Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and acclaimed steel vocalist Jeff Scott Soto have as soon as once more joined forces and are set to launch their second album, “Unbreakable”, on August 15 by way of Rat Pak Data. The duo ELLEFSON-SOTO is joined by Italian guitarist Andy Martongelli and Paolo Caridi on drums and options 11 studio tracks with visitor appearances from Tim “Ripper” Owens (KK’S PRIEST, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and BURNING WITCHES frontwoman Laura Guldemond.
Throughout a latest look on Rock Camp: The Podcast, Ellefson said about ELLEFSON-SOTO: ”We began writing [the material for the first album], I feel, [a few] years in the past up in Wembley. The guitar participant of the group, Andy Martongelli, is out of Italy. So we began composing. We had a document, and he mentioned, he goes, ‘Dude, simply name Jeff Scott Soto to sing.’ And this was again in 2021 throughout COVID. So I hit Jeff. We despatched some stuff backwards and forwards. It sounded nice. We simply stored sending stuff. And eventually [Jeff] simply mentioned, ‘Moderately than me simply type of being the employed singer right here, I would actually like to simply be part of this.’ It was music to our ears. I would slightly do this too. I might pay you to sing on each track, however I feel we have one thing fairly cool right here.”
Ellefson continued: “So the primary document, in fact, is all the time about sort of discovering one another, so actually it is me and Jeff and Andy Martongelli — and our drummer Paolo as properly; he is additionally from Italy. So half the band’s Italian, half the band’s American, I suppose. As that first document got here out, it actually had a fantastic response to it, and so Andy and I began writing the second. And we bought it completed up again… I needed to get all the pieces executed earlier than Jeff went on tour with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA again in November [of 2024]. In order that was sort of our objective and our deadline, which we did. We blended the document within the New 12 months and bought all of it teed up and able to go and shot the movies and all the pieces.”
Relating to how “Unbreakable” compares to 2022’s “Trip In The Underworld”, David mentioned: “The second document, you’re feeling somewhat extra snug with one another, ‘trigger you are simply musically extra snug, personally you are extra snug. And we did not know if there’s ever gonna be a second document.”
Ellefson went on to say that he loves the “Unbreakable” album title. “I feel it speaks to plenty of my life for positive, and I feel it speaks to all of us,” he added. “I hope our viewers pertains to it, that collectively we’re stronger. And it doesn’t matter what sort of stuff we undergo, all of us undergo stuff. It is known as life. It is known as being human. And I feel so long as you simply sort of preserve transferring ahead…
“I keep in mind watching a yoga DVD one time and the trainer mentioned, he goes, ‘As people, we’re wired to suppose ahead, and ahead is the place hope is.’ That is why once you suppose it is over, that is when your hope’s gone and desires die and it is over,” David defined. “So I feel as people, at the least in my life, it is, like, simply all the time say sure, all the time preserve transferring ahead as a result of that retains the hope alive. It retains the hearth burning and the goal is all the time forward of you, not behind you and lamenting and wishing that it could’ve been completely different. And it is all the time about transferring ahead. So I feel ‘Unbreakable’ may be very a lot a illustration of us simply preserve transferring and preserve making music.”
The official music video for the “Unbreakable” title monitor — produced, directed and edited by Jamie Brown for Smoking Gun Inc. — may be seen under.
Recorded at Rogue Studios in Wembley, U.Okay. by Alessio Garavello and produced by Chris Collier (MICK MARS, KORN, FLAT BLACK),“Unbreakable” is a sonic assault full of catchy riffs, melodic vocals, and considerate lyrics that blends their traditional steel roots with trendy rock depth.
“This album digs even deeper,” Ellefson mentioned in a press launch final month. “It is heavier, extra private, and formed by all the pieces we have skilled on and off the stage.” Soto added: “The power we poured into this one — it is the sound of two lifetimes colliding in riffs, rage, and redemption.”
Ellefson additional commented: “One of many issues I like most is I really feel like you possibly can hear an actual sense of brotherhood on our data, that we’re actually within the inventive course of collectively as a band. The consistency of our sound has remained intact whereas permitting us to additional construct upon one another’s strengths from our debut album. It is an sincere, natural method that blends properly and lets us discover new sounds and musical paths. On the finish of the day, I do not suppose there’s something that an artist needs greater than that!”
“Unbreakable” will likely be obtainable on all main streaming platforms with restricted version autographed vinyl, CD and cassette bundles solely by means of Rat Pak Data.
Monitor itemizing:
01. Unbreakable
02. SOAB
03. Shout
04. Hate You, Hate Me
05. Poison Tears (that includes Laura Guldemond of BURNING WITCHES)
06. Ghosts
07. Vengeance (feat. Tim “Ripper” Owens of KK’S PRIEST)
08. Snakes And Bastards
09. It is Over Once I Say It is Over
10. The Day We Constructed Rome
11. Loss of life On Two Legs (bonus monitor) (CD and vinyl)
In a March 2025 interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Soto spoke in regards to the standing of the second album from ELLEFSON-SOTO. He mentioned on the time: “The document’s within the can.
“The best way Erik Martensson, he is the ringleader, the overseer [of Soto‘s W.E.T. project], David is that with ELLEFSON-SOTO,” Jeff defined. “He pulls the songs collectively, he will get the timing collectively, he will get the label aspect, all of the industry-side stuff collectively. I simply need to calm down and sit again whereas I am doing all of the million of different issues that I am doing, and I are available in after which I dive in and I put my enter.
“I like working with David and Andy [Martongelli], who’s our guitar participant and in addition co-writer within the band. And I like the truth that they permit me to be me.
“I’ve confirmed myself as an artist, producer, author, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, however there are nonetheless occasions the place I am going to do one thing and so they’ll go, ‘Hmm, [it’s] probably not what I believed you have been gonna do. Are you able to attempt extra of this? Strive extra of that?’ I do not thoughts that in any respect, as a result of no matter is sweet for the track, the most effective factor for the track, in fact. However on the subject of ELLEFSON-SOTO, I am actually, actually headstrong on the concepts I give you, and after I ship it to David, [I’m] like, ‘Oh, God, I hope he would not say, ‘Oh, I do not know, man.” And each time, him and Andy say, ‘House run. You knocked that one out of the park. That is superior.’ And that is what motivates me to wanna do extra and to present my all into that, even that scenario, as a result of I do know if I am making them pleased with what I am handing over, I do know ultimately, it is gonna be a cohesive sound and venture.”
Relating to the songwriting method on the second ELLEFSON-SOTO album, Jeff mentioned: “It is bizarre as a result of the primary album, once we did it, it wasn’t alleged to be an album. I used to be doing songs with David and Andy. We have been simply writing songs and recording songs through the pandemic. And it became, ‘Hey, we’re on to one thing right here. We will not give these songs to another person or simply use ’em as catalog music. We have now one thing right here.’ And that is what made us put that out as an album. This time round, we truly went in to document and write an album. We did not say, ‘Let’s simply write songs and see the place it goes.’ We truly went in and mentioned, ‘That is the sound. That is what we created on the primary album. Now let’s develop on it.'”
He added: “It is actually, actually good. I do not take heed to my very own stuff that always until I’ve to study songs for a tour or a present, however I truly discover myself listening to this document simply to take heed to it.”
ELLEFSON-SOTO‘s debut album, “Trip In The Underworld”, was launched in October 2022 by way of Rat Pak Data. The duo was joined by Martongelli on guitar and keyboards and Paulo Caridi on drums. Giada Jade Etro from the Italian energy steel band FROZEN CROWN made a visitor look on the track “The Day Earlier than Tomorrow”. Steve Conley and Ken Mary from FLOTSAM AND JETSAM carried out on the title monitor, “Trip In The Underworld”.
“Trip In The Underworld” was produced by Chris Collier and featured eleven tracks and three bonus recordings.
To formally launch the venture, Ellefson and Soto performed live shows in September 2022 in Italy the place they carried out a number of the music in addition to ran by means of varied catalog highlights, together with choices from MEGADETH and Yngwie Malmsteen. They have been joined by Martongelli because the musical director, in addition to Caridi on drums and Valerio De Rosa on rhythm guitar.
In March 2021 — two months earlier than David was fired from MEGADETH — Ellefson and Soto introduced that they’d been collaborating on some new materials underneath the moniker ELLEFSON-SOTO. The ELLEFSON-SOTO model of the RIOT traditional “Swords & Tequila” was concurrently launched throughout all digital streaming shops by way of Ellefson‘s Fight Data.
When Ellefson‘s collaboration with Soto was first introduced, David mentioned in a press release: “Jeff and I’ve been buddies for thus a few years that it is nice to lastly collaborate on some materials collectively. He has such a particular voice and ideal model for some new concepts my guitarist Andy Martongelli and I’ve been composing. We’re excited in regards to the progress of all of it and thought this might be an ideal time to present somewhat sneak preview.”
On the time, Jeff added: “As COVID-19 turned an enormous unfavourable across the globe, it truly provided many artists an opportunity to lastly collaborate with each other that may have by no means occurred in any other case… As I’ve recognized David for a few years, I knew from our different efforts exterior of our day jobs that we might give you some badass jams…and right here we’re, letting you in on our cool little secret.”
David was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and once more from 2010 till his newest exit.
