Former MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON Launches New Band Called DIETH

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, Swedish guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda (formerly of ENTOMBED A.D.) and drummer Michał Łysejko (ex-DECAPITATED) have come together to launch a new death/thrash metal band DIETH. Based in Gdansk, Poland the group has released the music video for its first single, "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents", which can be viewed below.

According to a press release, Ellefson, Miranda and Łysejko "pushed beyond the stereotypes of their genres to create a charismatic new sound, one which is rich with inventive guitar riffs, tight drum grooves, technical prowess, guttural vocals and catchy melodies, serving as the passageway for their new declaration."

Explains Guilherme: "It has been so much happening lately (in life),feeling the need to express ourselves accordingly. Create something new, have a fresh start. Personally, it was a matter of life or death to come back playing music. To do something truly meaningful and finally cope with the anger and grief. Sometimes you have to die inside to be reborn. This is what DIETH represents, a new sonic driving force that leave the past behind."

Ellefson adds: "The three of us have all been recognized in our respective bands and careers but at some point, we had to close the door on those exploits to let something new begin and now we have found it in DIETH. In fact, the name itself is about dying to one's past so that something new can spring forth to create the next chapter of life. And that is a connection the three of us hold in common."

Łysejko states: "For me, DIETH is awakening from a creative lethargy, with the full feeling that the time has come. The lightness with which DIETH's music flows from us, combining our inspirations and experiences into a whole, is proof of this. The fact that the band was formed in the Tri-City I come from has a symbolic meaning for me."

The video for "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents" was filmed in Gdańsk and directed by Maciej Pieloch of MP Productions.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine ended up hiring TESTAMENT's Steve DiGiorgio to re-record Ellefson's bass parts on the band's upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", before inviting MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo to rejoin the group as permanent bass player.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.