According to Loudwire, Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine confirmed in a Cameo video message that the bass parts for Megadeth’s new album have been recorded by an unnamed bassist. The hiring of a new bassist to finish recording the band’s forthcoming album, tentatively titled The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, follows former bassist David Ellefson’s departure from the band. The new album will serve as the follow-up to the band’s 2016 project Dystopia.

This past May, several sexually explicit videos involving Ellefson and a fan engaging in an online conversation were leaked which ultimately led to accusations against the former bassist of allegedly grooming a minor. Even though Ellefson admits that he did take part in the conversation, he denies the allegations that he was involved with a minor. Ellefson has since filed charges for “revenge porn” and is in the process of filing a defamation lawsuit.

Following the allegations, Mustaine released a statement on social media on May 24 that reads, “We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him. We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.”

In the same Cameo call, Mustaine teased the new album once again by revealing a new song title “The Dogs of Chernobyl” which he compared to their other song “Fatal Illusion.” 

Despite a lack of information regarding the band’s future lineup, Mustaine has confirmed that Megadeth will go forth with their co-headlining summer tour with Lamb of God. The tour will be supported by Trivium and In Flames.

Photo credit: Marv Watson