Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman doesn't rule out the possibility of rejoining the band as the replacement for the recently departed Chris Broderick, explaining that he "never said 'never' to anything in [his] life."

Friedman originally left MEGADETH in 1999 in order to make the kind of music that he was passionate about: Japanese pop music, or J-Pop, which Friedman has called "embarrassingly happy."

Asked by Myglobalmind if he would consider going back to MEGADETH or if that chapter of his career is finally closed for him, Friedman said: "I don't really have an answer for you. I know that people would want to know. Honestly, I don't have an answer. I have never said 'never' to anything in my life, so who knows? I really don't know."

Only hours after drummer Shawn Drover announced his exit from MEGADETH on November 25 to "to pursue [his] own musical interests," Broderick revealed he also quit the legendary metal band, saying that he was leaving the group "due to artistic and musical differences."

Broderick joined MEGADETH in late 2007 as the replacement for Glen Drover, who left the group in order to focus on family life.

Speaking about his decision to exit MEGADETH, Friedman told Wondering Sound last year: "I found myself touring with MEGADETH, and in my hotel room I'd be blasting this Japanese music all the time. What's wrong with this picture?"

As his interest in J-pop grew, Friedman started enjoying MEGADETH less. "I thought I was doing myself a disservice just playing the same old stuff and not really enjoying it," he told Wondering Sound. "Making money from fans who want to see you play when you're not into it didn't really sit right with me."

According to Marty, he simply outgrew metal, explaining that MEGADETH's music began to bore him, and he singled out the band's popular ballad "A Tout Le Monde" as an example.