DAVID ELLEFSON Has Learned How To 'Tour Smarter, Not Harder': 'We Know Where The Sweet Spot And The Joy And The Fun Of It Is'

In a recent interview with Stefan Nilsson of Roppongi Rocks, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about his involvement with METAL CHURCH's new lineup, in which he is joined by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). Regarding METAL CHURCH's touring plans for beyond the band's fall 2026 North American tour with ARMORED SAINT, David said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "2027 is already pretty well booked — at least the calendar is framed. Plus, now we're excited about new material in the works. We're not out here writing songs. We're enjoying the new album. We're enjoying just being present with it. But knowing — we've all been in bands and we know how tour cycles go, and you reach this sort of plateau at a certain point down the road, and you kind of go, 'Man, let's get in and do some new songs. Let's get that going.' So we're careful with the calendar in the way that it isn't just, 'Let's just get on a bus and just tour until we fall over.' We've done all those tours. So now it's about, okay, the old 'tour smarter, not harder,' so that, first of all, everybody still enjoys it.

"Kurdt was the first guy years ago, I remember, and he told me the story after [METAL CHURCH] were out with METALLICA on the 'Master Of Puppets' tour. [METAL CHURCH] were on Elektra. They did all this touring, as we all did, and he came home and he was broke. He had no money," Ellefson continued. "And I think he went to work as a waiter. I remember hearing this, like in '86, '87. We were, like, 'Wow, Kurdt Vanderhoof.' It was, like, 'How can he not do this?' And I asked him about it, and he goes, 'Dude, I just came home. We had no money.' He said, 'It was just a survival thing. I had to take other day jobs.' So, again, realities of big rock bands, even on major labels, which is why a lot of people start tribute bands. They make more money in tribute bands than they ever did being in their own band signed to a major label. I hear it from a lot of people, finding different paths forward.

"So, we all had the experience, all of us, because of our age. We've been in the rodeo now for a while," David added. "So we know where the sweet spot and the joy and the fun of it is. We also know when you can reach a point of exhaustion, boredom — you can hit walls along the way. And so because we know this going into it — we're not kids and young, [with] those young ambitions — we can set this up better. And you look around, everybody from STYX and even METALLICA are weekend warriors again. It's funny — we start out playing on the weekends 'cause we got schools and day jobs, and hopefully you end as a weekend warrior. Now they play stadiums on the weekend. I have friends in Germany — BÖHSE ONKELZ and DIE TOTEN HOSEN — these guys are playing stadiums, and they play on the weekends. So, a stadium weekend warrior.

"There's a lot of other ways to continue this, to make it fun. It's gotta be profitable because there's bills to pay, and nothing gets cheaper in life. So there's realities about it. So to do it in ways that you enjoy the friendship, you enjoy the music, the fans are excited about it, and you keep it fresh for them as well."

The new lineup of METAL CHURCH made its live debut on May 17 at the San Luis Metal Fest at Teatro del Pueblo in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

Last November, it was announced that METAL CHURCH was returning with a "revitalized" lineup consisting of Vanderhoof alongside Van Zandt, Ellefson, Mary and Allen. The announcement came nearly two years after METAL CHURCH canceled its 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by Vanderhoof.

METAL CHURCH's new album, "Dead To Rights", was released on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. The LP was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z.

Born out of the explosive West Coast metal scene of the early '80s, METAL CHURCH quickly established themselves as one of the genre's most formidable and musically sophisticated bands. After signing with Elektra Records, the group released two landmark albums — their self-titled debut "Metal Church" and its follow-up "The Dark" — both of which remain essential listening in the heavy metal canon. As the U.S. metal wave surged, METAL CHURCH hit the road with labelmates METALLICA, further solidifying their reputation for precision, power, and uncompromising intensity.

The band continued to evolve into the late '80s and early '90s, tackling political and social themes with vocalist Mike Howe on the acclaimed albums "Blessing In Disguise" and "The Human Factor". While many peers shifted toward the era's commercial trends, METAL CHURCH stayed true to their heavy roots — a commitment that earned them a loyal global following.

In 2016, the band reunited with Howe for their eleventh studio album "XI", which debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Top 200 and charted internationally, marking one of the strongest comebacks in modern metal. Its 2018 successor, "Damned If You Do", continued that momentum with additional worldwide chart success and reaffirmed the band's enduring relevance.

Singer Marc Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. Lopes's first and only studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation", came out in May 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.