Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has announced the first dates for his summer 2019 Basstory - More Life With Deth Tour. The shows will feature a Q&A/discussion, with co-author and partner Thom Hazaert, about Ellefson’s upcoming memoir More Life With Deth, in stores July 16 via Jawbone Press, and a full live-band set including songs from the companion album Sleeping Giants, in stores July 19 via Combat Records.

Dates are as follows:

July
6 - Providence, RI - Fete Music Hall
7 - Long Branch, NJ - Brighton Bar
8 - N. Branford, CT - Strangeland (Book Signing)
10 - New Bedford, MA - Vault Music Hall at Greasy Luck
11 - Waterbury, CT - Shamrock Pub and Grill
14 - Long Island, NY - Revolutions
18 - Pekin, IL - Twisted Spoke Saloon
19 - Lombard, IL - Brauerhouse
22 - Rockford, IL - Whiskey's Roadhouse

September
7 - Phoenix, AZ - Joe's Grotto (with Fatal Malady)

More dates TBA.

Performing with Ellefson will be Hazaert, who handles vocals on the newly recorded tracks from Sleeping Giants, along with Basstory vets Dead By Wednesday guitarist Dave Sharpe and drummer Opus Lawrence, and Hatchet guitarist Clayton Cagle.

Support in various markets will be provided by EMP Label Group and Combat artists, including Archer Nation, Last Crack, Bleed (aka Crawl), Green Death, and more.

Says Ellefson: “When we got the unfortunate news that the Ozzy tour was postponed, we thought we’d make the best of the downtime, and take one more lap around the track to get up close and personal with the fans, and go talk about the book, and play some of these Sleeping Giants songs live.

"Basstory started out more in the vein of a “clinic”, and has evolved into a full-on live band show, and now with some new material to play, and revisiting some of my past material from other projects on Sleeping Giants, I think it’s going to be that much more exciting. That's the great thing about Basstory, it's always a different show. And it’s always fun to get back into the clubs and get intimate with the fans in a way that’s not possible in a giant arena, and that's really what Basstory is all about.”

A limited VIP Dinner Experience is available for each show on the tour. Details here.

Sleeping Giants, featuring cover art by Melody Myers (Altitudes And Attitude, Marc Rizzo, Escape The Fate) , will be a retrospective featuring several new tracks recorded by Ellefson and Hazaert, plus a collection of demos, and unreleased material, from F5 and David’s other projects, including the unreleased demo “If You Were God”, featuring John Bush (Anthrax, Armored Saint), plus several unreleased demos featuring House Of Lords / Giuffria vocalist David Glen Eisley. The CD version will also include a second bonus disc, featuring a compilation of EMP and Combat Records artists.

Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with additional production from Icon guitarist John Aquilino at the Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Sleeping Giants is tentatively set to include a multitude of guests including: legendary MC Daryl “DMC” McDaniels, who shares vocals with Hazaert on the title track, Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Flotsam And Jetsam), Steve Conley (Flotsam And Jetsam, F5), Ethan Brosh, Bumblefoot, Dave Sharpe and Opus Lawrence of Dead By Wednesday, Mark Tremonti, Juan Garcia (Abbatoir, Body Count), Illias Papadakis (Memorain), Dave McClain (Machine Head, Sacred Reich), a remix by Game Of Thrones star Kristian Nairn, and more.

Pre-order Sleeping Giants on CD, LP, and in bundle configurations at this location.

Tentative Tracklisting:

"Vultures"
"Sleeping Giants" (ft. DMC)
"Hammer Comes Down"
"Vultures" (Kristian Nairn Remix)
"If You Were God" (ft. John Bush)
"Deadman Rise"
"I Fall"
"Bleeding"
"Why Can’t We Die"
"Dying on The Vine"
"Faded"
"Undeniable"
"Feel Your Pain"
"Out In The Rain" (ft. David Glen Eisley)
"Voices" (ft. David Glen Eisley)

Teaser:

(Photo credit: Melody Meyers)