David Ellefson Calls Mustaine’s ‘No Life ’Til Leather’ Plan ‘Extremely Disrespectful’

David Ellefson has opened up about his final years in MEGADETH, revealing that Dave Mustaine’s push to re-record METALLICA’s ‘No Life ’Til Leather’ demo marked a serious fracture in their relationship.

Speaking in a new interview, the former bassist didn’t mince words when reflecting on Mustaine’s 2018 proposal to revisit the early Metallica tape he played on before being fired from that band in 1983.

“I was, like, ‘What?’” Ellefson recalled of the moment Mustaine floated the idea while the band were preparing to write what became The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! (per Blabbermouth).

“To me, MEGADETH doesn’t cover METALLICA songs because — just because of the history [between Mustaine and METALLICA], number one, but because they’re MEGADETH and they’re METALLICA. [METALLICA are] not covering MEGADETH songs, and you don’t cover their [songs]. IRON MAIDEN doesn’t cover SAXON and JUDAS PRIEST. These are separate lanes, if you will.”

Ellefson said he eventually confronted Mustaine directly

“I said, ‘It’s extremely disrespectful to those guys.’ After all that they did for us, I felt, for him and for everything else, it’s, like, ‘Leave it alone, man. Just leave it alone.’”

According to Ellefson, that clash triggered months of silence between the pair and set the tone for what followed, he also described Mustaine’s decision to erase his recorded bass parts from The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! after his 2021 firing as unnecessary.

“It was stupid. There was never any legal trouble… I felt like when someone tried to cause trouble for me, I stepped up… I fucking deal with it,” he said, adding that Mustaine’s handling of the situation was “unwarranted, unfair and unnecessary.”

On the topic of Megadeth recording a version of Metallica’s ‘Ride The Lightning’ for their final album, Ellefson appeared surprised but ultimately resigned.

“It’s his band. He can do whatever he wants.”

With Megadeth currently on a farewell run, Ellefson says he would consider returning if asked, telling fans he’d participate “to celebrate with the fans” if the call ever came.

For now, though, it seems the divide remains, another chapter in thrash metal’s most enduring fallout.

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