MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON: Songs On 'Dystopia' Have 'Same Spirit' As Band's Early Material

April 20, 2016

On April 15, Sandusky Register conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how the process of making MEGADETH's album, "Dystopia", was different to how some of the band's earlier efforts were made, Ellefson said: "You know, the 'Dystopia' album is probably… People use these clichés: 'return to form,' 'back to its roots'… You know, you never go backwards; you only go forwards. But you do, in some ways, come full circle, I think, maybe to the degree that this record… I mean, I think the production is phenomenal. The songs, I think, have a spirit in them that is reflected probably back to the same spirit we had in the very beginning, which is we really stripped away record-company influence, management influence — any outside influence — and really… Dave Mustaine, of course, is the chief songwriter of MEGADETH, and there were times when he and I were sitting together working on things. So [there we were], back to me and Dave sitting in a room working on songs together. So I could feel it even inside the band, that there were some moments on 'Dystopia' that really felt like it was back in the very beginning when it was really just down to the members of the group creating and recording and putting the music together."

"Dystopia" shifted 49,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending January 28.

In terms of pure album sales, "Dystopia" opened with 48,000 copies, marking MEGADETH's highest-charting album since 1992's "Countdown To Extinction" debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the chart dated August 1 of that year. "Dystopia" also logged the group's best sales week since 2007, when "United Abominations" landed at No. 8 with first-week sales of 54,000.

In addition to Mustaine and Ellefson, MEGADETH's current lineup includes LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

On April 8, Universal Music / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records issued "Dystopia" as a limited-edition vinyl picture disc featuring the album's vivid dark and chilling artwork which takes the bands long-time mascot Vic Rattlehead to a whole new level and drops him into a bleak, futuristic dystopian universe.

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