Credit: Jeremy SafferMegadeth is planning to release new music before the band’s European tour with Five Finger Death Punch kicks off early next year.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, frontman Dave Mustaine reveals that the thrash legends will be sharing “early offerings” from their upcoming album, the follow-up to 2016’s Dystopia.
“It might be two [songs], it might be four,” Mustaine teases.
Mustaine adds that, in total, Megadeth has written “nine really crushing songs” for the record, which had originally been scheduled for a 2019 release before being put on hold following Mustaine’s throat cancer diagnosis.
In addition to those tracks, Mustaine reveals that he and bassist David Ellefson had been working on a “ballad.” The song will be sung by Ellefson, and will be about his often complicated relationship with Mustaine.
“‘I think you should write a song about what it’s like being in Megadeth with me, because I read all your lyrics, and I know that your lyrics are aimed at me,'” Mustaine remembers telling Ellefson. “‘You’re upset. So why don’t you write about it?”
As for whether the ballad will end up on the new record, Mustaine says that’s currently up in the air.
“I’m going to try to work on it now for this record, and if it doesn’t get on this record, I’m going to try to work on it on the next record,” Mustaine says. “Because it was actually really cool to see Ellefson writing something and hear him singing.”
Megadeth’s European tour launches January 20 in Helsinki, Finland.
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