So I think that helped. What also helped a lot was Dave [Mustaine] and the guys in the band and the crew were very welcoming to me. They made everything as easy as possible for me and were very forgiving knowing that I had little time to learn the set before the first show. And so then progressively, of course, I had time to get all the details right. So that helped tremendously as well,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Asked what it has been like playing with an icon like Dave Mustaine, the drummer emphasized the surreal nature of the experience and praised the legendary frontman’s enduring attitude.
“Yeah, it’s pretty surreal. I obviously grew up listening to the ‘Big Four’ [bands of 1980s thrash metal] and to many bands from that sphere of music. And that was everything to me as a teenager. And so to be backing Dave, it’s surreal. There’s really no words for it,” Dirk said.
He continued: “I mean, he is a legend and he is somebody who pretty much invented this style of music. The early things he did, he has such a recognizable style in his riffing and the way he approaches the guitar playing that is just undeniable, how much he was part of making this style of music, giving it birth and then making it what it became over the years. So it’s a tremendous honor, and it’s also super cool because he is also a total bada**, as everybody knows. He likes to think of himself as a skate punk, and he has that spirit. Like the new single on our [latest, self-titled] album, one of the singles, ‘I Don’t Care‘, which that’s Dave — that’s Dave in a nutshell. He’s got that attitude, and he doesn’t give a damn. And it’s great. I love that because I grew up with that. I was also a skater growing up. So, to me, that whole spirit, I understand it and I love it. And I think he’s a true rock star — a true rock star.”
During an earlier conversation on the “Freddy And Friends” podcast, hosted by drummer Freddy Charles, Verbeuren discussed the realities of collaborating with frontman Dave Mustaine.
According to Verbeuren, the key to working with Mustaine isn’t navigating an ego, but simply appreciating his blunt honesty.
When asked about the dynamic of creating new music with the band’s founder, Verbeuren described a relationship built on transparency rather than tension.
He said at the time: “It’s like everything. Anybody you work with — I’ve worked with so many different people and continue to do so, and you have to figure out what works for them, what their process is, what they’re looking for and what they’re expecting. And that’s always a bit of a search in the beginning and a bit of a trial and error sometimes. Dave is very straightforward always; he is a very straightforward person. Whatever anybody says about him, with him you get what you see. And he’ll tell you straight to your face if he doesn’t like something or if he’s looking for something or whatever.”
This direct approach simplified the creative process significantly for the Belgian drummer.
“So it was pretty easy, actually, to figure out with him what he wants. He is, like, ‘Hey, guys, I want you all to contribute stuff. I wanna do it this way and this way. Contribute your stuff. Put the rifts here,’ whatever. So, ‘Okay.’ So then you do that, and then we work through it and in the end I have songs on the record. So, clearly it works. And of course, there’s also an understanding that — I grew up with Megadeth, kind of like you, it’s been in my life, and so I understand the band. So that helps. If it was something that I didn’t have an understanding of, I may not be able to contribute much in that regard.”
Verbeuren reflected on his personal evolution since joining the band in 2016. A self-described introvert, he admitted that adapting to the massive scale of Megadeth‘s touring machine required a shift in mindset—especially as the industry has pivoted to rely almost entirely on live performance revenue.
“Well, if you look at it from the aspect of how has the touring become as opposed to when I started, it’s become like the main thing now, with the changes in the music business. Touring is where — it’s our bread and butter. That’s everything. So that’s kind of been a noticeable shift. But, of course, at the level of Megadeth, it’s always been an important thing anyway. For me, on a personal level, it’s been an incredible learning situation. I’ve learned so much just seeing how everything operates, how Dave runs the ship, all the things that are required.”
