We all know the story by this point, right? After guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover announced they were leaving Megadeth, speculation ran rampant that the classic lineup of Megadeth, which featured drummer Nick Menza and guitarist Marty Friedman, would be getting back together. It almost happened but then the finances couldn't get figured out and Menza went on to publicly trash Mustaine. When it was Mustaine's turn to leave a comment, he surprisingly took the high road and maybe now we have an idea why.
If you listened to the most recent MSRCast, it featured a panel interview with bassist David Ellefson. During the interview, the topic of the recent failed reunion came up and Ellefson stated that Mustaine was totally on board and that it was him, Ellefson, who pushed Mustaine to nix it:
"I got to be honest with you. Dave [Mustaine] was completely receptive to any and all options. Probably more than I have absolutely seen him ever. Ever. So he should not be painted as a bad guy that the Rust In Peace lineup did not happen." Ellefson continued: ""If anything, I was the bad cop. I let Dave be the good cop. As partners, I thought 'He always gets the bad rap.' I'll be the guy kinda stirring the waters, and I'll let him be the good guy. We gave it every possible opportunity for it to work."
Ellefson doesn't make it clear why it couldn't work, but if you read Nick Menza's comments, it ultimately came down to money.
Megadeth are finishing up their new studio album with a release expected later this year.
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