Megadeth Eye A Year To New Album Release

Keavin Wiggins | 06-28-2020

Megadeth bassist and cofounder David Ellefson says that it will probably be a year before the band releases their new studio album, the follow-up to their 2016 effort "Dystopia".

Ellefson explained that the band taking their time to write and create in the past has led to some of their strongest efforts. He told the Metal From The Inside podcast, "Megadeth songs aren't the kind of things that just write themselves in an afternoon and we can throw 'em down real quick in a group jam session. That's not who we are.

"The biggest records that we've had, we've taken a lot of time ('Countdown To Extinction', 'Youthanasia', 'Peace Sells', 'Rust In Peace'"). Those records that have really kind of stood out in the catalog, 'Cryptic Writings' even, they're the ones that we really took the time.

And even on this one, I remember when we were first starting it back in 2018, Dave had said that to me. He said, 'I feel like lately, we've just sort of gone in the studio, we've made the record, and we're right on tour.' He goes, 'I really wanna take the time to just listen, sit back and listen and really absorb it, and take the time to make the changes that we need to make, and write or rewrite and embellish the songs to get them to their fullest potential. And I really feel like this album is for sure that album.

"'Dystopia' was like that too, I guess, quite honestly. And you can tell. it won us a Grammy, it took us around the world for a good solid three years, three and a half years, almost four years, really. And you can tell when you take the time with this stuff.

"Album 16 for Megadeth has a layer of very intriguing stories in it. And I'm glad it's underway, I'm glad it's moving forward now. We still have a while, a year probably, before it comes out. So there's a lot more of the story to still tell you."