Testament’s Steve Di Giorgio recently addressed misconceptions about working with Dave Mustaine, dispelling claims that the Megadeth leader rules his band with an iron fist. His comments were shared in an interview with Guitar World.
The bassist spoke candidly about his experience as a session musician for Megadeth. He emphasized the collaborative nature of his work with Mustaine.
“Megadeth is Megadeth, man. Nobody’s gonna go in there and reinvent it,” Di Giorgio said. “That’s Dave’s world. He has a specific sound and way of everybody contributing to make that sound. I just put my session hat on and approached the job the way it needed to be approached.”
Di Giorgio went on to directly counter negative assumptions about Mustaine’s leadership style.
“But I know people wanna assume the worst and say he’s some kind of dictator and forced me to do it,” he continued. “It was totally not like that. He was super-cool and a very chill dude. I didn’t come in there all brash, thinking I was gonna reinvent the wheel.”
The Testament bassist concluded by highlighting the positive working relationship he developed with the Megadeth frontman.
“He felt relaxed around me, and he opened me up,” Di Giorgio said. “It was a total positive and an unexpected experience.”
Di Giorgio’s involvement with Megadeth came during a challenging period for the band. The band was facing significant lineup changes that required immediate attention.
Loudwire reported that Di Giorgio stepped in to record bass tracks for Megadeth’s 2022 album “The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!” after David Ellefson’s bass parts were erased following the bassist’s controversial exit from the band in 2021. The situation required Mustaine to find a skilled replacement quickly to complete the album on schedule.
The collaboration wasn’t Di Giorgio’s first choice initially. Guitar World noted that Di Giorgio had previously declined Mustaine’s offers to join Megadeth full-time or participate in touring, prioritizing his long-standing commitment to Testament. However, he eventually accepted the session role, which proved to be a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Mustaine’s appreciation for Di Giorgio’s work was evident in his public statements about the collaboration. Ghost Cult Magazine revealed that Mustaine praised Di Giorgio as the “perfect fit” and described him as the “hottest guy out there” to handle the fast, technically demanding bass parts that Megadeth’s music requires.
The successful partnership highlights Di Giorgio’s reputation as one of metal’s most versatile session musicians. Wikipedia documented that Di Giorgio has worked with numerous heavy metal bands throughout his career, including Death, Sadus, Iced Earth, and Sebastian Bach. He has established himself as a go-to bassist for complex metal compositions that demand both technical skill and musical sensitivity.
