ELLEFSON, the solo band of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, took part in the “End Of Days” festival in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, October 30. All attendees were required to wear face masks to enter the Sunset Station venue and social distancing was “encouraged” at the event, according to a poster advertising the festival. Anthem Entertainment Television, which organized “End Of Days”, said it would “follow city COVID policies” regarding gatherings in public places.
“End Of Days” also hit Brown’s Village Plaza in Slidell, Louisiana on Saturday (October 31) and is scheduled to make its final stop tonight (Sunday, November 3) at Barge 295 in Seabrook, Texas.
ELLEFSON‘s current lineup also includes former GUNS N’ ROSES and current SONS OF APOLLO guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal.
Fan-filmed video footage of two songs from the San Antonio concert, Symphony Of Destruction” and “Peace Sells”, can be sen below.
ELLEFSON will release its covers album, “No Cover”, on November 20 via earMUSIC (Europe) and Ward Records (Japan). The effort will be made available in conjunction with Ellefson‘s revived Combat Records, which will issue the album in North America via Amped.
Produced by Ellefson and vocalist Thom Hazaert, with additional production by guitarist Andy Martongelli and Matt LaPlant (NONPOINT, SKINDRED, LIL’ JON), mixing by Alessio Garavello, and mastering by Maor Appelbaum (FAITH NO MORE), “No Cover” includes ELLEFSON-ized versions of 19 classic tracks from MOTÖRHEAD, W.A.S.P., DEF LEPPARD, CHEAP TRICK, QUEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, TWISTED SISTER, FASTWAY, FIGHT, DEAD KENNEDYS and more. Featuring cover art by Melody Myers (ALTITUDES AND ATTITUDE, ESCAPE THE FATE), an homage to the legendary DEF LEPPARD debut “On Through The Night”, “No Cover” is the second release under the ELLEFSON banner, the follow-up to 2019’s “Sleeping Giants”, a double-disc compilation combining new tracks, with unreleased Ellefson solo and F5 material.
ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, vocalist Thom Hazaert, guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (SONS OF APOLLO, YES, ex-GUNS N’ ROSES), and drummer Paolo Caridi, are joined on the album by a who’s who of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Eddie Ojeda (TWISTED SISTER), Brandon Yeagley (CROBOT), Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (TESLA), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, ex-WATCHTOWER, EVIL UNITED), Greg Handevidt (KUBLAI KHAN, ex-MEGADETH), Chuck Behler (ex-MEGADETH), Gus G., John Aquilino (ICON), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (SACRED REICH, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Dave Alvin (WHITE TRASH), Todd Kerns (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (MINISTRY), Russ Parrish (FIGHT), DEAD BY WEDNESDAY, and more.
2019 saw the release of Ellefson‘s “More Life With Deth” memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the ELLEFSON compilation release “Sleeping Giants”, released as a companion album to the book. Ellefson and Hazaert followed up the release of “Sleeping Giants” with an extensive U.S. and European tour, dubbed “More Live With Deth”, with HATCHET guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as FLOTSAM AND JETSAM‘s Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the U.S., including several now-legendary shows featuring MEGADETH alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.
The European “More Live With Deth” tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the single “Simple Truth”, which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover “Over Now”, both of which garnered national airplay.
ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release its debut full-length studio LP in 2021.
