For this weekend’s Streaming For Vengeance interview, BraveWords caught up with bass legend David Ellefson about his new death thrash force Dieth, who will release their debut full-length, To Hell And Back, this Friday, June 2 via Napalm Records. We also spoke to him about the Nick Menza documentary that he narrated, the Kings Of Thrash and the last time he had contact with Dave Mustaine.
“Well, I haven’t talked to him in two years,” he laughs! “So that’s where it’s at. Hey, look. Like I said, ‘Wish you well, happy trails.’ I knew when things kind of abruptly ended in 2002 out of nowhere… ‘Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.’ I learned when I went back, that I’m not gonna put all my eggs back into one basket. As much as I was 100% committed to it when I went back, history shows that you should keep an eye on your life raft especially if you have to get off the boat and head safely back to shore. So that’s why I kept doing a lot of other stuff. And I never tried to trump the brand or do any of that kind of stuff. I said that I certainly got a lot of kudos for the record label and the coffee company and these other things. Now I’m in a phase where I’m just focusing on music. As the universe does, it sort of brings you the very next thing like Dieth. Completely unforeseen six months out of Megadeth. So that landed on my lap after I had put out the Lucid record, which I really liked and those guys were really good dudes. I think we made some really good songs with that. And with the Dieth thing landing on my lap, I just thought this is pretty frikkin cool. And I really think it keeps it connected to the really heavy wheelhouse as well, which I think the fans are happy to see me doing.”
When did Dave Mustaine gain control of everything Megadeth?
“Well, breaking up the band in 2002 was 100% that. Break it up, take it all back. That’s why we had such an ugly falling out and a lawsuit because it was me fighting for my own. Look, I still get paid my royalties. I’m not broke, I made sure I got my share of it. And then two years later, I get the call from Dave saying I’m ready to get going. He wasn’t trying to get Megadeth going as it was. He tried to do a solo thing, which everybody pushed back on. They said ‘We didn’t sign Mustaine, we signed Megadeth.’ These contracts say Megadeth. And I think at that point in time people just wanted to get their money back and get the contract completed. As loyalties in our business go, they just needed a record that says Megadeth on it. People are certainly happy when I came back in 2010. The bass player at that time was being fired, a falling out there. And quite honestly Shawn Drover knew there was only one guy to come back to Megadeth and of course that’s me. That stuff all came back to me pretty easily, I was keeping up with the catalog. Honestly Tim, I agreed to come back for one month and I didn’t wanna do it. I’ve been down this road before. I know where the handgrenades lie in the battlefield. But he talked to me into it. And he was very gracious to me when I came back and he was very generous. And he was very thankful. It was a nice way to reconnect. So I just thought that if nothing else, I would tour for a month and will end this as friends and we’ll just leave it there. It was successful and we had a good time and we decided to carry on South America. Let’s go to Europe and do the big four. It’s kind of one tour at a time. And cautiously move forward. Then we made the Thirteen record and on it went for another 11 years. And I understood that the rules of it were different. And I understood that, which is why I was active on the side doing all my other stuff because I had every right to. And once again I was cautious and respectful of the brand. Don’t get bigger than the brand. Do your stuff on the side but keep it in its bucket and keep it in its lane. I guess at one point I got too famous.”
BraveWords' Streaming For Vengeance with David Ellefson will air this Saturday, June 3rd on the BraveWords Facebook page and the BraveWords YouTube channel.
Dieth - also featuring Swedish Grammy nominated guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda (ex-Entombed A.D.) and drummer Michał Łysejko (ex-Decapitated) - release their new single and bassist David Ellefson's first ever solo lead vocal performance of his career, "Walk With Me Forever", earlier today. The touching ballad holds very special meaning on this US Memorial Day week, as it explores the intense loss of a loved one and their memory providing the strength to carry on.
The track's haunting accompanying music video, also out today, shows David Ellefson narrating a story of love and loss, directed by Oskar Szramka and starring notable Polish actors Jan Napieralski and Agnieszka Goździewicz.
Ellefson states about the track: "We've all experienced loss and grief at some point in our life, and this song expresses that feeling as well as the gratitude we find when accepting, letting go and carrying the beauty of that person's life with us as we move on."
Watch the music video for "Walk With Me Forever":
Dieth marks the exciting resurgence of three renowned musicians, coming together as a new musical force after years of silence. Produced by Dieth with mixing and mastering by Tomasz Zed Zalewski at Zed Studios in Chechło, Poland, To Hell And Back represents new beginnings - musically, lyrically and for the band members themselves.
Weaving a sinister thread of unrelenting tech-steeped death metal, rapid thrash bangers and even boasting the first ever lead vocal performance by David Ellefson on a track, the members of Dieth have pushed beyond the stereotypes of their former genres to create an unexpected yet charismatic and dynamic new sonic footprint.
Opening with an entrancing acoustic introduction, first track “To Hell And Back” quickly slams in with a punishing death metal attack. Tracks like “Dead Inside” and “Don’t Get Mad … Get Even!” showcase the thrash-infused side of Dieth, while death metal anthems such as “Wicked Disdain” and “The Mark of Cain” lean diabolical with hair-raising solos and breakneck paced rhythms backed by crushing walls of aggression. Standout “Free Us All” flirts with the record’s pace by blending winding passages and aggression with throwback bass-driven interludes with psychedelic production, followed by “Heavy Is The Crown” - a slow and low grinder featuring stoner metal groove, a swaying chorus and a blues-infused solo. Pensive, powerful ballad “Walk With Me Forever” showcases David Ellefson’s lead vocal performance debut, singing about the intense loss of a loved one and their memory providing the strength to carry on.
Ending with intensely beautiful “Severance”, To Hell And Back proves that Dieth isn’t just another side project or “supergroup”, but rather the collective reincarnation of three renowned heavy metal forces who, by harnessing their own pain and conflict, have delivered an exciting next chapter no metal fan will want to miss!
David Ellefson says about the new album: "This album has been a terrific collaboration, building upon our past as we created a new sound together... we're looking forward to unleashing the fury!"
To Hell And Back will be available in the following formats:
- 1CD Digisleeve
- 1LP Gatefold BLACK
- Limited 1LP Die Hard Vinyl (Marbled Red/Black) w/ wristband, embroidered patch, signed autograph card - Napalm mail order only, limited to 300
- Digital Album
Pre-order here.
To Hell And Back tracklisting:
"To Hell And Back"
"Don't Get Mad ... Get Even!"
"Wicked Disdain"
"Free Us All"
"Heavy Is The Crown"
"Walk With Me Forever"
"Dead Inside"
"The Mark Of Cain"
"In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents"
"Severance"
"Don't Get Mad ... Get Even!" video:
"To Hell And Back" video:
"In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents" video:
Live dates:
June
15-18 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Festival
July
6-8 - Velke Mezirici, Czech Republic - Fajtfest
August
3-5 - Vagos, Portugal - Vagos Metal Fest
20 - Carhaix, France - Motorcultor Festival
Dieth is:
Guilherme Miranda - Vocals/Guitar
David Ellefson - Bass
Michał Łysejko - Drums
(Photo - Maciej Pieloch)
