"Haunting And Dark": DAVID ELLEFSON Recalls First Reaction To Hearing METALLICA, Names His Favourite Release

Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com:

David Ellefson is one of the musicians who helped define metal music. His approach to the bass guitar and his sound played an important role in the genre's development and has inspired coming generations of musician. These days, in his band Kings Of Thrash, Ellefson continues with his powerful bass tones, playing Megadeth classics with his former bandmate, guitarist Jeff Young. As of this moment, the band is gearing up to go on tour which kicks off on June 15.

Sitting down for an interview with Ultimate Guitar, Ellefson looked back on these early formative days of thrash metal and revealed his reaction to hearing early Metallica material for the first time, as well as what other bands in this new movement were like.

Q: You were a part of the scene when thrash metal was being defined. What did you think of the other bands like Slayer and Metallica, and what impressed you about them?

David Ellefson: "Metallica just had a great sound out of the gate. The first thing I ever heard was No Life 'Til Leather. I remember going to Dave's [Mustaine] apartment and he was playing it one day while he was doing the dishes or making lunch or something. There was something just so haunting and dark, yet rowdy and fun about it, that I just loved.

"To me, the Kill 'Em All record is a very different record, even though it's the same songs. It's a very different sound, it's a very different migration toward where they were going. That still is my favorite Metallica release, the No Life 'Til Leather demo."

Find out what else Ellefson had to say, at Ultimate-Guitar.com.