In a recent interview with Metal Mayhem ROC, former Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover discussed his ten-year tenure with the band. Speaking about his experiences with Dave Mustaine and the team, he said:
“Well, yeah, what can I say? It was a great experience overall. I have nothing but good things to say about that whole experience. And I got to establish tons of great friendships with musicians in other bands over the years that I still have to this day. And you just learn a lot playing in a band that is that big. The whole experience, to me, was really positive, and I learned quickly what to do and what not to do, what my job entails, and all that kind of stuff.”
The drummer mentioned the vocalist’s band management and went on:
“Dave takes that camp very seriously — I would say almost military style with his execution. It’s always been like that. And I took that very seriously as well. So, we were always on the same page in many ways. I just have so many career highlights; it would take an hour to go through them.”
With a statement released in 2014, Drover announced his departure from Megadeth, citing his wish ‘to pursue [his] own musical interests’ as the reason. Following him, guitarist Chris Broderick also exited the band, joining him to form a new one called Act Of Defiance.
A year later, the drummer talked about leaving the Mustaine-fronted group during a chat with Sticks For Stones:
“I never had an issue with [Dave] whatsoever. I always thought we got along very well, and I knew my role in the band. And that’s a big part of joining a band like that. […] So it actually was quite easy. I got along with him very well. I got along with everybody very well. But I was smart enough to know what the situation was and never thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll get my songs on the next record.’ It was never like that. I respected the legacy of the band…”
About the reason behind his exit, he added:
“But at the end of the day, I left the band — I was not fired; I left. So it was just purely a musical… I wanted to write heavier music, and that’s what I did [with Act Of Defiance].”
Act Of Defiance disbanded when Broderick joined In Flames in 2019. Recently, Drover introduced his new act, Withering Scorn, with the release of its debut album, ‘Prophets Of Demise.’