One of the great supporting actors of heavy metal, David Ellefson describes himself as the “lieutenant” to Dave Mustaine. Together the duo waged a 40-year campaign that brought Megadeth to legendary status. The thrashers became the Big 4’s bad boys while ‘Dave Junior’ manned the low end, complementing rapid-fire riffs with years of backstage excess. But in 2021, the bassist’s second stint in the band came to a premature end, as a leaked video of him on an intimate call with a 19-year-old fan got him dismissed. Now Dave’s back with supergroup Dieth, swapping lightspeed thrash for grooving death metal. Hammer hears what he’s learned from four decades on metal’s frontlines.
