Live Review: David Ellefson, Alkira

Although an unlikely avenue for a world renowned member of heavy metal royalty to perform, David Ellefson (of Megadeth fame) deflected the expectations. Rather than spending his spoken word tour of Australia telling stories about debauched party antics in the late ‘80s, Ellefson used the intimate performance to pose some delicate explanations as to why pinnacle points in the band’s history came to occur. It was also an analysis of how Ellefson’s own life influenced Megadeth and a breakdown of his signature playing style.

Local heavy thrashers Alkira were endowed with the honour of supporting the show. They opened up in style; their uncompromising sound sits somewhere in between the heavier Megadeth of the Rust In Peace era and the blistering tech-death of Boston’s Revocation. Pummelling through such songs as Submission Therapy and The Night Mare, Alkira’s continual tip of the hat to classically considered riffs, breakneck gallops and thumping breakdowns assimilated perfectly with the smattering of gratuitous guitar solos. Playing to a seated crowd is definitely not easy for a band of such high intensity. Fortunately, Alkira rose poignantly to the occasion, and to much ado from the crowd.

After being welcomed to the stage, Ellefson began by stating that he was not actually a born again Christian. Having been baptised as a youngster (coincidentally, the church was destroyed soon after) Ellefson’s decision to reclaim his roots was one that made sense and brought him closer to his family. The presentation did assume a certain level of prior knowledge about Megadeth, and rather than telling us what most would have already seen in documentaries or read in Dave Mustaine’s book, Ellefson delved into niche tales unexplored.

Ellefson is an amusing and down to earth dude. We heard performances of songs such as Five Magics, Loved To Death, Lucretia, Sweating Bullets and Holy Wars. The seasoned player instantly made his talent apparent and was a joy to watch in the spotlight. Some things we learnt: Megadeth dropped the letter A to have eight letters in their name - eight being the perfect infinite number. There will never be a follow-up to Rust In Peace, Ellefson says in response to a fan question: “We had to be on heroin and crack to write it!” Everything about Megadeth has always been serious and meditated, and the spoken word show proved insightful for fans of the band and a gold mine of inspiration and advice for musicians.