It's been almost a year since former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson was forced to leave the band due to a scandal. Today, Dave Mustaine is speaking out about his old pal's exit.
According to WGRD 97.9, the lead vocalist said it was "so uncomfortable" for him to talk about his relationship with the musician after everything that had happened over the past years.
He also admitted to Rolling Stone that it was hard for him to let the bass player go but clarified that he's happier now than he's ever been.
After Ellefson left the band last year, James LoMenzo stepped in and replaced him last month. On the other hand, Steve Di Giorgio of Testament serves as the band's bassist for their upcoming album.
Speaking about the new contributors to their group, Mustaine said Di Giorgio is "one of those just really amazingly talented players."
Teasing fans about the new brand of Megadeth, the frontman said, "It's a different camp now, and I'm really happy. I feel totally invigorated. I feel like I've hit my stride, like my best years are ahead of me right now."
The recent reaction comes a few months after Ellefson opened up about his exit from the group, saying he's not bitter about their decision.
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The bass player was fired after allegations of him grooming an underage girl circulated online.
The musician has since denied the issue, saying his conversations were taken out of context and manipulated to cause damage to his career, reputation, and family.
He also claimed that all conversations he had were consensual, and the girl was not underage.
In a previous interview, he spoke about his situation, saying he was "perfectly content and happy" after leaving the band.
Per Heavy Consequence, Ellefson said a lot of people, especially the Megadeth camp, told him not to say anything at the time when his private videos were leaked.
However, his legal team thought otherwise and told him to speak out.
"I think some people have done some really shitty things here and made some false allegations about you, and you have every right to defend yourself.' And I did. Ultimately, that led to my dismissal from Megadeth," he said.
Ellefson performed with the group from 1983 until their disbandment in 2002. They reunited in 2010, and he stayed with the band until he got fired last year.
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