Bassist David Ellefson was fired from Megadeth back in May 2021 after a highly-publicized sexual affair. Megadeth then removed Ellefson's bass parts from their new album and had an unknown bassist re-record them. The bassist was rumored to be Steve Di Giorgio of Testament, and it turns out that those rumors were dead on!
Megadeth mastermind Dave Mustaine broke the news in an interview with Jose Mangin of SiriusXM Liquid Metal that the new record does indeed feature bass by Di Giorgio.
"It was a good choice. I didn't think about anybody else at the time. I was thinking about 'who's the hottest guy out there that can play these new songs?' [Mustaine's son] Justis told me one of the fastest songs we've ever written is on this record. I don't care what anybody says – bass may be less strings than guitar, but it's difficult to play if you're like me. I have a real hard time playing the bass. I wrote the riff for 'Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?' for Pete's sake, but you know… having to jam some of those parts that fast, it just kills your fingers."
Mustaine also confirmed the band will release The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead on July 8. As for the upcoming tour, Megadeth just might play some new music as well! In the same interview, Mustaine said "we might. We've been talking about… there's a song called 'Nightstalker' which is a brutal song. I can't remember if that was the fastest one or not."
Oh, and one more thing – The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead features a cover of Dead Kennedys' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire" featuring vocals from Hagar himself. So yeah, The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead is shaping up to be pretty damn exciting.
You can hear more on on Sirius XM’s Metal Tour Of The Year interview special w Dave Mustaine, Randy Blythe, Matt Heafy of Trivium, and Chris Broderick of In Flames airing Fri 4/1 @ 12pm ET, Sat 4/2 @ 7pm ET, Sun 4/3 @ 2pm ET, Mon 4/4 @ 9pm ET, Tues 4/5 @ 6pm ET, Wed 4/6 @ 11am ET and Thurs 4/7 @ 4pm ET (also available anytime with SXM APP, just search “Metal Tour Of The Year”).
Catch Megadeth on tour this spring with Lamb Of God, Trivium, and In Flames.
4/9 Las Vegas, NV @ Michelob Ultra Arena [Tickets]
4/10 Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Arena [Tickets]
4/12 Colorado Springs, CO @ Broadmoor World Arena [Tickets]
4/14 Corpus Christi, TX @ American Bank Center [Tickets]
4/15 Lafayette, LA @ Cajundome [Tickets]
4/16 Brandon, MS @ Brandon Amphitheater [Tickets]
4/19 Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena [Tickets]
4/21 Fort Wayne, IN @ Allen County War Memorial Coliseum [Tickets]
4/22 Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center [Tickets]
4/24 Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford PREMIER Center [Tickets]
4/26 Omaha, NE @ Baxter Arena [Tickets]
4/27 Cedar Rapids, IA @ Alliant Energy PowerHouse [Tickets]
4/29 Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center [Tickets]
4/30 Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center* No Trivium [Tickets]
5/3 North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum [Tickets]
5/4 Greenville, SC @ Bon Secours Wellness Arena [Tickets]
5/6 Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena [Tickets]
5/7 Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center [Tickets]
5/9 Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center [Tickets]
5/10 Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross Arena [Tickets]
5/12 Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena [Tickets]
5/13 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Arena [Tickets]
5/15 Allentown, PA @ PPL Center [Tickets]
