MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson is featured in a new interview with Jeff Treppel for RoadrunnerRecords.com. An excerpt is available below:.

Q: Do you feel like being out of Megadeth for eight years and playing in other projects has made you a better bass player?

Ellefson: "Yeah, without a doubt. To a large degree, I almost started to get staid as a musician because I didn't have any other outlets. I guess what it took was, one day Megadeth ended, and that was the catapult that it took to get me out of the nest and hook up with other musicians and start playing and having other musical experiences. I mean, with the exception of Megadeth, none of these things are really meant to be forever. And even Megadeth, at one point, when we get to our rocking chairs and wheelchairs, we won't be able to play anymore either. To some degree, to me, music is something to be enjoyed. It's why we never went and got day jobs, so we could enjoy playing our guitars. Being in a bunch of different musical experiences over the last 10 years is one of the best things I've had the opportunity to do, to really just grow my palate of chops and have different experiences with other musicians."

Q: So do you feel TH1RT3EN stacks up against the classic albums like Rust in Peace as far as your playing goes?

Ellefson: "I think so, I'm really happy with my playing on it. I think what you hear is the thrash metal approach that you always hear on Megadeth records, but you also get the eight years of experience that I had away from Megadeth working with a lot of other bands, writers, producers, musicians that really developed and evolved my playing in so many other ways. It's probably why I was able to come in and knock out a whole record in three days, because I had those years of those experiences there. To me, the bass is really tight with the drums and guitars, and yet it's very liberated, a lot of different movements that haven't been heard on previous records. There's just sort of a simplicity – there's a simple progressive nature about it [laughs]. I don't think I've really been able to combine those two elements until this album."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

TH1RT3EN follows up 2009's Endgame, which was one of the most celebrated albums of the pioneering band's storied career. Anticipation is high and fans are anxious for a taste of new music from the legends, who have sold over 25 million albums globally throughout the course of their career, and they will get it imminently.

Dave Mustaine is incredibly proud of the music put forth on the new recording, saying, "This record is the culmination of my work over the 13 records I recorded. There are moments on TH1RT3EN that capture my every emotion, and other moments where I am releasing feelings I never knew existed! My proudest moments of my musical career are captured on TH1RT3EN.”

TH1RT3EN also marks the recorded return of bassist Dave Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002. In a move that delighted the band's legion of diehards, Ellefson returned to performing live with Megadeth in early 2010 and has remained a fixture on the stage ever since. This is the first time Ellefson has played on a Megadeth record since 2002's Rude Awakening.

The title has several levels of meaning, which leader and guitar deity Dave Mustaine, who first picked up an axe at the age of 13, revealed in a recent chat with RollingStone.com, saying, "I was born on September 13th; this is my thirteenth record. It just seemed like it was the right thing to do to call it TH1RT3EN."

TH1RT3EN tracklistings:

CD:

'Sudden Death'

'Public Enemy No. 1'

'Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)'

'We The People'

'Guns, Drugs & Money'

'Never Dead'

'New World Order'

'Fast Lane'

'Black Swan'

'Wrecker'

'Millennium Of The Blind'

'Deadly Nightshade'

'13'

Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl:

Side A:

'Sudden Death'

'Public Enemy No. 1'

'Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)'

'We The People'

Side B:

'Guns, Drugs & Money'

'Never Dead'

'New World Order'

Side C:

'Fast Lane'

'Black Swan'

'Wrecker'

Side D:

'Millennium Of the Blind'

'Deadly Nightshade'

'13'

Pre-order options for the album (deluxe bundle including digital album, CD, vinyl; CD bundle; digital album) can be found here.