DAVID ELLEFSON Talks About Early Days Of MEGADETH Featuring SLAYER's KING: Video Available

The makers of "Get Thrashed", the much-anticipated documentary profiling the thrash metal scene of the early Eighties and its impact on the music scene, have posted a 93-second video clip featuring former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson talking about the early days of MEGADETH when SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was helping them out with live performances. Check out the clip at this location (Windows Media).

As previously reported, a rare MEGADETH live video from 1984, filmed at the band's debut live performance in Berkeley, California with Kerry King of SLAYER guesting on guitar, has been posted online at YouTube.com.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine (web site),Kerry King and fellow SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman spoke about King's decision to play MEGADETH's first live shows more than 20 years ago:

Jeff Hanneman: "I thought [Kerry] was an ass for doing that. [laughs] I remember talking to Tom [Araya] about it, like, 'I guess we're gonna get a new guitar player.' I thought he was kissing Dave's [Mustaine] ass or something, and I thought it was kinda fucekd up. I think he was gonna join. Kerry will probably tell you something different, but why do that if you're not thinking about joining? I'm a loyalist, you know, and I thought SLAYER was the best thing going. Why go hang out with somebody else? If Dave would've asked me to do it, I would've told him to fuck off."

Kerry King: "I did it because I admired Mustaine — I'd seen him play with METALLICA. He'd be up there drunk off his ass, just ripping, not even looking at his fingers. Me and Jeff didn't know how to do that yet. [laughs] When he got kicked out and was sniffing around for a guitarist, I figured I'd do it because I thought I ould learn something. The other guys in SLAYER were probably unhappy, but we weren't really known back then, and the way I looked at it was that if people saw me playing in Dave's band, it'd be more publicity for SLAYER. Now you look back and you think 'supergroup,' but back then, absolutely not. I played their first five shows, and then I was like, 'Man, this is taking too much of my time.' I can't speak for Dave, but I don't think he would've been unhappy if I stuck around."

"Get Thrashed", the brainchild of director Rick Ernst, a longtime freelance producer for MTV, will include interviews with METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, EXODUS, GODSMACK, DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, DEATH ANGEL, SHADOWS FALL, MESHUGGAH, HIRAX, IN FLAMES, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STONE SOUR, SUPERJOINT RITUAL, LAMB OF GOD, VIO-LENCE, KREATOR, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, VOIVOD, CHIMAIRA, BIOHAZARD, FOZZY singer/WWE superstar Chris Jericho, SEPULTURA, KITTIE, THE HAUNTED, D.R.I., SOILWORK, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, HEATHEN, Brian Slagel, Jon & Marsha Zazula, authors Ian Christe ("Sound of the Beast") and Steven Blush ("American Hardcore"),NY metal radio DJ Eddie Trunk, "Radio Rampage"'s Ron Quintana, as well as unsigned thrash bands OSMIUM, CONCRETE COFFIN and VISCID.

Check out a four-minute video trailer for the documentary at this location (Windows Media, 8 MB) (right-click and "Save Target As" and download the file to your hard drive).