David Ellefson (MEGADETH): Super Collider - a really strong record

BANDS : Megadeth

Megadeth will be performing again this year in Romania and are working hard on a new album. We took advantage of this opportunity and talked again with David Ellefson. Unfortunately we did not get more details on the new disc, but the result is a very interesting discussion:

Metalfan: Hi David and welcome back to Metalfan.ro pages! How are things going lately?
David Ellefson: Things are going well. A new album and world tour is always an exciting time.

Metalfan: This year Megadeth will play for the fourth time in Bucharest, this will be your third show with the band here, what do you remember from the previous dates you were here? Do you start to feel a little bit Romanian? Haha
David Ellefson: I actually have a fantastic memory of our last show there. I believe it was on Father’s Day 2012 and I shot one of my YouTube travel videos by the statue in the city circle out front of the hotel. The show was at the venue where we played the year before with The Big 4. The day was hot, the sun was painfully scalding me in the eyes but it was a terrific festival and the fans were so full of energy. A great memory for sure…

Metalfan: On April 23rd you have released a new single, the title track of the new album - Super Collider. Could you tell us more about this song? About the lyrics and as well as musical direction...
David Ellefson: There is an entire mechanics library behind what an actual Super Collider is and does, but for me I love how it looks on the album! That’s why the album cover has that really colorful and bold image on it, that of a Super Collider. The song was one of the first tracks Dave brought in for the new album. It’s really a big rock, chord hook-type of song….it’s very melodic. I remember when he wrote the lyric and it seemed to just fall into place pretty easily for him. Sometimes the best songs are like that. For me, the bass line is quite aggressive over the simplicity of the guitars. So I stay pretty busy and have fun playing licks during the entire song.

Metalfan: This is also the first release through your new label Tradecraft. What is the story behind Tradecraft?
David Ellefson: It’s the new imprint label through Universal Music Services.

Metalfan: What do you feel about the departure from Roadrunner Records? Which is the best album that Megadeth have released through that label?
David Ellefson: That departure seems like it would have happened anyway since the label has pretty much ceased to exist at this point. I only recorded on one record during the Roadrunner era but I got the feeling that in their day they definitely understood Megadeth and metal music in general. “Endgame” and “Th1rt3en” are my favorite albums under that label.

Metalfan: Speaking about your new album, Super Collider, I've seen some footage from the studio and I have to say that it turns out to be a great album, am I right? What could you tell us about the time spent in studio?
David Ellefson: Yes, it is a really record. There is a good amount of variety on the album from melodic to really heavy stuff. To me, every album should be able to branch out while still retaining the classic sound of the band. I think we accomplished that on this album.

Metalfan: All the songs from Super Collider have been composed for this album or there are also some old tunes/ideas like in the case of Th1rt3en?
David Ellefson: These are all brand new ideas on this album.

Metalfan: Could you tell us few words about each song from the album?
David Ellefson: I’m going to pass on this question since you haven’t heard it yet.

Metalfan: David Draiman from Disturbed and Device is a special guest on the album. Could you tell us more about this collaboration?
David Ellefson: Dave Mustaine and David Draiman became friends during the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink “Mayhem” festival tour we did together and that led to this collaboration on the new album.

Metalfan: What would you change in this world if you could?
David Ellefson: As the saying goes, sometimes the best change you can make is the change within yourself!

Metalfan: This year Black Sabbath will release a new album titled 13. What do you think about this? Which is your favorite Black Sabbath album and line-up of the band?
David Ellefson: I love Black Sabbath so I’m always going to be interested in hearing their latest work. By the way, I like the title! My favorite Ozzy era record is probably their debut Black Sabbath (1970). From the second lineup I like both Heaven & Hell (1980) and Mob Rules (1981).

Metalfan: At the beginning of the interview we talked a little bit about your show from May 22th 2013 from Romania. Could you tell us some songs that you will play here? There would be a chance to play Paranoid (Black Sabbath) live?
David Ellefson: I don’t see us doing any cover songs in the set but there will likely be a new song, or two, from Super Collider. Also, some of the classics will be there and now that we have the Countdown To Extinction (1992) songs prepared we can always bring a few of those into the set moving forward, too.

Metalfan: Thank you for your time and for your answers David! It was a honor to have you again in our pages! In the end would you like to send few words to Megadeth fans and to our readers?
David Ellefson: Thank you to everyone in Romania. I’ve really enjoyed myself with every visit to your fine country and I’m thrilled to be starting the Super Collider world tour with you.

Autor: H.

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May 12, 2013 | 0 Comments | 10600 Views « BACK