David Ellefson: Metalheads in the ’90s “Could Be Crucified” If They Openly Liked Nirvana

Ah, the 90s metalhead. Such a persecuted group of individuals — at least that’s according to former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson. Apparently, if you liked metal and enjoyed the new hotness at the time, grunge, you were in for a world of hurt.

Ellefson’s admittedly odd recollection came during an interview on the X5 Podcast (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). In it, he said things were way different back then, citing apparently deep divides among people based on their musical preferences.

“I lived in L.A. So, coming off Rust In Peace — this is in 1991; we’re starting to write Countdown To Extinction, and I remember driving down the freeway, and KNAC was the big rock station. And I remember hearing — is it a song called ‘Breed’? And I was, like, ‘That is fucking badass. What a great song.’ And then it turns out it was Nirvana. And I liked Nirvana. I thought they were cool. I loved their sound. I totally got it.

“And it was basically illegal for a metal guy to say you liked Nirvana. I mean, you could be basically crucified and shot execution-style if you said that. So it was not allowed for any of us to say that.”

Now, it should go without saying that grunge never killed metal, but it definitely wounded it in the 90s. With the meteoric popularity of bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains, there definitely was a slowing down of sorts for bands like Megadeth and Slayer.

And as you may all remember (or have heard from your elders), some metal bands attempted to adapt to the changing times. Metallica fucked with their style and image, Slayer put out shit like Diabolus In Musica… bands saw what was coming and attempted to adapt.

“I guess we got caught a little bit in it. When we put out the Youthanasia record, our first single ‘Train Of Consequences’ was well received. ‘À Tout Le Monde’ was not. And then they just basically turned the channel. Of course, Metallica cut their hair. They started altering their sound a little bit — mostly their image. They remained a metal band for the most part.

“Metallica and Megadeth, for sure, survived it. We adapted and survived it. Some of our contemporaries just stayed the course and, as a result, their business got smaller for another 10 years, until the 2000s came around.”

Speaking of bands that adapted, one act really stood out to Ellefson during that time period — Alice In Chains. Thanks to their ability to serve as a bridge of sorts between metal and grunge, Ellefson said he saw great potential of that band and bands like them.

“I think going back to the grunge thing, the band that we can all agree on, I think anybody, but especially metalheads and guitar-player kind of bands, was Alice In Chains. They were just cool no matter what. They sort of won everyone over, whereas Soundgarden, I liked them. I didn’t love them. I love Temple Of The Dog. Cornell, him, and Eddie Vedder dueting on that track. And also, before Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone. What a cool band that was.

“And, of course, they only had that moment, and then it was over once the singer died. But I thought Pearl Jam Ten was great. I mean, that was one of those great, great albums. Top to bottom, it’s just a great record. I think probably for our genre, you have to sort of take your metal hat off and just listen to it as music.”