Megadeth 's new album will not feature David Ellefson , who was recently fired following a sexual scandal involving a young woman. Dave Mustaine confirmed that the bassist will be replaced in the studio, but the band has not yet named a new member.
“I just want to thank everyone for all the kind words and support as we prepare for the upcoming tour and hunt for a new bassist. We’re making progress,” the band’s vocalist said on his show on Gimme Radio (via Loudwire) . “The album is being finalized and we’ll have someone coming in a few weeks to fill in for the bass tracks we had, which should be relatively quick because the person we’re talking to is a stellar bassist.”
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Even if the band doesn't find a "permanent guy" in the next few weeks, someone will be hired to replace Ellefson's bass lines on the album. Mustaine's hope is that the new bassist will be found in time to participate in the re-recording in the studio.
Ellefson's entire part was already completed on the band's new project. In interviews prior to his dismissal, the musician was excited about the project's technical level. "It's great to have guys in the band that you can put anything in front of them and they can play it. It elevates things to another level. We could have released [the album] as an instrumental CD and it would have been a great progressive metal record. It was a pleasure to listen to," he said in April .
Elelfson was dismissed from the band after a sex scandal involving explicit videos sent to a 19-year-old fan with whom he had an extramarital affair online . Accused of having a relationship with the girl when she was still a minor, the musician denied the accusations and intends to sue those responsible for leaking the material.
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