In a new interview on the Talk Toomey podcast, David Ellefson shared which Megadeth song Kerry King was glad not to have.
The bassist initially said Megadeth’s attempt to go mainstream wasn’t as successful as sticking to their thrash sound, like bands such as Slayer and Testament did. Megadeth tried mainstream songs in the late ’90s, but other bands like Disturbed and Korn were becoming more popular at the time.
He added, “We did ‘Countdown [to Extinction’, 1992], ‘Youthanasia’ [1994], and ‘Cryptic Writings’ [1997] and stuff. So, it’s funny how Slayer, Testament [and] that stuff, because it was heavier thrash, it sort of went down in scope. We went up, Metallica, of course, too.”
“But then, as the dust settled in the 2000s, suddenly, Slayer was starting to come back up. Because they never changed. Even Testament is still here to to tell the story. They didn’t go in and hire a different producer, ‘Let’s be more mainstream.'”
The musician then recalled his conversation with King at the time: “It’s funny how Slayer ultimately ended on top. Quite honestly, with total cred. In fact, I remember speaking to Kerry [King] when they came through town… Kerry and I have always gotten on very well.”
“And he, just out of nowhere, asked, ‘So, whose idea was it to do ‘Risk?” It was a combination of a lot of stuff. He goes, ‘Boy, I’m glad I don’t have that one on my discography,'” he shared.
In another recent chat with Alexandra Hernandez, Ellefson also stated that heavy metal will never be mainstream. He detailed his point, saying, “I think that’s one thing about metal music for sure — metal, jazz. There’s certain eclectic kind of subcultures, and metal is not a mainstream music; it’s a subculture. And it’s not meant to be mainstream.”
He noted, “It’s had its mainstream moments, but for the most part, it’s a subculture, and people come because they’re into it and they know the songs, they know the people involved in it, they know the words, some of them are musicians. I feel like maybe there’s a bit more of an intrinsic connection between us. Even if it’s rowdy and it’s fist in the air and it’s stage diving and it’s rocking, it’s a very interactive community. And for me, it always has been.”
Ellefson recently added more dates to his ‘Bass Warrior’ tour in Europe for spring 2025, via Blabbermouth. He and his solo band will perform Megadeth hits, his solo music, and other rock and metal favorites. The tour starts on March 6 at Kill Joy in Rome, Italy.
