David Ellefson: “New Megadeth album will be a combination of all the Megadeth Records”

Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from The Metal Voice recently spoke to Megadeth‘s Bassist David Ellefson live on Youtube. Ellefson spoke about his SCHOOL’s OUT Initiative, playing with K.K. Downing, an Update on Megadeth’s new album and a timeline on his new solo album.

Watch the whole interview here:

Some excerpts from the chat

Tell us about your School’s out initiative?

“Students and musicians are locked down because of Covid19 and from this, the idea came to me and my partner, foundation co-chair Thom Hazaert ( DAVID ELLEFSON YOUTH MUSIC FOUNDATION). So Thom rang me and said why don’t you do some bass lessons over Skype and I said I’m just one guy and there is no way I can give that many lessons. So I got on the phone and called my friends, Jimmy Degrasso (Ex-Megadeth, Alice Cooper), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Sons of Apollo, Ex-Guns N’ Roses), Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth) and asked would you be able to donate one or two lessons to students 18 and under.They said yes. So since the lessons are free we are doing a charity marathon fundraiser this weekend, Saturday April 11 2020 4pm Eastern, to raise funds for DAVID ELLEFSON YOUTH MUSIC FOUNDATION for the operating expenses. ”

Can you give us an update on the new Megadeth Album

“We have been working on it, it’s written and ready to be recorded. We were going to start recording it toward the end of March but of course Covid19 happened. We were going to go to Nashville and start cutting tracks for the album but with everything shutting down we obviously had to postpone. Once the lock down lifts and it is safe we will be ready to rock ASAP.”

What would be the musical direction of the new Megadeth album

“I think it’s a great record, it’s very heavy with a lot of fast thrashing stuff. There is a vibe that feels very cohesive between the 4 members as we all worked on the album together. We spent a lot of time as a band. Last summer before Dave’s throat cancer treatments we were all working on the album and that added a whole different angle to the flavour of the record, that’s how we used to make all our early albums, writing, pre production and rehearsing together. There is a feeling on this record that we want this to be a band effort. ”

Which Megadeth New album would the new album sound like
“I think its a combination of all the Megadeth records cause you can’t help by not being influenced a little bit by your own past. We have everything from that thrashy stuff from Killing is my business and Peace Sells, to the more refined moments of Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings. So I think the albums going to have a little bit of everything, so that is good news for Megadeth fan.”