Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has offered candid insights into how the legendary thrash metal band navigated the grunge revolution of the 1990s, admitting they “lost the plot” during their experimental Risk era.
Speaking on the 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal podcast with host Brian Slagel (as per Blabbermouth), Ellefson addressed one of metal’s most enduring debates: whether grunge truly killed hard rock and metal, or simply forced bands to evolve. His perspective reveals a pragmatic approach to survival in an industry where adaptation often determines longevity.
Ellefson distinguished between grunge’s impact on different metal subgenres, noting that Seattle’s explosion primarily targeted hair metal rather than established thrash acts. [But] those guys [in all those bands] were fans of what we were doing. They were Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth fans. They were not against what thrash metal was. So I’ve always stood up for grunge, ’cause I liked a lot of it. A lot of the Nirvana stuff, it’s punky, and I think it’s cool, man.” he explained.
The bassist’s assessment of the 1990s music landscape centres on a brutal reality check for veteran bands: “Do you wanna survive or not?” This pragmatic approach led Megadeth to make strategic adjustments throughout the decade, treating their career as both art and business.
“Look, we played the game. Because it’s a game. When you’re in showbiz, it’s a game,” Ellefson stated. “And so you play the game. And, look, part of it is your self-interest. Do you wanna survive or not? You wanna be back out on the road again, paying your mortgage next year? Well, then we gotta play the game. Sometimes you do get a little beholden to the golden handcuffs of the paycheck. Just like in any business, it’s like anybody going to work.”
The conversation turned to Megadeth’s late-1990s output, where Ellefson distinguished between successful adaptation and overreach. He praised 1997’s Cryptic Writings as hitting the mark perfectly: “That was a very successful record. And, yeah, musically you can hear there’s a great spirit in it, you can hear it’s authentic, you can hear it’s really still us, just kind of moving the goalposts a little so we could explore some stuff.”
However, 1999’s Risk represented a step too far in commercial territory. “[B]y the time we got to the Risk album, we had different management at that point, and we lost the plot — we did,” Ellefson admitted. “And we took it as far as we could go, as far as being sort of a melodic radio rock band.”
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
