LIFE LESSONS
DAVID ELLEFSON
The ex-Megadeth bassist talks about addiction, his sex scandal and starting afresh in new death metal band, Dieth
WORDS: MATT MILLS • PICTURES: MACIEJ PIELOCH
PRESS/MACIEJ PIELOCH
ONE OF THE great supporting actors of heavy metal, David Ellefson describes himself as the “lieutenant” to Dave Mustaine. Together the duo waged a 40-year campaign that brought Megadeth to legendary status. The thrashers became the Big 4’s bad boys while ‘Dave Junior’ manned the low end, complementing rapid-fire riffs with years of backstage excess. But in 2021, the bassist’s second stint in the band came to a premature end, as a leaked video of him on an intimate call with a 19-year-old fan got him dismissed.
Now Dave’s back with supergroup Dieth, swapping lightspeed thrash for grooving death metal. Hammer hears what he’s learned from four decades on metal’s frontlines.
ROCK’N’ROLL RUNS IN THE FAMILY
“In 1956, my mum went to see Elvis in Des Moines, Iowa. She told me the place wasn’t very full, but Elvis said, ‘Next time I’m here, this place will be full!’ Sure enough, it was. My mum got Elvis’s scarf that night –she was down in the moshpit!”
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