Table of Contents
David Ellefson‘s longtime enterprise accomplice Thom Hazaert was a visitor on a current episode of the “Speak Louder” podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist “Steel Dave” Glessner and lifelong arduous rock/metallic vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS). Talking about what he has been doing within the 9 months since he introduced that he was retiring from the music enterprise, Thom mentioned (as transcribed by Phoosi.com): “I simply type of laid low the final yr. I did not actually fucking do something. I spent all this time doing all this Ellefson shit that simply went within the fucking bathroom. I wrote a complete one other report. I received an investor to present us a ton of cash to pay for ‘No Cowl’ [the ELLEFSON band’s collection of covers] and to report a complete one other report [of original material]. I spent six months writing that report. I used to be a little bit disillusioned so I type of took a while off from creativity. However now I am slowly dipping my toe again in.”
Requested if the ELLEFSON all-original album that he was engaged on with David will ultimately see the sunshine of day, Thom mentioned: “In all probability not, sadly. I had truly introduced, earlier than David‘s entire points final yr, actually a few weeks earlier than that, on Mark Mendoza‘s [TWISTED SISTER] podcast, I had truly introduced that [David and I] weren’t working collectively anymore; we simply type of went our separate methods. I had coronary heart failure a few years in the past from all of the stress and coping with all of the bullshit, and I simply was achieved with it. I died. At that time, you begin reassessing relationships and conditions in your life. And that is precisely what I did. Sure issues that triggered me an excessive amount of stress I needed to type of simply transfer on from.
“However no, sadly, I actually do not [think the ELLEFSON album will ever be released],” Thom continued. “And the fact is the stuff was too heavy for David. He did not prefer it. David likes JOURNEY; David likes TOTO. And the report, I do not wanna say it was ‘nu metallic’ but it surely was very up to date crossed with actually heavy GUNS N’ ROSES. The fact is David simply by no means actually preferred it. It was too up to date for him; it was too heavy for him. David hates up to date arduous rock; it is not his factor, actually. I believe musically, the pages we had been on had been simply completely different. A canopy report you are able to do, ‘trigger you are simply doing covers… I imply, it is fucking superior — the report [we were working on] is superior, and the songs had been superior. There have been some songs on it that I wrote just about straight out; a few of it me and him wrote collectively. A few of it had been little elements that he had that Andy [Martongelli, guitar] put collectively after which I type of pulled them aside and [reworked them]. It was lots of work; I put lots of work into it and some huge cash… Among the songs, I came upon, after I spent tons of cash engaged on them, he went and redid a few of them with vocals with any individual else.”
Thom, who now says that his June 2021 retirement announcement was nothing greater than “a venting put up on Fb,” added: “Look, I am not gonna badtalk anyone, however I moved on from that state of affairs,. And I really like that report. I really like the stuff I wrote with him. It is actually among the most sensible shit I’ve ever written in my life lyrically.
“There was a lot momentum and a lot stuff, and David had his private issues that occurred and no matter, which I by no means commented on and I will not. That is between him and his household.”
Hazaert went on to say that he was largely liable for overseeing EMP Label Group, which issued “No Cowl” and launched music from plenty of different artists.
“EMP was simply my THC label with a distinct identify slapped on it and David Ellefson‘s credibility,” he mentioned. “It is all it was. I did all of the work. I paid for the whole lot. As a lot as individuals say it was David Ellefson‘s label, it was my label and also you had been on the label and also you know that. It was a partnership, however I did the work, I saved it alive, I saved it going. And I am not gonna lie — that is what fucking killed me. The stress and coronary heart failure, that is the place it got here from, man. Simply out of my love for doing this and my love for the sport.”
Ellefson stepped out of the general public eye for a number of months starting final Could, simply days after sexually tinged messages and specific video footage involving the bassist had been posted on Twitter. On the time, Ellefson launched a press release on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he “groomed” an underage fan. He additionally filed a report with the police division in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging illegal distribution of sexually specific pictures of him by unknown offenders. Within the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual textual content messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of a number of of their digital “masturbating encounters” with out his consent and shared them with mates. (In response to Ellefson, the lady was 19 on the time of their first digital sexual encounter.) Inside two weeks, he was fired from MEGADETH.
Two days after the movies and screenshots had been initially leaked, Hazaert took to his Instagram to share a photograph of him along with his center finger prolonged, and he included the next message: “This one goes out to the chatty fuckers making an attempt to whisper that I had one thing to do with what occurred to David. David Ellefson is a grown fucking man and totally and solely liable for his personal choices and judgment. However know… #ISeeYouMotherfucker”.
When one particular person commented below Thom‘s photograph that David ought to be recommended “for getting out in entrance of it like an actual man ought to” and “personal[ing] as much as his habits”, Hazaert responded: “completely.. which for the report.. I truly helped him do.”
Ellefson, who has lived in Scottsdale since 1994, can also be an creator and entrepreneur, holding the reins of EMP Label Group, Fight Information, Ellefson Espresso Co., and extra, along with a various portfolio of manufacturers and signature merchandise. Ellefson was additionally inducted into the 2018 class of the Iowa Rock N’ Roll Corridor Of Fame, simply over the border from Jackson in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
“No Cowl” was launched in November 2020 by way of earMUSIC (Europe) and Ward Information (Japan). The hassle was made obtainable along side Ellefson‘s revived Fight Information, which issued the album in North America by way of Amped.
