Ellefson's return for 'RIP' tour completes latest arsenal of Megadeth

The frequency of Megadeth's lineup changes since their inception in 1983 have not occurred as often as the comparisons to that other Big Four juggernaut that begins with an 'M.'

It only seems that way. And after seven different guitarists, five drummers and three bass players, the veteran thrash unit provided its latest here-we-go-again moment on Feb. 8.

But this time, it's a change most Megadeth mosh-heads -- not to mention singer, guitarist and founder Dave Mustaine -- have reacted to with fists in the air rather than groans. Because it's not really a change at all.

Original bass player and backup vocalist David Ellefson is back in the mix, and the timing couldn't be more apropos. Megadeth is about to head out on the road with Testament and Exodus to celebrate 20 years of arguably their best album, Rust In Peace. They'll be playing the nine-song gem in its entirety along with 10 other classics throughout next month, including a March 26 stop at Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin.

Ellefson and Mustaine were practically brothers, once chopping up guitars on a classic episode of  "Headbangers Ball" and carving up the metal scene regularly as one of heavy metal's Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax). They were the backbone of Megadeth for 19 years. But then Ellefson sued Mustaine for millions in a dispute over royalties and Ellefson's claim that Mustaine reneged on a deal to turn over the band's name to him after Mustaine had announced Megadeth would disband. The suit was dismissed, and a countersuit eventually settled out of court.

So how and why did the two Daves rock and make up? Ellefson, 45, discussed his 27 years in metal when I phoned him over the weekend:

Well, I'm sure I speak for a majority of Megadeth fans out there when I say it's great to have you back. Congratulations.
Yeah, happy fans are what we want (laughs).

Q: How much of a whirlwind have the past couple weeks been for you?
A: It's been pretty crazy. Fortunately, the material, I've been pretty up to snuff on. Rust in Peace, me and Dave, we haven't played some of these songs in 20 years ourselves. It's fun to go back and relearn them. Rehearsals have come along pretty quickly.

Q: Your return is something that a lot of fans, and I'm sure yourself and Dave, never thought would happen. So what really enabled it to become reality?
A: It's interesting. The timing is certainly kind of divine, with the 20th anniversary of this record. It was really a convenient lining up of the planets. Drummer Shawn Drover reached out to me and said there was some member shakeup going on (with bassist James Lomenzo), and he literally said, 'If there's ever a time for you and Dave to talk, if you're interested, today is the day you should talk.' Maybe that kind of urgency is what we both needed. I will say, to Dave's credit, he has talked to me several times over the years. I always wanted to (return), quite honestly. But you do different things musically, set off on different ventures, and my life had moved in different directions. This was one time when things lined up.

Q: Have rehearsals with Dave been kind of like getting back on a bike, or has it been a relearning process for the two of you?
A: No, it's been really good. It's been like, 'Wow, it sounds great,' especially with this Rust in Peace stuff. There's songs on there that I've never played live and I'm sure Dave has never played either. No one's going to have it sound-wise unless you were in the studio recording it. It's a very musically challenging record. We wrote it, demoed it, recorded it and re-recorded over a year-and-a-half. With some records, it's just better if you were in the studio recording it, and this is one of those records.

Q: Peace Sells . . .But Who's Buying? put Megadeth on the map, but a lot of people would say Rust in Peace is a more raw, crunching and polished record that put the band at a new level. How do you feel about playing it all 20 years later?
A: Yeah, I would probably agree with that. Rust in Peace was a culmination of things. A new lineup at that time, new management, a whole new commitment from Capitol Records. You know, everything just kind of comes in cycles, whether it's fashion trends or even like these big festivals with The Big Four. This year is really cool for that. Next year, something else may be pretty popular. It kind of landed in our laps without any one of us purposely orchestrating it (laughs), which is pretty much the Megadeth way.

Q: I was going to ask you about The Big Four a little later, but since you've touched on it -- you're all American bands playing together for the first time this summer overseas. How significant is it for you to be a part of that, and will it ever happen in the States?
A: It's funny, I think everyone would love for it to come to the States. But the spirit of festivals in Europe is a lot different than America. Here you have packaged tours and go out on the road, whereas in Europe, they're one-off events that are tailored to the culture of that particular country. They take great pride in their festivals over there. In a few countries, sometimes it's the only real chance they have to see a lot of these bands.

Q: I believe Dimebag Darrell auditioned to be in Megadeth when you were recording Rust In Peace. Can you shed some light on that and what Megadeth might have been like had he and Vinnie Paul signed on?
A: I was introduced by a girlfriend of mine, ironically who was from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and she heard the Pantera guys playing. This was during the So Far, So Good  . . . So What album (1988-89). Dime even told me, 'Man, the Peace Sells album changed my life.' He was Diamond Darrell back then. Pantera was just coming up the ranks and playing more melodic metal then. Dime was definitely a guy we called up. Dime and Vinnie were a powerhouse duo. They were kind of like the Van Halen brothers of thrash metal. Everything turned out the way it should have, because the world got to have Pantera.

Q: And speaking of Van Halen, I checked out your Rock Shop blog with Michael Anthony (who I interviewed recently) and enjoyed the camaraderie you shared when you told him about how you joined Megadeth. Can you expand on that story a bit?
A: Yeah, he didn't know that story! Five days afer high school, when I graduated in Jackson, Minn., me and three of my buddies got in a van. My intention was to put together a heavy metal band. A couple days after arriving (in Los Angeles), I'm in my basement practicing da . . . da . . . da . . . The bass line for "Runnin' With the Devil." And a flowerpot came crashing down on my air conditioner along with, "Shut the f--- up!" I was like, 'Wow, these California people aren't as friendly as they are in Minnesota.' Later on, I went up with my buddies, and there was this guy with blonde locks named Dave Mustaine, and it was like, 'Oh, he's the guy who threw the flower pot.' But we ended up talking and went out to buy a case of beer, and that's how I joined the band.

Q: I'll ask you the same question I asked Chris Broderick back in November. On a scale of 1-10, with one being 'easiest,' how difficult of a guy is Dave to work for?
A: (Chuckles) Well you know, Dave, on any given day he can be a 2, and on any day, he can be an 8 or 9. One thing I know about Dave -- and this is why I've been able to work with him so many years -- when he's difficult, it's because he's very focused and has a pretty good idea of the picture he envisions. So I'm able to sit back and go, 'You know, his idea is pretty good.' Some people move out of their comfort zones, and that's why they think Dave is difficult to work for. It's easy to take things pretty personally, but maybe you should take a few days to process things. And usually when you do, in hindsight, you'll realize he knew what he was doing.

Q: You've been a part of seven Grammy nominations with Megadeth, but the band has come up short every time. Do you care if Megadeth ever wins one?
A: Well, you know, when you don't win, you find out the reasons you didn't. But if you were to win one, I'm sure you'd be getting on the phone and telling Mom just how cool it is.

Q: How do you juggle Megadeth with writing your blog, other bands you've played in, your book and the instructional DVDs?
A: One thing for me is I love music, and I just love the whole thing. I transition through a lot of things. I'm passionate about music, I'm passionate about playing. We're gonna fire up Megadeth again, and I love talking about it. My eyes pop open in the morning, and the first thing I think about is the music and talking about it and playing it.

Q: What's the status of HAIL? (Ellefson's supergroup featuring Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals and Andreas Kisser of Sepultura on guitars)
A: HAIL was formed with the fun spirit of four famous guys playing the soundtrack to the heavy metal fan's life, specifically the stuff that influenced the thrash movement and classic stuff like Sabbath. It's four guys from four different bands with the spirit of the goodwill to the metal community. We look to do other shows when the time comes. They may do shows now without me, which as one of the founders of the band, I encourage. Paul (Bostaph of Testament and formerly of Slayer) did a show with us in Lebanon, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) did one on the East Coast, Roy Mayorga from Stone Sour did a couple shows, and Jimmy DeGrasso (Y&T, Megadeth) was the first (drummer) in it, then he got his full-time gig with Alice Cooper.

Q: How much did you play on Ripper's Play My Game album? Did you also play on Dream Theater's last album (Systematic Chaos)?
A: Ripper had a bunch of guests on there, and I played on one track. Mike Portnoy had this song about reconciliation and making amends, and he asked me to take part in that.

Q: Do you have any regrets, or anything you would change, about the evolution of Megadeth?
A: You know . . . no. I mean, sure, if I look at the eyes of Megadeth through a 45-year-old and looking at how I behaved as an 18, 19, 20-year-old, then yeah. But that's part of the growing process. The things I've been through with Dave have put us in a position of strength and to be better, maybe, than we would've been if we had continued together. It's added very many positive things and allowed us to go forward.
 

• Who: Megadeth (celebrating 20 years of Rust In Peace)
• Special guests: Testament (playing The Legacy in its entirety) and Exodus
• When: Friday, March 26 (Doors 6 p.m.)
• Where: Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin
• Tickets: $30 (general admission); $150 (Testament meet & greet) at frontgatetickets.com
• Megadeth set list (as posted on their Web site): Entire Rust In Peace album, Set The World Afire, Wake Up Dead, In My Darkest Hour, Sweating Bullets, Skin O' My Teeth, Head Crusher, A Tout Le Monde, Symphony Of Destruction, Trust, Peace Sells . . . But Who's Buying?