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.
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.
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 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.”
During its 2023 “Thrashin’ USA” tour, Kings Of Thrash played another new original song called “Bridges Burned”.
2 Comments
This is awful. Embarrassing would be a compliment. As someone who grew up with thrash (born 1971), there’s literally no time in my metal life where I see this being anything other than PURE SHIT. Step aside and let younger bands that actually mean something do their thing.
I wonder if you will ever hear Megadeth on the radio that is close to the f-22 raptor thrust . Heck they would only have to work a couple hours to buy their own raptor , lol