ELLEFSON have released their new single “Sheer Heart Attack”, delivering a stunning new interpretation of the Queen classic. Legendary feature guests on this energetic track include Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Ex Guns n’ Roses), Doro Pesch and Charlie Benante (Anthrax).
With fast riffs and powerful vocals, this song increases anticipation for what’s to come on the new album “No Cover”.
The upcoming album “No Cover” will be released on November 20th via Combat Records/earMUSIC.
Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with additional production by guitarist Andy Martongelli and Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Skindred, Lil’ Jon), mixed by Alessio Garavello, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More), “No Cover” includes Ellefson-ized versions of 19 classic tracks from Motörhead, WASP, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Queen, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Fastway, Fight, Dead Kennedys, and more. Featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Ellefson, Altitudes and Attitude, Escape The Fate), an homage to the legendary Def Leppard debut “On Through The Night”, “No Cover” is the second release under the Ellefson banner, the follow-up to 2019’s “Sleeping Giants”, a double-disc compilation combining new tracks, with unreleased Ellefson solo, and F5 material.
Ellefson, featuring David Ellefson on bass, Vocalist Thom Hazaert, Guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Sons of Apollo, Yes, Ex-Guns N’ Roses), and drummer Paolo Caridi, are joined on the album by a who’s who of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Brandon Yeagley (Crobot), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (Tesla), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, ex-Watchtower, Evil United), Greg Handevidt (Kublai Khan, Ex-Megadeth), Chuck Behler (Ex-Megadeth), Gus G, John Aquilino (Icon), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Dave Alvin (White Trash), Todd Kerns (Slash & The Conspirators), Andrew Freeman (Last In Line), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Russ Parrish (Fight), Dead By Wednesday, and more.
Tracklist
CD1
Freewheel Burning (Judas Priest) ft. Jason McMaster, Gus G, Andy James, Dave McCLain 2. Tear It Loose (Twisted Sister) ft. Eddie Ojeda, Dave McClain 3. Love Me Like A Reptile (Motorhead) ft. Doro Pesch, Greg Handevidt, Chuck Behler 4. Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys) ft. Charlie Benante, Bumblefoot 5. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol) ft. Paolo Caridi 6. Wasted (Def Leppard) ft. Frank Hannon, Jacob Bunton, Dave McClain 7. Riff Raff (AC/DC) ft. Jason McMaster (Lead Vocals), Dave Lombardo, Bumblefoot 8. Nailed To The Gun (Fight) ft. Andrew Freeman, Russ Parrish, Jimmy DeGrasso 9. Not Fragile (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) ft. John Aquilino, Paolo Caridi, Bumblefoot 10. Auf Wiedersehen (Cheap Trick) ft. Al Jourgensen, Brandon Yeagley, Charlie Benante
CD2
LOVE Machine (W.A.S.P.) ft. Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Alvin, Bumblefoot 12. Love Hurts (Nazareth) ft. Brandon Yeagley, Chuck Behler, Tyson Leslie 13. Eat The Rich (Krokus) ft. Jason McMaster, Dave Sharpe and Opus of Dead By Wednesday 14. Sheer Heart Attack (Queen) ft. Bumblefoot, Doro Pesch, Charlie Benante 15. Over The Mountain (Ozzy Osbourne) ft. Andrew Freeman (Lead Vocals), Bumblefoot, Jimmy DeGrasso 16. Sweet FA (Sweet) ft. Todd Kerns (Lead Vocals), Bumblefoot, Shani Kimelman 17. Beth (KISS) ft. Tyson Leslie, Bumblefoot 18. Say What You Will (Fastway) ft. Mark Slaughter, Troy Lucketta
ELLEFSON, the eponymous solo band of Grammy-Winning Megadeth bassist and co-founder David Ellefson, has announced signing to EARMusic (Europe) and Ward Records (Japan) for the release of their upcoming full-length covers release NO COVER, which will be released Worldwide 11/20 in conjunction with Ellefson’s revived COMBAT RECORDS, who will release the album in North America via AMPED. The band has also announced a 10/9 digital release for their cover of the Cheap Trick classic “Auf Wiedersehen”, featuring guest appearances from Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, Anthrax’s Charlie Benante, and Crobot’s Brandon Yeagley, alongside bassist Ellefson, vocalist Thom Hazaert, and guitarist Andy Martongelli, which premiered in August on the nationally syndicated radio show “Nights With Alice Cooper”.
ELLEFSON has also released a video teaser for “Auf Wiedersehen”, edited by Melody Myers, which can be viewed at the link below, with the full video being released next Tuesday, 10/6.
The band cites the signings, and some unexpected medical situations for the changing release date.
Says vocalist/co-producer Thom Hazaert, “There’s no easy way to say it, but in July, right in the middle of recording the album, I had massive heart failure and went into full cardiac arrest. My heart literally stopped for several minutes, and I was revived at the hospital. There was a long recovery, but we managed to finish the record, and secure amazing deals with our friends at EARMusic, and Ward, but obviously we had to revisit our timeline a bit. And literally, maybe a month and a half later we were in Los Angeles, at Al’s house, shooting the video for “Auf Wiedersehen”. I’m just extremely humbled and thankful to be here to be able to, not only, finish this incredible record, but be able to see it released Worldwide with incredible label partners, which really almost wasn’t the case.”
He adds, “Originally we had envisioned NO COVER as a smaller, limited release “quarantine project” we were doing for fun with a bunch of our friends, really just to not have to release our studio album during the pandemic. But as it neared completion, and we really got to see what it was turning into, we realized it was worthy of so much more. I have a long history and friendship with Max at EARMusic, and they are an incredible label, and home to some of our favorite artists, and friends – Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, and more, and we are ecstatic to be able to partner with them for not only this release, but future ELLEFSON releases as well. WARD had already released Sleeping Giants for us last year in Japan, and we had secured a deal with them for our upcoming 2021 studio album, so it was a natural fit when we went to them with the idea of partnering with us on No Cover.”
Adds Ellefson, “It really was a crazy, whirlwind process, not only making such an involved album so fast, but also remotely, during a pandemic, with not only dozens of guests, but the entire band, spread around the Globe. And then, almost losing our singer in the middle of it. But at the end of the day, it turned out better than any of us had hoped, and really was one of the most fun records I’ve ever made. It’s been great to pull so many great and positive things out of 2020, despite all the challenges.”
Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with additional production by guitarist Andy Martongelli and Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Skindred, Lil’ Jon), mixed by Alessio Garavello, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More), NO COVER includes Ellefson-ized versions of 19 classic tracks from Motorhead, WASP, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Queen, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Fastway, Fight, Dead Kennedys, and more. Featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Ellefson, Altitudes and Attitude, Escape The Fate), an homage to the legendary Def Leppard debut ON THROUGH THE NIGHT,NO COVER is the second release under the ELLEFSON banner, the follow-up to 2019’s SLEEPING GIANTS, a double-disc compilation combining new tracks, with unreleased Ellefson solo, and F5 material.
ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, Vocalist Thom Hazaert, Guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Sons of Apollo, Yes, Ex-Guns N’ Roses), and drummer Paolo Caridi, are joined on the album by a who’s who of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Brandon Yeagley (Crobot), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (Tesla), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, ex-Watchtower, Evil United), Greg Handevidt (Kublai Khan, Ex-Megadeth), Chuck Behler (Ex-Megadeth), Gus G, John Aquilino (Icon), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Dave Alvin (White Trash), Todd Kerns (Slash & The Conspirators), Andrew Freeman (Last In Line), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Russ Parrish (Fight), Dead By Wednesday, and more.
Tracklist:
Disc One:
Freewheel Burning (Judas Priest) ft. Jason McMaster, Gus G, Andy James, Dave McCLain
Tear It Loose (Twisted Sister) ft. Eddie Ojeda, Dave McClain
Love Me Like A Reptile (Motorhead) ft. Doro Pesch, Greg Handevidt, Chuck Behler
Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys) ft. Charlie Benante, Bumblefoot
Rebel Yell (Billy Idol) ft. Paolo Caridi
Wasted (Def Leppard) ft. Frank Hannon, Jacob Bunton, Dave McClain
Riff Raff (AC/DC) ft. Jason McMaster (Lead Vocals), Dave Lombardo, Bumblefoot
Nailed To The Gun (Fight) ft. Andrew Freeman, Russ Parrish, Jimmy DeGrasso
Not Fragile (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) ft. John Aquilino, Paolo Caridi, Bumblefoot
Auf Wiedersehen (Cheap Trick) ft. Al Jourgensen, Brandon Yeagley, Charlie Benante
Disc Two:
LOVE Machine (W.A.S.P.) ft. Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Alvin, Bumblefoot
Love Hurts (Nazareth) ft. Brandon Yeagley, Chuck Behler, Tyson Leslie
Eat The Rich (Krokus) ft. Jason McMaster, Dave Sharpe and Opus of Dead By Wednesday
Sheer Heart Attack (Queen) ft. Bumblefoot, Doro Pesch, Charlie Benante
Over The Mountain (Ozzy Osbourne) ft. Andrew Freeman (Lead Vocals), Bumblefoot, Jimmy DeGrasso
Sweet FA (Sweet) ft. Todd Kerns (Lead Vocals), Bumblefoot, Shani Kimelman
Beth (KISS) ft. Tyson Leslie, Bumblefoot
Say What You Will (Fastway) ft. Mark Slaughter, Troy Lucketta
ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release their debut full length studio LP in Spring 2021.
ELLEFSON the eponymous solo band of Grammy-Winning Megadeth bassist/co-founder David Ellefson has announced the tentative tracklisting for NO COVER, out 10/2 on Combat Records, featuring 17+ cover songs including classic tracks from Motorhead, WASP, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Queen, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Fastway, Fight, Dead Kennedys, and more, with cover art by Melody Myers (Ellefson, Altitudes and Attitude, Escape The Fate), an homage to the legendary Def Leppard debut On Through The Night.
Ellefson have also released the first single, an updated interpretation of the ON THROUGH THE NIGHT classic “Wasted”, featuring Frank Hannon (Tesla), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars, Lynam), and Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), which premiered this week on the nationally syndicated radio show Nights With Alice Cooper.
Hear “WASTED” here:
ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, Vocalist Thom Hazaert, Guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Sons of Apollo, Yes, Ex-Guns N’ Roses), and drummer Paolo Caridi, will be joined by a laundry list of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies), Brandon Yeagley (Crobot), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (Tesla), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, ex-Watchtower, Evil United), Greg Handevidt (Kublai Khan, Ex-Megadeth), Chuck Behler (Ex-Megadeth), Gus G, John Aquilino (Icon), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Dave Alvin (White Trash), Todd Kerns (Slash & The Conspirators), Andrew Freeman (Last In Line), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Russ Parrish (Fight, Steel Panther), Dead By Wednesday, and more TBA.
Tracklist: 1. Freewheel Burning (Judas Priest) ft. Jason McMaster, Gus G, Andy James, Dave McClain 2. Tear It Loose (Twisted Sister) ft. Eddie Ojeda, Dave McClain 3. Love Me Like A Reptile (Motorhead) ft. Doro Pesch, Greg Handevidt, Chuck Behler 4. Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys) ft. Charlie Benante 5. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol) 6. Wasted (Def Leppard) ft. Frank Hannon, Jacob Bunton, Dave McClain, Bumblefoot 7. Riff Raff (AC/DC) ft. Jason McMaster, Dave Lombardo 8. Nailed To The Gun (Fight) ft. Andrew Freeman, Russ Parrish, Jimmy DeGrasso 9. Not Fragile (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) ft. John Aquilino 10. Say What You Will (Fastway) ft. Troy Lucketta, Mark Slaughter 11. LOVE Machine (W.A.S.P.) ft. Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Alvin 12. Love Hurts (Nazareth) ft. Brandon Yeagley, Chuck Behler, Tyson Leslie 13. Sheer Heart Attack (Queen) ft. Bumblefoot, Doro Pesch, Charlie Benante 14. Sweet FA (Sweet) ft. Todd Kerns, Bumblefoot, Shani Kimelman 15. TBA 16. TBA 17. Auf Wiedersehen (Cheap Trick) ft. Al Jourgensen, Brandon Yeagley, Charlie Benante
Bonus Tracks 18. Eat The Rich (Krokus) ft. Dead By Wednesday
Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with guitarist Andy Martongelli, and engineers Alessio Garavello, Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Lil’ Jon, Skindred), and John Aquilino, and mixed by Alessio Garavello, Randy Burns, and more, Ellefson describes the process as a collaborative tribute, and a loving homage, to some of his favorite artists.
You can pre-order exclusive merchandise, experiences, and gear via Indiegogo at bit.ly/ellefsonnocoverigg
“Before any of us started writing our own songs, we all began playing cover songs by our heroes during our formative years as musicians. So, it’s fun to go back in time and revisit those songs which helped us to become the artists we are today, when, ironically, many of those artists have now become peers and friends.”
He continues, “A lot of our buddies have been playing covers and quarantine jams on the Internet during the pandemic, so this was really just an extension of that, but we took it the next level and actually recorded a full studio album. We’ve been working remotely anyway, as we’re all over the Globe, so it was easy to incorporate some guests jumping in with some outstanding performances of their own. It’s been a really fun nod to making great music with our friends, which is the whole reason we got into this in the first place!”
Says vocalist, and co-producer, Hazaert, “It’s all songs and artists that really mutually influenced both myself and David, especially a lot of early “Metal” and harder Classic Rock. Some stuff I picked, some stuff he picked, but for the most part is was all artists that we both loved.”
He adds, “And we were able to work in a lot of nods to David’s history, getting Chuck Behler to play with us, bringing in original Megadeth guitarist Greg Handevidt to play on “Love Me Like A Reptile”, a song they used to play in cover bands together before they moved to LA (which we wrote about in MORE LIFE WITH DETH). These are literally all of my favorite bands, and as a vocalist, these are literally artists and songs I’ve covered all my life, so, it’s truly an honor to put together something so fun, and really as effortless as this was. It truly is a love letter to Rock N’ Roll.”
2019 saw the release of Ellefson’s MORE LIFE WITH DETH Memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the Ellefson compilation release Sleeping Giants, featuring Hazaert on several new tracks, alongside guest appearances by Thal, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Mark Tremonti, Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Dave McClain (Sacred Reich), Eric AK (Flotsam and Jetsam), John Bush (Armored Saint) and more, which spawned the Metal radio hit “Hammer (Comes Down)”, which spent several weeks in rotation, as well as landing in the “Devil’s Dozen” Top 12, on Sirius XM Liquid Metal.
Ellefson and Hazaert (DE and TH) followed up the release of Sleeping Giants with an extensive US and European Tour dubbed MORE LIVE WITH DETH, with Hatchet guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as Flotsam and Jetsam’s Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the US, including several now legendary shows featuring Megadeth alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.
They also performed on Megadeth’s MEGACRUISE, where they, along with Opus, Sharpe, and Cagle, performed a special Megadeth MEGA-JAM set, as a tribute to Dave Mustaine, with guests including Megadeth’s Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren.
Ellefson and Hazaert also participated in another noted highlight of the MEGACRUISE, coordinating an all-star KISS jam, which, in addition to Ellefson, featured Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, and Scott Ian of Anthrax, Clayton Cagle of Hatchet, plus members of Hellyeah, Butcher Babies, Queensryche, Suicidal Tendencies, and more, where Hazaert shared vocal duties on “God of Thunder” with Chuck Billy of Testament, and “God Gave Rock And Roll To You” with the legendary Doro Pesch, as well as participating in the epic finale of “Rock And Roll All Nite.”
The European MORE LIVE WITH DETH tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the hit single “Simple Truth”, which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover “Over Now”, both of which garnered national airplay, (peaking in the top 20 on the Billboard secondary Rock charts), garnering spins and coverage on nationally syndicated radio outlets like HARD DRIVE, NIGHTS WITH ALICE COOPER, and FULL METAL JACKIE, and press outlets including Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, NME, Loudwire, ABC Newsradio, Metal Hammer, Loudersound, Consequence of Sound, and many more.
ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release their debut full length studio LP in Spring 2021.
ELLEFSON, the eponymous solo band of Grammy-Winning Megadeth bassist/co-founder David Ellefson has announced the release of NO COVER, an LP featuring 13+ cover songs including classic tracks from Motorhead, WASP, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Queen, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Fastway, Fight, Dead Kennedys, and more, with cover art by Melody Myers (Ellefson, Altitudes and Attitude, Escape The Fate) out 10/2 on Combat Records.
ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, with vocalist Thom Hazaert, guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Sons of Apollo, Yes, Ex-Guns N’ Roses), and drummer Paolo Caridi, will be joined by a laundry list of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Brandon Yeagley (Crobot), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (Tesla), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, ex-Watchtower, Evil United), Greg Handevidt (Kublai Khan, Ex-Megadeth), Jimmy DeGrasso (Ex-Megadeth, DLR), Chuck Behler (Ex-Megadeth), Gus G, John Aquilino (Icon), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Dave Alvin (White Trash), Todd Kerns (Slash & The Conspirators), Andy Freeman (Last In Line), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Dead By Wednesday, and more TBA.
Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with guitarist Andy Martongelli, and engineers Alessio Garavello, Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Lil’ Jon, Skindred), and John Aquilino, and mixed by Alessio Garavello, Randy Burns, and more, Ellefson describes the process as a collaborative tribute, and a loving homage, to some of his favorite artists.
You can pre-order now on CD LP and Cassette, or in a deluxe bundle with an exclusive T-shirt: https://bit.ly/nocoverellefson
“Before any of us started writing our own songs, we all began playing cover songs by our heroes during our formative years as musicians. So, it’s fun to go back in time and revisit those songs which helped us to become the artists we are today, especially when, ironically, many of those artists have now become peers and friends. During the process of recording some covers for B-Sides and bonus tracks for the upcoming ELLEFSON solo LP, Thom and I just said, “This is a blast, let’s just do a whole album of covers!” Literally, within 2 weeks, we had the songs recorded, and began calling our friends to join us, many of whom we had just performed with on the MEGA-Cruise back in October. From there, the album just fell into place.
He continues, “A lot of our buddies have been playing covers and quarantine jams on the Internet during the pandemic, so this is really just an extension of that, but we took it the next level and actually recorded a full studio album. We’ve been working remotely anyway, as we’re all over the Globe, so it was easy to incorporate some guests jumping in with some outstanding performances of their own. It’s been a really fun nod to making great music with our friends, who are kick-ass players, and many legends in their own right, which is the whole reason we got into this in the first place!”
Says vocalist, and co-producer, Hazaert, “It’s all songs and artists that really mutually influenced both myself and David, especially a lot of early “Metal” and harder Classic Rock. Some stuff I picked, some stuff he picked, but for the most part is was all artists that we both loved. What’s funny, as there’s a bit of an age gap, we were sometimes more influenced by different eras of the same bands. But it was really him saying, “Let’s do this song”, and me saying, “Yes!!! And let’s do this song.” And before we knew it, we had over 15 songs. And it’s a lot of album tracks, deep cuts, early tracks, stuff people might not expect, which was what was so fun.”
He adds, “It was also great that we were able to work in a lot of nods to David’s history, getting Chuck Behler to play with us, bringing in original Megadeth guitarist Greg Handevidt to play on “Love Me Like A Reptile”, a song they used to play in cover bands together before they moved to LA (which we wrote about in MORE LIFE WITH DETH), and Randy Burns is going to mix a track or two. As a singer, these are literally bands I’ve listened to, and covered all my life, and for me, getting to play with Eddie Ojeda, the Tesla guys, Charlie Benante, Jason McMaster, Mark Slaughter, etc, and sing these songs that mean so much to me. I mean, literally, the entire record is my bucket list of people I’d love to play with, and some of my favorite bands. So, it’s truly an honor to put together something so fun, and really as effortless as this was. It truly is a love letter to Rock N’ Roll, an homage to what made us, musically, who we are today.”
2019 saw the release of Ellefson’s MORE LIFE WITH DETH Memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the Ellefson compilation release Sleeping Giants, released as a companion album to the book, featuring Hazaert on several new tracks, alongside guest appearances by Thal, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Mark Tremonti, Chris Poland, Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Dave McClain (Sacred Reich), Eric AK (Flotsam and Jetsam), John Bush (Armored Saint) and more, which spawned the Metal radio hit “Hammer (Comes Down)”, which spent several weeks in rotation, as well as landing in the “Devil’s Dozen” Top 12, on Sirius XM Liquid Metal.
Ellefson and Hazaert followed up the release of Sleeping Giants with an extensive US and European Tour dubbed MORE LIVE WITH DETH, with Hatchet guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as Flotsam and Jetsam’s Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the US, including several now legendary shows featuring Megadeth alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.
That tour also included a performance on Megadeth’s MEGACRUISE, where Ellefson and Hazaert, along with Opus and Dave Sharpe of Dead By Wednesday, and Clayton Cagle of Hatchet, performed a special Megadeth MEGA-JAM set, as a tribute to Dave Mustaine, with guests including Megadeth’s Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren.
Ellefson and Hazaert (DE and TH) also participated in another noted highlight of the MEGACRUISE, coordinating an all-star KISS jam, which, in addition to Ellefson, featured Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, and Scott Ian of Anthrax, Clayton Cagle of Hatchet, plus members of Hellyeah, Butcher Babies, Queensryche, Suicidal Tendencies, and more, where Hazaert shared vocal duties on “God of Thunder” with Chuck Billy of Testament, and “God Gave Rock And Roll To You” with the legendary Doro Pesch, as well as participating in the epic finale of “Rock And Roll All Nite.”
The European MORE LIVE WITH DETH tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the hit single “Simple Truth”, which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover “Over Now”, both of which garnered national airplay, (Over Now currently in its 4th week on the Billboard Rock charts), garnering spins and coverage on nationally syndicated radio outlets like HARD DRIVE, NIGHTS WITH ALICE COOPER, and FULL METAL JACKIE, and major press outlets including Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, NME, Loudwire, ABC Newsradio, Metal Hammer, Loudersound, Consequence of Sound, and many more.
ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release their debut full length studio LP in Spring 2021.
ELLEFSON, the solo band of Grammy-Winning MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson will release their cover of the POST MALONE track “Over Now”, currently available exclusively on BANDCAMP, and on all other digital outlets today. The track will appear on their as yet-untitled debut album, tentatively due in October.
Track is available here:
Produced by Ellefson, Vocalist Thom Hazaert, and guitarist Andy Martongelli, engineered and mixed by Alessio Garavello, with vocals engineered by Richard Easterling and Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Skindred), and featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Altitudes and Attitudes, Escape The Fate) the track is a heavy re-imagining of the R&B flavored Posty favorite (co-written with Tommy Lee), also featuring drummer Paolo Caridi, and guest background vocals by legendary former Guns N’ Roses guitarist, Asia vocalist, and frequent Ellefson/Hazaert collaborator Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal.
Ellefson (the band), debuted on the compilation release SLEEPING GIANTS in 2019, a 2 LP/CD collection of David Ellefson B-sides and rarities, which first showcased the collaboration of Ellefson and Hazaert (with contributions by Thal) on the tracks “Vultures”, “Hammer (Comes Down)”, and the title track, “Sleeping Giants”, which featured guest vocals by legendary Hip-Hop MC Darryl “DMC” McDaniels.
They recently released their single “Simple Truth”, with proceeds donated to the Italian Red Cross. “Simple Truth” was also released as part of a Bandcamp exclusive EP featuring a Max Norman (Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne) remix of “Vultures”, and live versions of “Vultures” and “If You Were God”, recorded in Milan, Italy during their 2019 MORE LIVE WITH DETH Tour.
Says Hazaert, “Posty has become a good friend to our camp, David and I have both gone to shows, and hung out and spent some time with him, and we have definitely spent some nights texting and nerding out over classic Metal, and our fanboy devotion to Metallica, Megadeth, etc. Meanwhile I am honestly a huge fan of his stuff, his lyrics. I can honestly say, and I talk about it all the time, there is not an artist who has come out in a long time that has impressed or influenced what I do more than Post Malone.”
“As I actually told him, some of my stuff on Sleeping Giants was heavily influenced by Beerbongs and Bentleys, which I spent 2 months on tour last year driving around the country listening to on repeat, which was really where the impetus for the cover came from. So, it was a huge honor to put our stamp on this song, and pay my respects to what he does, and how much I appreciate it. And I think the emotions and dynamic of the song really lend themselves to the heavier arrangement. Posty is a Rock and Metal guy at heart, and I think “Over Now” is definitely a Metal song at heart.”
Says Ellefson, “We’re all fans of Posty, and he’s also been a huge fan of Megadeth and all things Metal. Aside from being a great song for any genre, our cover of “Over Now” is our way of showing our mutual admiration and paying homage to our friend.
He adds, “The old adage used to be that if you could strip a song down to just an acoustic guitar and a vocal, you probably had a great song. But times have changed now, that if you can take a song from another genre, and seamlessly transform it to a completely different genre, it just proves what a great song it really is. And it’s a cool dynamic, as he’s a Pop, R&B and Hip-Hop guy, who dips into Rock and Metal, and we’re Rock and Metal guys who have dipped into pop, R&B and Hip-Hop, collaborating with DMC on Sleeping Giants, etc. So, I think this really just pushes that whole idea of exploration forward.”
“And with everything we’ve been doing with our David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation and the Grammy Music Education Coalition, we’ve been fortunate to stay productive, and continue to inspire people to grow and create in the face of an unprecedented situation. Just because we’re locked down, doesn’t mean we’re locked in.”
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