JEFF YOUNG On KINGS OF THRASH: 'We're Proud Of It, And It's Been A Fun Journey'

In a new interview with Dales Rock Interviews, former MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young spoke about KINGS OF THRASH, his project with fellow ex-MEGADETH member, bassist David Ellefson, along with guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon and drummer Fred Aching. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been doing what we have been calling the 'Global Thrash' tour for three years now. I'll give you a quick nutshell of some of the places we played: Australia twice. We just played two nights in Japan, in Tokyo. It was amazing. We just got back from four shows in Colombia, which were great. Colombia's amazing. Mexico, Argentina. We've done the U.S. a few times. We just did Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, and Montreal. We were in Europe for a month, and we're going back."

He continued: "There's only, I think, 12 or 14 KINGS OF THRASH shows on the books, 'cause David Ellefson's gonna be off doing some METAL CHURCH gigs, and quite a few of 'em. So we're gonna be putting a pin in KINGS OF THRASH. I got my [solo] album coming out. We've all got different stuff going on. And we've been touring hardcore with KINGS OF THRASH, and we got two singles… But we went to Europe for a month solid. We played everywhere from the U.K. up into the Balkan region, Romania. I played places that I'd never played with MEGADETH or even with Badi Assad, the Brazilian world music thing I did. And Badi and I toured all over, and twice as long as I toured with MEGADETH. But KINGS OF THRASH, we've been all over, and the reaction has been great. 'Cause, of course, we do a different set list than MEGADETH. We focus on [1985's] 'Killing [Is My Business... And Business Is Good!]', [1986's] 'Peace Sells[... But Who's Buying?]', [1988's] 'So Far, So Good... So What!', with some 'Rust In Peace' [1990]. We do 'Tornado Of Souls', 'Dawn Patrol'. We've done 'Symphony Of Destruction'. We'll throw some newer stuff in there. But we focus on the deep cuts and the old-school MEGADETH, which they don't really play so much of. And we've been doing the 'So Far, So Good... So What!' album in its entirety quite a bit lately, and everyone loves that. And it's amazing to see how many people are coming with that on vinyl."

Young went on to praise KINGS OF THRASH frontman Chaz Leon, saying: "He just keeps getting better and better. But that's a hard thing to do, and people gave him shit at first. Anyone stepping into that type of role — I mean, look, to this day it's so funny to see the Sammy Hagar-versus-David Lee Roth feuding groups on Facebook.

"Whenever a new singer comes in or you change singers, [like BLACK SABBATH did by going from] Ozzy [Osbourne] to [Ronnie James] Dio, even as great as Dio is, you get a little backlash. But Chaz has really come into his own. He does what we need in KINGS OF THRASH brilliantly. He's a little husky in the voice. He's got a great look. The ladies love him, and he's just a cool kid, and he's a real metal fan. And he's a real MEGADETH fan. I mean, he still plays in his own MEGADETH tribute, WOKE UP DEAD, which is how he came to play in KINGS OF THRASH. He already had the seasoning, he had the rehearsal and the pedigree from his own tribute band."

According to Jeff, KINGS OF THRASH has "been a fun" and "unexpected" opportunity to revisit early MEGADETH material that Ellefson and he had been a part of.

"Who could have thought — I'm in my 60s right now — who could have thought that we'd be playing this athletic, challenging music at this juncture in our lifetime?" Young said. "I was just telling the whole group, David and the whole group, when we were backstage in Colombia… I mean, David and I have really done, and it was by accident — these kind of things never happen by plan, and when they do, the audience can see through it. But during a time when MEGADETH still exists, is out touring, their latest album had success, they're gonna be doing a long run. Two O.G. members from the old school go off and create a offshoot band and create the vibe that we've done, it's pretty unprecedented. And we're proud of it, and it's been a fun journey, and the fans have been gracious. And it's just been a fun nostalgia trip to go back and reminisce and let people relive that era, if they were there. And [it's] even more amazing to see the parents, these people who were kids then, now as parents bringing their kids with the MEGADETH patch or the MEGADETH T-shirt of 'So Far, So Good... So What!'. I'm, like, 'Where'd you get that, kid?' To see the generations following the music, that's probably the most rewarding part of the whole experience. 'Cause a lot of people, that tour was before their time. When David and I toured with Chuck Behler and Dave Mustaine — I get a lot of people, 'Hey, I saw you at Monsters Of Rock,' or, 'I saw you here. I saw you in Detroit at Cobo Hall.' But more people came into MEGADETH later — [on] 'Rust In Peace' — so a lot of people missed that, so it's a great chance for people to catch that era. And we go for making it as legit 1987, '88 as it can be. And luckily we haven't aged too much the worse for wear so we can still fit into clothes and jump around and be athletic with it and have fun with it."

"Bullets Ready", the latest single from KINGS OF THRASH, came out in early May via Cleopatra Records. "Bullets Ready" features a vocal duet between Leon and Gabriel Connor, frontman of the rising Los Angeles theatrical rock group RED DEVIL VORTEX. The track also includes a special guest appearance by former EXODUS vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza.

"Bullets Ready" was mixed by Grammy-winning producer Cameron Webb, known for his work with MOTÖRHEAD, DANZIG and GODSMACK.

KINGS OF THRASH was formed in April 2022, following a special appearance by Ellefson and Young at "Ultimate Jam Night" at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California. The event was honoring the legendary "Big Four" of thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. During the evening, Ellefson and Young performed three classic MEGADETH songs alongside vocalist Chaz Leon. The electrifying performance sparked an immediate chemistry that led to the formation of KINGS OF THRASH.

KINGS OF THRASH was built around a concept envisioned by Ellefson: creating a live experience celebrating early MEGADETH albums and rarely performed deep cuts from his decades-long tenure with the thrash metal pioneers. This vision became known as "The MEGA Years".

In November 2022, KINGS OF THRASH took to the stage with four proof-of-concept concerts in San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Hollywood. Their performance at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip was filmed and recorded resulting in the acclaimed release "The Best Of The West - Live At The Whisky A Go Go". The double live album and DVD were released by Cleopatra Records in spring 2023 in both digital and vinyl formats.

In 2025, Cleopatra Records released KINGS OF THRASH's first thrash/punk-inspired song "Lockdown". With its accompanying music video, directed by KINGS OF THRASH drummer Fred Aching, the group distinguished themselves as more than just a nostalgic tribute band.

The music video for "Bullets Ready" was shot in Hollywood, California and again directed by Aching. Additional scenes were filmed at the infamous Nelson Valley Ghost Town in El Dorado Valley, Arizona — the same location as seen in the movie "3000 Miles To Graceland".

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 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 five 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.

Photo courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group