KINGS OF THRASH, the acclaimed union of MEGADETH alumni David Ellefson (bass) and Jeff Young (guitar),plus Chaz Leon (vocals, guitar) and DEAD GROOVE/BULLETBOYS drummer Fred Aching, with special guest (and fellow ex-MEGADETH-er) Chris Poland, returns to the fray with a stunning new single, and a dramatic shift in attitude, too.
The band, after all, is most renowned as the sonic spark that detonated one of the recent past’s most incendiary live albums, the mighty “The Mega Years” reinvention of MEGADETH‘s first and three studio LPs, “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good” (1985) and “So Far, So Good…So What?” (1988),plus highlights from the intervening “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying!” (1986). The albums, in other words, upon which the entire thrash metal genre was built and defined in the first place.
As guitarist Young put it at the outset of the continent-devouring “Mega Years” tour: “The mission here is to bring a connection of goodwill through the music, with a collaboration of musicians and friends in our community. Our thrash tribe casts a wide net to give people hope in a time when they’re looking for something positive and uplifting. What better way than to do that than through the music which has become the soundtrack to our lives.”
Released today, the new single “Lockdown”, however, sees the KINGS OF THRASH step out of the shadow of their old band, while both maintaining, and even amplifying all the qualities that made those albums so wildly influential.
A brand new KINGS OF THRASH original, “‘Lockdown’ has it all,” confirms guitarist Poland. “Great riffs. A super catchy chorus. And a rhythm section that is locked up tight! And I’m honored to have been invited to be a part of it.”
“Lockdown” is what Young describes as “a cool mix of ’80s thrash and punk vibes, plus four guitar solos (!!!) We had a lot of fun bringing this song to life!”
“‘Lockdown’ captures the true spirit of old school thrash metal,” says bassist Ellefson, “with a lyric that can be seen as timely in this chaotic world we now live in.”
A stunning new video, directed and edited by drummer Aching and his DEAD GROOVE bandmate Holly West, can be seen below, capturing KINGS OF THRASH both live in the studio and, appropriately, behind bars.
During its 2023 “Thrashin’ USA” tour, KINGS OF THRASH played another new original song called “Bridges Burned”.
KINGS OF THRASH recently completed a couple of tours during which it performed MEGADETH‘s classic albums “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good” an “So Far…So Good… So What!” A live CD/DVD package called “Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go” was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and was released in March 2023 via Cleopatra Records. The DVD, which was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment, includes an appearance by Poland.
“Let me put it this way: What’s happening now is a win for all of us — Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] included,” Young told Metal Edge in August 2023. “He gets to make money off the publishing from the MEGADETH songs we play. Dave knows that, so he’s very aware of us.”
Young continued: “He hates what KINGS OF THRASH is doing. But it doesn’t matter because, eventually, we’ll delete a lot of the MEGADETH from our set, and we’ll keep writing new stuff. But Dave is feeling the heat because we’re getting attention, and the KINGS OF THRASH album will be better than anything MEGADETH has done recently. And we’re playing all the MEGADETH songs better than he has in years. It’s not just me saying that — read the reviews.”
In January 2023, Young told Ultimate Guitar that he and Ellefson had not received any feedback from Mustaine about their new band or their recent live shows. “We couldn’t care less… and it’s a win-win for him,” Jeff said. “Because all the publishing, for example, on the ‘Best Of The West’, he’s getting all that money. We’re making him money and he doesn’t have to do anything. So, we’re performing the songs because they’re part of our history and the fans want to hear them and we will benefit from that, and so will he, so it’s a win-win. How much cooler can anything be than that? So, if he has something to say about it… I wouldn’t imagine it would be very objective… not that anything he’s ever said has been objective.”
Jeff‘s recent comments were similar to those he made in 2022 when he told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series that he and Ellefson were “really not concerned” about Mustaine‘s reaction to KINGS OF THRASH. “I don’t pay attention,” he said. “I haven’t really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the ‘Rust In Peace’ album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.
“For us, this isn’t about any spite or retaliation; it’s a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create,” he explained. “And it’s fun for us to do this.
“People said, ‘You should do this.’ And we said, ‘Hey, yeah, you’re right. We should do this.’ It’s a win-win — it’s a win for us, and it’s a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It’s promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially ‘Killing Is My Business’, I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.
“For us, it’s all about positivity,” Young added. “We’re all in this moment — we’re living in the moment, and we’re not looking beyond. We’re not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent’s positive. We like playing together. We know we’re crafting original music. We’re not relying on this; we don’t need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want.”
Ellefson told Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates. “This is a celebration, not a retaliation,” he explained. “This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It’s, like, ‘Wow. Wouldn’t it be fun if we went out and played these records?’ And we’re doing it. So it’s meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine] always called me ‘The Ambassador’, and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it’s, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will.”
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH three years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.
David was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.
In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.
Young‘s entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band’s 1988 platinum-selling album “So Far, So Good…So What!”
Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, “dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble.” He also disputed Mustaine‘s claim in an interview that Young‘s drug problem led to MEGADETH‘s 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being “banned” from performing in the country.
There’s more KINGS OF THRASH on the way, too, as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of MEGADETH‘s “Youthanasia” and other thrash classics. Their “Thrashin’ SoCal” mini tour ignites at the Whisky on September 4, before “Thrashin’ The East” begins in Frenchtown, New Jersey on October 17. Young concludes: “We can’t wait to hear everybody singing the ‘Lockdown’ chorus with us live!”
Content shared from blabbermouth.net.