MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON: I Had Sensed That SHAWN DROVER Felt It Was Time To Go

During a brand new interview with Australia's Loud magazine, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked if he feels in hindsight that the band's most recent lineup changes — with the departures of drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick — had been coming for a while.

"Everything kind of shut down after the tour back in August," Ellefson responded. "I think Shawn and Chris started talking; they're friends. Shawn and his brother, [former MEGADETH guitarist] Glen, actually brought Chris into the band and ironically Shawn brought me back to MEGADETH. So Shawn is sort of the linchpin in the middle that helped bring a lot of good things together for MEGADETH."

He continued: "I think Shawn should definitely be remembered for some great stuff. Especially [2007's] 'United Abominations', which is his first record he recorded on, and then another, the second record he did which was [2009's] 'Endgame', his song that he brought to the table ended up getting Grammy nominated. Shawn, the guy bleeds metal, that's for sure. But I think, with him, knowing there was going to be almost a year away and a year off the road and everything, I sensed that Shawn wanted to get moving on some other things. After ten years in MEGADETH, I had just sensed that he felt it was time to go, it was time to move on. And so he and Chris doing something together, I look forward to hearing what it sounds like. I definitely like the music Shawn writes, so I'm excited to hear what they do next."

Ellefson also spoke about the fact that it wasn't readily apparent on MEGADETH's last European tour that anyone was on the verge of leaving the band. "I don't think that while we were on the tour there was… I didn't see really any chinks in the armour at that point," he explained. "But, you know, once you get off the road, you kind of clear your head and you start looking at your life moving forward, certainly seeing that there was going to be a year off the road — actually, a little more, maybe. That's a long time, and I think that it's one of the reasons why I try to stay active with a lot of different things. Because, I think, as creative people, you need to have your voice heard. You need to have other things going on."

He continued: "I was a member of MEGADETH for almost 20 years before it disbanded in 2002, and I never did anything outside, ever [laughs], except I wrote a book. But from 2002 to 2010 I got involved in a lot of different things with a lot of different people.

"I've got a credo, which is, 'I want to make music I like with people I like.' It kind of brings it back full circle to why you started playing music in the first place. Because it should be enjoyable, it should be fun.

"Sometimes situations happen where people aren't having any fun anymore, or it's not enjoyable or something that once brought you real passion, for whatever reason, you just decide you want to go do something else. But I can only speak for me. I enjoy having my hand in a variety of other things, even while I'm in MEGADETH. I think it's been really healthy for me, and it's really helped me. It's actually helped me stay focused that when I'm in MEGADETH; that's what I'm doing. But when the train stops, like right now we have a year off, I also know that I have some other things that I can be participating in. Stay creative, and have some different experiences away from the band. So when I come back to it, I'm refreshed and rejuvenated and I'm ready to kick ass again."