Ex-MEGADETH Members JEFF YOUNG And DAVID ELLEFSON To Launch New Original Band With FRED ACHING And Singer From Brazil
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In an interview with Jaime Poulos of Metal Express Radio, former MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young revealed that he has formed "a whole original band" with fellow ex-MEGADETH member David Ellefson (bass) and Fred Aching (drums),all three of whom are also playing together in KINGS OF THRASH.
"Everyone's saying KINGS OF THRASH is coming out with an original album, and it's not KINGS OF THRASH," Jeff clarified (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Chaz [Leon] is our singer for that, for doing the MEGADETH stuff [with KINGS OF THRASH], but for the original stuff, Ellefson and I have been writing for over a year; we've been working on some songs. We're using this guy from Brazil that's gonna blow you guys away. He sounds kind of like [Ronnie James] Dio meets Chris Cornell meets Rob Halford. He's got perfect pitch, so he never hits a bad note. It's crazy."
Asked what it's like to play with Ellefson again after so many years, Jeff said: "It's super cool. We didn't really get a chance to know each other back in the day because I think [MEGADETH leader] Dave Mustaine was like the toxic thorn in the middle. But now that that's out of there, we're not only seeing… 'cause we probably lived ten different lives since then. We're different people. We're more mature and we're getting to know each in a whole different time and space. So it's like nostalgia plus it's brand new."
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!" and "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 this past March via Cleopatra Records. The DVD, which was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment, includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar).
In some recent interviews, Ellefson suggested that the upcoming original material from him and Young may not be released under the KINGS OF THRASH moniker. "Because, look, it doesn't have to be thrash," he told KNAC.COM. "It doesn't even have to be from a MEGADETH origin, really. Even though that was kind of the origin story, it doesn't have to sound like that. It should be us, who we are now today, I think. So, we've decided KINGS OF THRASH, for sure, is this [touring project] playing the music of yesterday. And then we're just deciding now, okay, this new music, to fit within that, should it be Jeff Young and David Ellefson doing something together? You know — ELLEFSON-YOUNG."
Last month, Young told Metal Edge about KINGS OF THRASH: "Let me put it this way: What's happening now is a win for all of us — Dave [Mustaine] included. 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."
