David Ellefson gave his opinion on the announcement that in 2026, his former band, Megadeth , will release their final album and embark on a farewell tour. The bassist said he would like to participate and also affirmed that he is one of the founding members of the group .
On his podcast, The David Ellefson Show , the musician stated that the news caused him a range of thoughts and feelings. He also mentioned that it's difficult to accept that he won't be participating.
“This final tour brings to the surface years and years of thoughts, feelings, emotions, some great, some not so great. I always talk about these gold records on the wall, and the only reason I have them is because I have a podcast. They can serve as a backdrop. But I look at them, Countdown To Extinction , Peace Sells , and Rust In Peace , they all have a story. In the 90s, we lived our peak: the band was united, the management was firm, and the music flowed collaboratively. We achieved great things, like Grammy and world tours. But, at the same time, we faced addictions, rehabs, canceled tours, and million-dollar losses. Therefore, not being present at the farewell of something I helped build is, as you can imagine, something difficult to accept,” he declared [transcription via Metal Injection ].
David Ellefson claims to know nothing about Megadeth's plan for their farewell performance.
Ellefson also stated that although he doesn't know if Dave Mustaine truly intends to retire, the recent statement suggests that the group may indeed be disbanding. He believes an ideal farewell would involve all the original members, just as happened with Black Sabbath .
“I don’t even know if he’s going to retire. He basically said that Megadeth is over. I would like to be a part of it. I’m one of the founding members. Is that going to happen? Who knows? I don’t know what they’ve planned. I think there should be some kind of farewell, like Back To The Beginning , which had the four original members of Black Sabbath. Not only did they say goodbye, but the fans were able to do the same,” he concluded.
READ ALSO: Megadeth is finalizing recordings for the new album, according to guitarist