DAVID ELLEFSON Claims ‘Outside Forces’ Pulled Him Away From DAVE MUSTAINE

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has opened up about his relationship with Dave Mustaine and the possibility of reuniting with the band for their final chapter.

In a new interview with the Today’s Boondoggle podcast, Ellefson was asked about MEGADETH’s announcement that their upcoming album will be their last, with a farewell tour planned for 2026. When pressed on whether he would consider returning if Mustaine invited him to join, Ellefson didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, of course I would,” he responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I mean, I didn’t ever think I should not be there now. You know what I mean? [Laughs] So, now with that said, look, there’s some s**t we’d have to kind of hash through, but look, it was like the last time [in 2010 when I rejoined MEGADETH]. [Prior to that] we didn’t talk for — I don’t know — four or five years, three or four years, and then [MEGADETH‘s drummer at the time] Shawn Drover gets us both on the phone. It was, like, a two-minute conversation. I throw a bass in my car, I drive across the desert to San Diego, we plug in, play ‘Symphony Of Destruction’. It was like we just played yesterday. It sounded amazing. It immediately sounds like MEGADETH. And it was kind of like we just looked at each other and it was, like, ‘Why did we not talk for the last five years?’ You know what I mean? It’s so silly.”

Reflecting on his complicated history with Mustaine, Ellefson suggested that their personal bond isn’t the real issue.

“It’s always some outside forces that pull [Dave and me] apart,” he added. “It’s never really me and him. If it were up to me and him, we’d probably be playing together. But there’s always outside influences and advisors and all this bulls**t. And so the reality of it is, when Dave and I hang, it’s usually pretty chill. It really is. But, look, he’s got his own band now. I’m not in that band, and that’s his band, so I’m not here to go carving up his group, you know what I mean? But if, look, if he made the call, given it was a friendly environment, which I’m sure it would be, why wouldn’t I? You know what I mean? MEGADETH was my band too. It’s my lifetime of work as well.”

In the announcement of MEGADETH’s final album and farewell tour, Dave Mustaine expressed gratitude to fans for their loyalty and support, while honoring the band’s influence on the music scene.

“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional. Most of them don’t get to go out on their own terms on top, and that’s where I’m at in my life right now,” Mustaine said. “I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans, and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.

“We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it’s now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it’s our last studio album. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour. Don’t be mad, don’t be sad — be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years.

“We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”

MEGADETH are set to release their forthcoming album via Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label early next year. It will launch with the project’s first single (TBA) in tandem with global pre-orders this fall. Also set for next year is a new memoir from Mustaine, details of which will be revealed in the coming months.