Throughout a Kings Of Thrash fan Q&A session in Richmond, Victoria, Australia, on July 22, 2024, former Megadeth‘s bassist David Ellefson, spoke a couple of pivotal second in his profession. Ellefson confirmed that he acquired Dave Mustaine’s “blessing” to audition for Metallica after Jason Newsted left the band practically 24 years in the past.
Newsted’s exit from Metallica in 2001 was spurred by disagreements with James Hetfield, significantly concerning Newsted’s facet mission, Echobrain. Within the aftermath, producer Bob Rock stepped in to file the bass components for St. Anger earlier than Robert Trujillo was chosen because the everlasting bassist.
Ellefson shared his ideas on the state of affairs, explaining how Mustaine knowledgeable him in regards to the potential alternative (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “In 2001, Megadeth had simply recorded The World Wants A Hero album. And Dave referred to as me, and he stated, he goes, ‘Hey, Lars referred to as me, and also you’re on a shortlist, and requested if it could be okay in the event that they attain out to you.’ And Dave stated, he goes, ‘There is not any manner I might cease you from that chance. You’ve got my blessing. I gave Lars my blessing.’ Now, they by no means referred to as me. And I feel they’ve the precise man for the job with Robert. Robert‘s fucking nice; he is superb.”
Ellefson mirrored on how making ready for a possible Metallica audition opened his eyes to the variations between the 2 bands. He famous that studying Metallica’s later materials, significantly from albums like The Black Album, was a problem.
“Not ‘Kill ‘Em All‘ and ‘Experience The Lightning’, which was extra just like what we had been doing in Megadeth, however the later stuff, even the Black Album, and simply actually performed the bass traces and listened to how James put his phrasing of the vocals over prime of the riff. It was like a complete different style. It was stunning how completely different it was. And I really needed to ask myself, I’m going, ‘I’m wondering if I am… I won’t be the precise man for this.’ And never that I might say no, ‘trigger what will we do? We are saying sure, proper? That is the lesson of the day — say sure.”
Regardless of by no means getting the decision, Ellefson holds no regrets and praises Trujillo’s position within the band. His insights into how Metallica’s songwriting and manufacturing developed over time, in comparison with Megadeth’s, reveal a deep respect for each bands’ distinctive approaches to their music
“It was an eye-opener to me of how their music had transitioned from the early days. And so they’d had nice producers, with Bob Rock. They had been in a position to make very costly albums and take the time to write down and actually dig deep and make data like they did with the Black Album and stuff. However it actually taught me how completely different they had been from what I used to be used to doing in Megadeth and dealing with Dave and the way he would write and the way he would put the phrasing of his vocals over prime,” Ellefson defined.
As Ellefson places it, whereas riffs and instrumentation are essential, the vocals maintain a special stage of significance: “Let’s face it — when the singer begins singing, that is who we hearken to, whether or not it is Dave or Paul Stanley or Bruce Dickinson or Ronnie Dio. The riffs could possibly be superior, however when the singer begins singing, whether or not you are a woman or a man or no matter, you fucking hearken to the singer. And, look, it was my concept for Dave to be the singer in Megadeth. I used to be the one who stated, ‘Dude, you’ve got gotta sing.’ ‘Trigger he was writing the stuff at the moment, and I stated, ‘There is not any one who’s gonna are available right here and sing that shit the best way you are listening to it, the best way you are feeling it. You are by no means gonna be capable of train anybody how to try this.'”
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