Megadeth mastermind Dave Mustaine has opened up about the 2021 departure of bassist David Ellefson in an excerpt from his newly released memoir, ‘In My Darkest Hour’.
The book covers several major chapters of Mustaine’s life and career, including his battle with throat cancer and the turbulent period that followed. Among the topics addressed is his decision to part ways with Ellefson, whose decades-long relationship with Mustaine had already become complicated before sexually explicit footage involving the bassist surfaced online in 2021.
Mustaine recalled learning about the situation online before explaining that, despite the immediate controversy, his relationship with Ellefson had already deteriorated significantly.
The pair had a complicated history dating back to the formation of Megadeth, including a major legal dispute following the band’s 2004 breakup. Although they eventually reconciled and Ellefson returned in 2010, Mustaine said their relationship never fully returned to what it had once been.
According to Mustaine, the two had also grown apart following their respective journeys into sobriety, while longstanding disagreements surrounding their roles within Megadeth continued to create friction.
Mustaine further suggested that tensions increased during his cancer treatment. He acknowledged that his illness and the cancellation of the band’s touring plans created financial difficulties, but said he felt Ellefson was sometimes unsympathetic toward what he was experiencing.
Ultimately, Mustaine questioned whether Ellefson would have remained with Megadeth even if the controversial footage had never emerged.
“Would David have remained a member of Megadeth if that video had not surfaced? Who’s to say? I’ve seen enough guys come and go with Megadeth, and I’ve experienced enough upheaval with David to know that the end was likely near. But, certainly, the scandal hastened the process.”
Within days, Ellefson was informed that he would be leaving the band. Mustaine subsequently announced the split publicly on May 24, 2021, stating that their already strained relationship made continuing together impossible.
The situation created another problem, however: Ellefson had already recorded his bass parts for what would become ‘The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!’.
Rather than release the album with those performances intact, Megadeth ultimately removed Ellefson’s contributions and brought in Testament bassist Steve Di Giorgio to re-record the material.
Mustaine explained that leaving Ellefson’s performances on the album would have created an unwanted distraction and additional financial complications.
“As Megadeth’s bass player, David was all over the new album, and his participation would almost surely become a distraction, if not worse, when the album was released. There would be financial entanglements as well. In the end, we made a decision: David’s bass parts would be scrubbed completely from the album and re-recorded with a new musician.”
‘In My Darkest Hour’ is now available, with the full excerpt available through Rolling Stone.
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