Former MEGADETH members David Ellefson (bass) and Jeff Young (guitar) are currently collaborating together on some old-school new music together.
Ellefson spoke about the project while speaking with The Neurotic Guitarist during last weekend’s NAMM convention in Anaheim, California.
Ellefson said: “When we started filming the Nick Menza documentary, which was back in January, we all came to L.A. and filmed. We were sitting at the Rainbow one night having dinner, and Jeff goes, ‘Remember those couple of riffs that I had that were from the So Far, So Good… So What! tour… And as he hummed them to me, I go, ‘Dude, I totally remember those riffs. I totally remember ’em.’ And they’re kind of complex, kind of music nerdish but cool and heavy. And I go, ‘Oh my God. We’ve gotta get in a frickin’ room and work on these.’ So Mike Heller [FEAR FACTORY and RAVEN drummer], who’s a great producer as well as a drummer, we have put some tracks down. We’ve written songs. Now we just have to get them recorded.”
Ellefson also discussed the upcoming performance that he, Young and another former MEGADETH member, guitarist Chris Poland, will be playing this coming November for a “very special set of thrash classics” at the Days Of The Dead horror and pop culture convention in Rosemont, IL. The “Days Of The Deth” performance takes place on Saturday, November 19 and is open to anyone with a Days Of The Dead ticket.
Ellefson says there’s no conflict in playing MEGADETH songs without mainman Dave Mustaine, stating “No, there isn’t, because as long as you don’t use someone’s logo or their trademark, you’re fine.”
David Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and then again from 2010 until 2021 after that whole Twitter fiasco with a young female fan.
Jeff Young‘s career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band’s 1988 release “So Far, So Good…So What!”