Former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young recently spoke with Ultimate Guitar's Justin Beckner to discuss his work with Kings of Thrash and Megadeth. Following is an excerpt from the interview.
UG: I've spoken with quite a few former members of Megadeth through the years and there does seem to be a kinship that you all share. It's almost like some sort of a survivor's group…
Young: "Oh yeah, it's like a commiseration society of sorts, and even before Kings of Thrash, I'd had Chris Poland on my radio show, Nick Menza, James LoMenzo, even Kiko Loureiro, I'm friends with Shawn Drover, all the guys and we all get along great. There is that kind of element of it because we all have mutual understanding of what we all went through. It's rock and roll veteran society of sorts."
UG: I did want to ask what that was like when you first joined that band. Because I had heard that at the time you joined, you were straight edge. Is that true?
Young: "Yeah, true then and true now, and that was a 'Hey, Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore' kind of scenario when I joined the band, because I was super green, you know, I had just arrived in LA. By the time I got the gig, I had been there four years, but it was four years locked in my bedroom, playing guitar 14 hours a day… that makes Jeff a dull boy. So I hadn't really been around, and so what I started being exposed to in short order, once I stepped in the studio and onward was a shock in no uncertain terms for sure. But I remember, early on, I made a pledge to myself that I'd stay in the band only as long as it was healthy for me. You can trace my duration with the band and correlate those two elements, and there you go."
Read more here.
Kings Of Thrash, featuring David Ellefson and Jeff Young, have shared a new performance video for their first original song, "Bridges Burned". Watch below.
The band previous stated: "Here it is, our first KOT original song 'Bridges Burned'! One that has its origins from a riff Jeff brought in back in 1988, intended for what became 'Rust In Peace’. Today that riff laid the groundwork for a truly collaborative effort between the four of us in Kings of Thrash and paves the way for our creative path forward... more to come!"
Kings Of Thrash will be releasing a live CD/DVD package called Best Of The West… Live At The Whisky A Go Go on March 24. The 17-song set was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, CA on October 15, 2022 and also features performances with Chris Poland. The DVD was directed by Michael Sarna for Inmotion Entertainment. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
Disc 1: CD
"Last Rites"
"Rattlehead"
"The Skull Beneath The Skin"
"Good Mourning / Devil's Island"
"Wake Up Dead"
"502"
"In My Darkest Hour"
Disc 2: CD
"Orange Light"
"Into The Lungs Of Hell"
"Set The World Afire"
"Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good"
"Chosen Ones"
"Liar"
"Hook In Mouth"
"Mechanix"
"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"<
"Peace Sells... But Who’s Buying?"
Disc 3: DVD
"Last Rites"
"Rattlehead"
"The Skull Beneath The Skin"
"Good Mourning / Devil’s Island"
"Wake Up Dead"
"502"
"In My Darkest Hour"
"Orange Light"
"Into The Lungs Of Hell"
"Set The World Afire"
"Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good"
"Chosen Ones"
"Liar"
"Hook In Mouth"
"Mechanix"
"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"
"Peace Sells... But Who’s Buying?"
Kings Of Thrash launched their 2023 world tour on February 16 in Joliet, Illinois. The Thrashin' USA tour will cross the Midwest, East Coast, and southeastern part of the USA through March 15. Watch a tour promo video below.
As with the band's 2022 warm-up shows, the group will be performing the Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good and So Far, So Good… So What albums in their entirety.
Kings Of Thrash also feature Chaz Leon on vocals and guitar and Fred Aching on drums. Support on all shows will be provided by Hatriot. VIP packages will be available for all shows, here.
Tour dates:
March
3 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
4 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
5 - Harrisburg, PA - Midtown Arts Center
7 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall
8 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
10 - Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theatre
11 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
12 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
14 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
15 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)
