RockOverdose caught up with Megadeth bassist David Ellefson to discuss the band's forthcoming album as well as his recent personal projects. He also shares his thoughts on religion, drugs and rock'n roll. An excerpt is available below.

Q: If I asked about what the new album sounds like, comparing it with the latest Megadeth albums? 

Ellefson: "Coming from Rust In Peace and going to Countdown To Extinction, I think we were really on point with where Megadeth needed to go. It was then that we realized we extended our horizons even further, widening our sound more, just being thrash, not pointing away from thrash but expanding a bit wider beyond it. I think we accomplished that, especially with Countdown…, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings. The '90s for Megadeth was a pretty productive decade that pretty much closed in thrash metal. But as a result of that, you can’t just go and make an album like Rust In Peace again; that’s impossible. It’s like as a family grows: at first you’re just you and your wife and then you have children and so on, and that’s how any new Megadeth album is now, including all the family of the past. Any new album is going always to evolve, with new members like Kiko (Loureiro), the same way we did with Nick Menza, Marty Friedman back in the '90s. These very capable musicians and songwriters have done a lot to develop and expand the sound of Megadeth, so that’s what the new Megadeth album will sound like." 

Q: After the adventure that Dave Mustaine experienced with his health, do you think that the bonds between you and him as well with the other members of the band became stronger?

Ellefson: "Yeah, I think so. Back in 2019 while working for the record in Nashville, we saw the seriousness of what was happening, all the transitions. You know Dave is a tough guy! As he’s preparing for his cancer treatments he’s writing riffs, coming in every day and working on songs. Even though we’ve been working together during those months we kept everything going. That’s when I released my first solo record, The Sleeping Giants, which was meant to be a companion to a memoir that I wrote, called My Life With Deth and it was all scheduled to come out a week after the Ozzy - Megadeth tour, in July. Of course, by May we knew the tour would be cancelled, so we quickly pivoted and headed to Nashville to work on the new album, which we did until June - July. But by then I already had a book and a record scheduled to come out. And as I wouldn’t be working with Megadeth for a few weeks (because of Dave’s treatments), so we got busy going on the road and touring around, supporting the book and the album. I have to say it was a lot of fun! Also, that set the stage for more stuff, like when the time came for the MegaCruise (Dave was not able to perform, because of health issues). Me and Dirk and Kiko kept the MegaCruise afloat, my solo band stepped in to perform some Megadeth numbers, plus the fans felt like they’re getting the real Megadeth experience and I think we did a pretty good job with that."

Check out the complete interview here.

Ellefson recently shared an exclusive sample from his fiction thriller novel, Rock Star Hitman, co-written with Drew Fortier, which is out now.

The description reads: The Sledge Chronicles: Rock Star Hitman is the first chapter in the action-packed saga of Sledge; an up and coming musician who uncovers a startling quid pro quo: in exchange for achieving his dreams of Rock stardom, he must enlist as a ruthless killer for a clandestine agency. Filled with twists, turns, screams, and even laughs, Rock Star Hitman is the cult thriller you've been dying for.

Ellefson states, “I've been on a quest to create an original thriller fiction book for some time now, and I’m beyond thrilled to announce it with Rock Star Hitman. I wanted there to be familiarity to my fans in an almost autobiographical way, but with characters and storyline which are clearly fictional. I think metal and horror/thriller fans are going to like it!”

Adds Fortier, “David and I clicked really well when creating this story, because we’ve both lived the rock n roll tale ourselves. That’s why Rock Star Hitman starts out like an autobiography from almost any musician, but then takes a sudden and unexpected turn into a world of suspense, dark humor, and bloody brutal situations. As a horror/thriller fan myself we could almost write ourselves into our own story line. Plus, I think most everyone will relate to the daunting tales of selling one’s soul for a rock n roll aspiration… a story that in and of itself is close to me as well.”

David’s canon of published literary work includes four non-fiction titles with his two memoirs More Life With Deth (Jawbone Press 2019) and My Life With Deth (Howard/Simon & Schuster 2014), a self-published lyric and poem offering Unsung: Words & Images (Blurb 2012) and his debut how-to book Making Music Your Business….A Guide For Young Musicians (Hal Leonard 1997).

Ellefson and Fortier are no strangers to collaboration; on top of their forthcoming novel, they also have an independent, found-footage horror film due out in 2021. Titled Dwellers, the movie was written by, directed by, and stars Fortier, with Ellefson producing alongside Thom Hazaert via their Ellefson Films imprint.