'Into the Pit:' David Ellefson & Jeff Scott Soto

If there’s one iota of positivity resulting from an unforeseeable pandemic that — no pun intended — virtually shut down the music and metal scene as we know it going on 14 months, it’s that some projects, albums and collaborations that may not have ever taken place have planted their seeds. One such undertaking finds Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and renowned vocalist Jeff Scott Soto teaming up for the soon-to-be unveiled Ellefson-Soto.

Despite the Covid-19 stranglehold on society, the Big-4-of-thrash bass musician found his way to San Antonio last Oct. 30 (coverage here) in support of cover album No Cover that features a slew of guests including Dangerous Toys vocalist and longtime Austin resident Jason McMaster, for which they shot a video the day prior for AC/DC’s “Riff Raff.” Prior to that, Ellefson brought his Basstory tour to Fitzgerald’s in 2018 (coverage and interview here). Soto also found his way to the Alamo City in 2018 with Trans-Siberian Orchestra (coverage here).

Ellefson and Megadeth are nearly complete with their follow-up to 2016’s Dystopia and have again rescheduled their headlining tour with Lamb Of God, Trivium and In Flames including Friday, Aug. 20 at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin (tickets here). Soto, meanwhile, released solo album Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) last November and is fresh off two studio albums and a live symphonic recording with supergroup Sons Of Apollo. Ellefson’s solo group and Sons Of Apollo share former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ATM interview here), while SOA also features bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Mike Portnoy of The Winery Dogs and renowned keyboardist Derek Sherinian.

To tide fans over before hearing the forthcoming Ellefson-Soto songs, the duo brought in vocalist Rick Hughes of Quebec band Sword (not to be confused with The Sword out of Austin) for a quarantined version of Riot’s “Swords & Tequila” (watch below). The video, which also features Andy Martongelli on lead and rhythm guitars and Paolo Caridi on drums, proved to be the perfect launching pad for Ellefson and Soto to go “Into the Pit” with ATM on Wednesday for a Zoom chat that spanned a smorgasbord of elements of their respective careers. That included a dip into their movie endeavors, with Soto marking 20 years of his involvement with the Mark Wahlberg film “Rock Star” and Ellefson looking forward to the October release of his horror documentary “Dwellers” with actor Drew Fortier (trailer here)

Click the sound widget below to listen to our entire conversation.

Soto takes part in our virtual chat.

Ellefson brought his solo band to the Anthem School of Music grounds this past Oct. 30 playing a mixture of covers and Megadeth classics.

Ellefson gave away one of his signature bass guitars during his Basstory performance in 2018 at Fitzgerald’s.

Even one of San Antonio’s finest couldn’t resist a photo-op with Ellefson in 2018 at Fitzgerald’s.

Soto sings with Trans-Siberian Orchestra over Christmas 2018 at the AT&T Center.

Ellefson performs during his Basstory gathering in 2018 at Fitzgerald’s.

Ellefson whoops it up at the River City Rockfest outside the AT&T Center in 2016.

Ellefson enjoys himself during Wednesday’s three-way virtual conversation.

Into the Pit: Megadeth's David Ellefson

The last place you might expect a member of the Big 4 of thrash metal to appear on tour could be a bar hidden in the corner of a small plaza off San Pedro Ave. But original Megadeth bassist David Ellefson didn't earn a reputation for being arguably the nicest guy in heavy metal purely based on playing stadiums the world over.

While Megadeth works on the follow-up to 2016's Dystopia, Ellefson is taking his signature basses across the country for a three-month "Basstory" trek, incorporating stories behind his riffs and classic songs into jam sessions on stage. The Alamo City was lucky enough to be one of those stops Friday night when Fitzgerald's hosted the man who's much more than Dave Mustaine's sidekick.

But it wasn't just Ellefson and a bass on stage.

Ellefson more than acknowledged local Megadeth tribute band Rust In Peace. He made the dreams of singer/guitarist Ozzy Espinoza, guitarist Mario Prz Jr. and drummer Miguel Morales come true by spending nearly 90 minutes on stage thrashing out to a medley of riffs and vocals such as "Tornado of Souls," "Five Magics" and "Rust in Peace . . . Polaris." The “band” even pulled out "The Conjuring," a tune Megadeth doesn't play live anymore due to Mustaine's born-again Christian status and his no longer being in tune with its lyrics.

Prior to jamming with Rust In Peace, Ellefson began his set in solo fashion, dusting off "Killing is My Business . . . And Business is Good" and "Hook in Mouth" (watch ATM Facebook Live footage of the latter here). Later, he was joined by Helstar vocalist James Rivera for several tracks, including “Loup Garou” and “Fatal Chances,” both performed for the first time ever off their 2006 Killing Machine record Metalmorphosis (see setlist in slideshow below).

Although Ellefson was booked inside Fitzgerald's while an American Warrior Fest celebration with acoustic country music was taking place in The Yard, many of those military folks came in to watch Megadeth’s bass rattlehead discuss his instrumental knowledge and showcase his skills. See some of what they saw by watching ATM’s footage of snippets of “Countdown to Extinction” and “Dawn Patrol” here.

Watch more of Ellefson in action with ATM's footage of "Wake Up Dead" and "The Conjuring" here. Afterwards, Ellefson met with fans, even saying goodbye to a pair of his signature basses (see slideshow). Then he acknowledged his support for the troops, explained the impetus behind Basstory, spoke about his autobiography "My Life With Deth: Discovering Meaning in a Life of Rock & Roll" and more in a chat with ATM upstairs in Fitzgerald's loft while local acts played below. Watch our conversation by clicking the video box.

Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and Helstar vocalist James Rivera reminisce about their 2006 Killing Machine record Metalmorphosis during Ellefson’s Basstory tour, which included jamming with local tribute band Rust In Peace, on Friday night at Fitzgerald’s.

Ellefson hands off one of the basses he played to a dedicated fan.

Ellefson jams with Rust In Peace guitarist Mario Prz Jr., and drummer Miguel Morales.

Local fan and disc jockey Brian Keith gladly accepts Ellefson’s signature orange bass.

Rust In Peace drummer Miguel Morales rocks out on a medley of songs from the classic 1990 Megadeth record of the same name.

Even a member of the San Antonio Police Department couldn’t help but get swept up in Ellefson’s visit.

Local fan Ricky Mosh gets an autograph from Ellefson after the set.

Ozzy Espinoza, vocalist/guitarist for local Megadeth tribute band Rust In Peace, achieved one of his dreams by sharing the stage with Ellefson on several songs.

Local fan Bobby Del Bosque has some of his Megadeth albums signed.

Rivera and Ellefson also rocked out on covers of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Iron Maiden’s “Wrathchild.”

The setlist included rarely played, or no longer played Megadeth tracks such as “Killing is My Business . . . and Business is Good” and “The Conjuring.”