In an interview with the Brazilian channel Heavy Talk , David Ellefson spoke about his friendship with Kiko Loureiro and recounted how the guitarist ended up joining Megadeth .
Ellefson heaped praise on Kiko and stated that the two remain "great friends," even after his departure from the band : "He's a man of integrity, he doesn't cower before cancel culture, he doesn't cower before the shitty people of this world, he's a man of firm resolve. And he's been a great friend."
The bassist also recalled the first time he played with Kiko Loureiro, during the La Paz . At the time, Kiko was there playing with Angra and took over the guitar to play some songs with Ellefson and Geoff Tate . After that meeting in 2014, David got Loureiro's contact information and called him in 2015, when Dave Mustaine showed interest in adding the guitarist to Megadeth.
“He had just arrived home from an Angra tour and was actually kind of sick,” says David Ellefson. “He said he had just arrived home and I said, ‘Well… do you want to join Megadeth?’ And the truth is that Dave had already decided that he would be in the band. It’s like joining the mafia. I said, ‘Make three videos if you can and send them to us,’ I don’t even think Dave cared, Dave took him to Nashville immediately and they formed a good musical friendship together. Because of that, Kiko is a very musical guy.” (transcription via Whiplash )
Ellefson also said that he considers Kiko Loureiro "one of the true gems of Brazilian music" and that he is happy for the guitarist's achievements in his career.
Megadeth's departure and extramarital controversy
David Ellefson was fired from Megadeth in 2021 after intimate videos he exchanged with a young woman, who was allegedly underage when the interactions began, were leaked. Both the bassist and the woman involved deny this allegation , but confirm the extramarital affair.
A few months later, Kiko Loureiro commented on the case in an interview with Rolling Stone Brazil and confirmed that his initial reaction was to call Ellefson and offer support amidst all the turmoil, despite his fear of being involved in the situation in some way. “I never saw him doing anything like that on tour,” he asserts. “But, since we were touring together, I was also afraid of being dragged into it. So, I distanced myself a bit from it.”
READ ALSO: David Ellefson finds Dave Mustaine's lamenting about Metallica pathetic.