Megadeth's David Ellefson & King's X's Dug Pinnick Talk Bass History

It comes as no surprise that metal fans love the guitar. But behind every sweet riff is a bassist holding down slick, frenetic grooves. In this latest episode of Fuse's digital series Metalhead to Head, we paired off two iconic bassists, Megadeth's David Ellefson and dUg Pinnick from legendary prog-metal band King's X. Both have had careers that span over three decades, played on countless recordings and toured the world over.

The episode starts off with the two trading licks before launching into a conversation about their favorite instrument. "I didn't even know what a bass was," confesses Ellefson about how he discovered the instrument. "I'd hear things like Styx, Kiss and BTO. That just appealed to me. Judas Priest was a corner record for me. Just the tone of the guitars, the way they played."

Pinnick's recollection goes deeper and harks back to his days growing up in Chicago, listening to blues and early soul music. "The day I remember hearing music, I heard the bass," he says, citing Led Zeppelin and Booker T as a primary influences.

Other highlights of the episode include Pinnick revealing plans for King's X to perform Gretchen Goes to Nebraska and getting taught a Megadeth song by Ellefson!

Both musicians are still quite active: Megadeth just released their fourteenth album, Super Collider, last year, and Pinnick's latest release is KXM, a metal supergroup with Korn's Ray Luzier and Lynch Mob's George Lynch. Watch part 1 above and part 2 below.

Watch new episodes of Fuse's digital series Metalhead to Head every other Wednesday at 1PM ET on Fuse.tv. Catch up on all the previous episodes of Metalhead to Head here!