Megadeth Bassist Studying to Be a Lutheran Pastor

Megadeth’s David Ellefson is studying to become a Lutheran minister. In a lengthy profile by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the thrash-metal bassist revealed that he’s an online student at suburban St. Louis’s Concordia Seminary, studying under the school’s Specific Ministry Program.

Long-term friends of Ellefson are not surprised by the news, given that Ellefson took his faith very seriously while attending his local Lutheran church as he was growing up in Minnesota. “I came from a good family, not a broken home,” Ellefson told the Post-Dispatch. “That became a model for me, and I saw church at center of it.”

Ellefson has even written songs for the Lutheran church he currently attends, using lyrics from the Old Testament. “For a Christmas service, I remixed some classics, not quite in a Megadeth fashion, but in a pretty heavy rock fashion,” he said.

Long aware of Ellefson’s obvious devotion, his current pastor, Jon Bjorgaard, encouraged Ellefson to enroll in the ministry program. “Most people want to become a rock star,” Bjorgaard said. “David’s a rock star who wants to become a pastor.”

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Marty Friedman ‘Absolutely Not’ Interested in Megadeth Reunion

Lightning-quick axeman Marty Friedman recently sold all of his prized Megadeth-era guitars to help raise money for Japanese earthquake victims. Friedman, who is now based in Tokyo, told LineaRock.com that he was practicing in his studio when the 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit the country in early March. “I was in the studio with my band in Tokyo,” he recalled. “So the studio was going upside down and everything; it was crazy. It was very, very scary — frightening.”

The guitars aren’t the only thing Friedman has shed from his storied past. The guitarist has also left behind any desire to reform with Dave Mustaine and company, even to take part in the 20th anniversary celebration of the band’s classic Rust in Peace album.

"Absolutely not. The past is the past. I mean, it was a wonderful album and I'm sure [the current lineup of Megadeth is] doing a great job playing it. So many fans want to hear [those songs performed live], that's for sure. Every time I do a guitar clinic, I'm signing that record like it's going out of style and they want me to play stuff from it. I'm so happy about the great impact that that record has and I'm sure they’re making a lot of fans happy doing it, so I support them 1000 percent. But it's not something that I'm really interested in re-doing right now."

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Producer’s Illness Halts Megadeth Recording Sessions

According to Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, the group have halted the sessions for their new studio album due to an unnamed illness suffered by producer Johnny K. On Thursday, Mustaine posted on Twitter, “D25 Johnny suddenly struck ill. Session halted.”

No further announcement has been made at this time. Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis) is a Grammy Award-winning producer, whose credits include Sevendust, Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Finger Eleven and other hard rock bands.

Megadeth’s last studio album was 2009’s Endgame.

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Megadeth Drummer: We’re Making a ‘Solid, Heavy’ Album

Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover recently posted about the metal band’s progress in the studio, according to Blabbermouth.net. The thrash legends are working on a new album with producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Machine Head, Staind).

“As of last night, I have completed five drum tracks, with song #6 and #7 in line to be done today and I am really happy with the way things are going thus far,” Drover posted on Megadeth.com late last week. “Johnny K has been a blast to work with as he shares the same vision as we do, which is to make a solid, heavy record. We are definitely on the right path here.”

Although Megadeth have completed one track, it might not be destined for the new album.

“We have one song completely done and submitted for a video game,” he said. “Without going into the details of it, anybody who knows me and what I like musically, this tune put a big smile on my face. In time, you will all hear what I am talking about, but for now, it’s back to work at Vic’s Garage [Megadeth’s recording studio in San Marcos, California].”

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