MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON On SLAYER's 'Final' Tour: 'I'd Like To Think They're Not Gone Forever'

In a brand new interview with Inquisitr, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked about SLAYER's decision to call it quits after completing one final world tour. He said: "Look, groups retire for all kinds of different reasons. Either they've just lost interest, their heart just isn't into it anymore, maybe it's a health issue, for who knows what reasons. And I don't know why SLAYER's hanging it up; I've not talked to Tom [Araya] or Kerry [King] about it to know. It's great to see them have this big last hurrah of success. I'd like to think they're not gone forever, on some level, y'know what I mean? Many farewell tours have made for a hell of a reunion tour later."

He continued: "But they've also lost their dear friend Jeff Hanneman, and he was a key writer for SLAYER. Me and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] have been through that; past members have passed away. We've been through a lot of lineup changes and stuff, and when lineup changes happen, it's always kind of a shot in the dark whether you're going to be able to capture lightning twice and recreate the magic. Some of our lineups did and some of them didn't.

"Again, a lot of different reasons for doing it," he added. "Now we're making 50-year-olds' decisions, we're not making 20- and 30-year-olds' decisions, which are fight and kill at all cost when you're younger. When you get a little bit older, for all of us, we look back at the roller coaster ride we've been on; some days you go, 'Do I want to get back on that roller coaster again or not?' It's like skydiving. 'I've jumped a couple of times and I've survived. Do I want to really go do it again?' Sometimes you count your blessings; sometimes it's okay to leave Vegas and leave a little on the table."

Ellefson went on to say that the fact that all of the so-called "Big Four" bands of 1980s thrash metal — SLAYER, MEGADETH, METALLICA and ANTHRAX — are "still intact is incredible; no other genre can say that. I can't think of any other genre; country, jam band, jazz, blues, the Seattle movement, none of 'em, none of the core four, like founding pillars, of any other genre that are still around except the Big Four," he said.

In 2018, MEGADETH is celebrating its 35th anniversary all year long, with special releases, exclusive merchandise items, and one-of-a-kind events and opportunities for fans worldwide.

The band is tentatively scheduled to enter the studio before the end of the year to begin recording its new album for a 2019 release.

MEGADETH's upcoming effort will mark the group's first release to feature drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who officially joined the band just under two years ago.

"Dystopia" was MEGADETH's first album with Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA.