Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson is settling into his new role as the low-end anchor for heavy metal veterans Metal Church. In a recent interview with Rev. Tom Brice of “Sportzwire Radio,” Ellefson shared his enthusiasm for the band’s revamped roster and the quality of their upcoming material.
The current iteration of the band features founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, drummer Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Flotsam and Jetsam), and new vocalist Brian Allen (Vicious Rumors). For Ellefson, joining forces with Vanderhoof was a natural fit given their long history.
“It’s really great. I’ve always been a big fan of Kurdt Vanderhoof‘s songwriting,” Ellefson told the host (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I’ve been friends with him since probably 1985, so our paths have just randomly crossed in the funniest places. The band, obviously, through all of it, has maintained its sound.”
Ellefson was particularly effusive about the band’s new frontman, Brian Allen. He recalled his immediate reaction to hearing the demos for the upcoming Metal Church album, noting that the new material lives up to the band’s classic legacy.
“To me, the benchmark is always that first album, man… So I go, ‘Man, this is on point.’ And then listening to bsing, I was just, like, going, ‘Man, this guy has got the goods,'” Ellefson explained. “And I heard little bits of Nazareth, Jon Oliva from Savatage, of course some David Wayne. There’s all these little nuances in there… Brian came in as a respectful new vocalist is fantastic.”
The bassist admitted that he committed to the project “kind of sight unseen,” traveling to Vanderhoof‘s home studio in California to track his parts before even meeting Van Zandt. He also shed light on the late addition of drummer Ken Mary, who stepped in after Jeff Plate became unavailable due to touring commitments with Savatage and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Reflecting on his prolific output since leaving Megadeth, Ellefson expressed gratitude for the opportunity to diversify his musical portfolio.
“I was very lucky to be in one group for most of my life, and I never sought to, ‘Oh, I wanna go solo,’ or ‘I need to do four other bands,'” Ellefson said. “But then the day came where the group ended, and then that just sort of created a space for me to just spread my wings and just start playing with a bunch of other people, which, quite honestly, I felt like my chops really needed.”
