WHAT THEY SAID
“When I’m not in MEGADETH, I always look at it like it’s Dave’s solo band.”* David Ellefson told Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM that the band has a fundamentally different sound without him in it.
THE DETAILS
- Ellefson said he’s never closed the door on participating in a MEGADETH farewell tour with former members, pointing to BLACK SABBATH’s Birmingham reunion as the right model for saying goodbye.*
- He proposed bringing back classic-era members including Marty Friedman, Chris Poland, Nick Menza, and Jeff Young as far back as 2004, citing ASIA and YES as successful examples of multi-lineup reunion tours.*
- Dave Mustaine told Guitar World he doesn’t want a large reunion, calling it “a huge undertaking” and stating he can’t include certain former members “because of the behavior” in the past.*
- Ellefson was fired in May 2021 after sexually explicit material involving him surfaced on Twitter; he hasn’t spoken to Mustaine in four to five years.*
- Ellefson now plays in Metal Church, whose album Dead to Rights dropped in April, and he still collects MEGADETH royalties.*†
WHO IS RIGHT
Ellefson is right that the original lineup deserves a proper farewell if MEGADETH is truly ending, but Mustaine is also right that he gets to decide who he works with after Ellefson’s 2021 exit. This one’s genuinely complicated — both have legitimate grievances and neither is obligated to reconcile.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
MEGADETH continues their farewell tour with Iron Maiden and Anthrax while Ellefson tours North America with Metal Church starting July 17.†
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