In Flames Guitarist Chris Broderick Had No Illusions About His Time in Megadeth

If there’s one thing you can say about ‘Big 4’ band and Dave Mustaine’s baby Megadeth, it’s that they’ve had a sort of revolving door policy with its lineup. The turnover rate is legendary — especially at the drummer and second guitarist positions. Since the band’s inception in 1983, 19 different musicians have been featured on their 16 albums over the years.

One man that had the privilege of shredding alongside Mustaine from 2008 to 2014 was now In Flames guitarist Chris Broderick. He was featured on Endgame, Thirteen, and the insanely dubious Super Collider before he was eventually supplanted by now fellow ex-Megadeth member Kiko Loureiro.

During a recent interview on the Scars and Guitars Podcast, Broderick revealed that throughout his time on the band, he was acutely aware of his place within Megadeth’s hierarchy. Especially after one particular interview while he was in the band that he remembers to this day.

“I just tried to put my head down and play the guitar. And that’s always what it’s about for me initially. Like, I love playing the guitar. So, I remember I got an interview right when I joined Megadeth, and this kid, he was so awesome.”

The interview was awesome, Broderick said, because of one question that still sticks out in his mind — “You’re the 22nd member that’s been in Megadeth. How does that make you feel?”

“I just started laughing. I mean, 22nd, second guitarist, it doesn’t matter – I’m here to play guitar. And I just did my best to focus on that as much as possible. So, that’s the one thing that grounded me and kept me sane for the amount of time that I was in that band.”

Sounds like Broderick had the right mindset when working in a band with so much turnover.