MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland will join forces for a tour of Japan and Australia in May. It will mark the pair's first time hitting the road together in 37 years.
Dates:
Japan
May 17 - Trad, Osaka
May 18 - Liquid Room, Tokyo
Australia
May 22 - Max Watts, Melbourne
May 23 - Manning Bar, Sydney
May 24 - Crowbar, Brisbane
May 25 - The Basement, Canberra
May 26 - Enigma Bar, Adelaide
David Ellefson, legendary bassist of iconic "Big Four" thrash metal titans MEGADETH, will bring his eponymous solo band, including vocalist Thom Hazaert, to Australia in May, reuniting with MEGADETH's classic "Peace Sells"-era guitarist Chris Poland for a once-in-a-lifetime thrash event.
Fresh off the boat from MEGADETH's Megacruise, where Ellefson and Hazaert performed a crushing set of tracks from their debut 2019 release "Sleeping Giants", alongside MEGADETH classics and deep cuts, featuring guest appearances from MEGADETH's Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren, dedicated to Dave Mustaine, absent from the cruise due to his throat cancer diagnosis, Ellefson's "More Live With Deth" tour comes to Australia and Japan, featuring full sets from Ellefson and Poland, with an epic finale any thrash fan will not want to miss.
Ellefson and Poland appeared together on MEGADETH's debut, 1985's "Killing Is My Business.. And Business Is Good" and their landmark 1986 album "Peace Sells But Who's Buying", widely regarded as one of the most influential thrash albums of all time.
With a career spanning four decades, Ellefson is a Grammy Award-winning musician and best-selling author, with one of the most recognizable and distinctive bass guitar sounds in metal. The opening bass riff to "Peace Sells" was immortalized as the intro music to the long-running MTV News, and is ranked No. 11 in the "40 Greatest Metal Songs Of All Time" by VH1.
In 2019, Ellefson also released his second memoir "More Life With Deth", co-written with Hazaert, recounting both the early days of MEGADETH, and his journey since rejoining the band in 2010.
After his departure from MEGADETH, Poland went on to release his classic 1990 solo debut "Return To Metalopolis", celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020 with a reissue from Ellefson's Combat Records, in stores in the U.S., and digitally worldwide on Friday, February 21, as well as DAMN THE MACHINE, OHM! (which would later include late former MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza), and several other acts that perfectly showcased his distinct jazz-infused thrash/rock style, as well as performing on albums for LAMB OF GOD, TOURNIQUET, and more.
In 2020, Poland was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame, at a star-studded induction ceremony, which also included inductees Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, PRONG, Don Dokken, Geoff Tate, and more, where he was inducted by Hazaert, and VIO-LENCE/former MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel, who also joined him onstage for a blistering live performance.
In 2019, Poland reunited with Ellefson, making a guest appearance on "Sleeping Giants", which also included contributions from Mark Tremonti (ALTER BRIDGE, CREED), Eric "A.K." (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM), DMC, John Bush (ARMORED SAINT, ex-ANTHRAX), and more. Poland later joined Ellefson, Hazaert, and the "Sleeping Giants" band live in Fullerton, California at The Slidebar, for a surprise guest appearance that set the Internet on fire, with MEGA fans hungry for more.
Ellefson says of Poland: "It was great to reconnect with Chris, musically and personally, who is still, and always has been, one of the most innovative players in metal. Playing with him live again was amazing, and the fans really loved it. We're so excited to be able to do it again, and bring it to Japan and Australia!"
