David Ellefson Says Megadeth’s Recent Quality Has Diminished “Over the Last Five Years”
Having spent most of his adult and professional life attached to the Megadeth brand, David Ellefson would know a thing or two about how good the band used to be. Only now as an ex-member following his 2021 firing over a sex scandal that blew up online, he’s being way more candid about the quality of his former band’s output in recent years.
While speaking with MetalSucks alum Andrew Daly for Metal Edge Mag, Ellefson reflected on his ousting from the band and suggested that his new projects are “as good or better than anything [Megadeth has] ever done.”
“[Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine] hates the idea of me succeeding outside that arena. Because now, I get to be the one who helps create the music, make the decisions, and basically, be in charge. It wasn’t that way in Megadeth, which I think many people know by now. But people love that band because of the music we created together. Those songs will stand forever despite all the stuff that happened behind the scene. So, when all that went down, I just said, ‘We have a great legacy, but it’s over now. Do you want to have a shootout or let the music speak for itself?’ I chose to let the music I make speak for itself. And I think it speaks volumes. I’m pretty convinced that the stuff I’ve put out since leaving Megadeth is as good or better than anything they’ve done.”
That’s a pretty lofty statement, truth be told. I mean, Megadeth put out some bangers in the 80s and 90s. Despite that legacy, Ellefson said he thinks Mustaine has been firing back at the ex-bassist and former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young through various media reports because he’s “intimidated” by what’s coming out from projects like Dieth and Kings of Thrash.
“I’ve watched the quality of Megadeth diminish over the last five years, which was very frustrating. I’d bring ideas to the table and try to help the situation, but those ideas would be either shut down or removed after the fact. It was very aggressive and frustrating to be intentionally diminished or removed from the process. So, I said, ‘Okay, I see what’s going on here.’ An old saying goes, ‘Kids that don’t share their toys don’t have friends.” o, I just said, “I’ll take my toys and play with someone else.” This is simple shit you learn in kindergarten, but not so much in that band.”
You can read the entire interview over at Metal Edge Mag.
