Dave Mustaine has confirmed that David Ellefson's bass recordings for the new Megadeth album will not be used, and will be re-recorded by another bass player instead.
In a new episode of The Dave Mustaine Show, the frontman's segment on Gimme Radio, Mustaine explains the decision, and offers insight into the band's search for a new bassist.
“I just want to thank you for all the kind words and support as we get ready for this next tour and continue to hunt for a new bass player,” he says. “We are making progress. The record's being completed, and we're going to have someone coming in in a couple of weeks to replace the bass tracks we had.
“[It] should be relatively quick because the person we're talking to is a stellar bass player. And hopefully this will be an ongoing thing after the recording. Or we will find someone prior to the recording that will be our permanent guy going forward.”
Back in 2020, David Ellefson appeared on 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program Wired In The Empire, detailing his performance on the record and likening his musical chemistry with drummer Dirk Verbeuren to the partnership of Rush's Geddy Lee and Neil Peart.
“I feel like on the new Megadeth record, me and Dirk have those same moments,” he said. “It's Megadeth – it's not Rush, obviously – but in the field of what we do, there were these moments that I was just going, ‘Oh, my god.’ This is me as a kid going, ‘This is my Geddy/Neil moment right here.’”
Megadeth announced they were officially parting ways with David Ellefson last month, following allegations of online ‘grooming’ stemming from a series of intimate videos and conversations leaked online.
In a statement released at the time, the band explained: “While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.”
Following his dismissal, Ellefson revealed he is working with lawyers to prepare a defamation lawsuit against the person who allegedly leaked the videos, saying that “[the] person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”.
