Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com:
After the massive explosion of different metal sub-genres in the 1980s, things took a different turn in the following decade. Despite the commercial success that some bands had, the rise of grunge and the Seattle scene affected their work, with some even breaking up or going into semi-obscurity. However, some managed keep the engines running, as was the case with Megadeth.
During our recent chat with metal bass legend David Ellefson, we reflected on those times and how Megadeth managed to come by despite this shift in the world of rock and metal music.
"I loved grunge music," Ellefson admitted when asked about how the genre affected his career. "And I know that was not cool for a heavy metal guy to say that, especially a thrash metal guy. Because a lot of careers were pretty much upended because of Seattle music.
"And look, Megadeth, we had to make some transitions. Cryptic Writings'in particular was an album that was designed to reinvent the band at American Active Rock Radio. Or, we'd just go tour, tour, tour, and like some of our contemporaries, took us back down to clubs and theaters. Whereas with Cryptic Writings, it kept us as an arena rock band. We got to headline radio station events, which were big festivals at that time.
"So, I'm glad we did what we did, because I liked the direction that we went in, as opposed to, 'We're just going to stay true to the old school.' We kept the old school and then did what we did, which was add all the other flavors and layers that our band was capable of doing."
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