David Ellefson's band Kings of Thrash won't always play mainly Megadeth covers, the bass player indicated in a new interview. As subsequently summarized by Blabbermouth, Ellefson, a former Megadeth bassist, is now working on "some new material" with Kings of Thrash, just one new band he's started since exiting Megadeth.
Ellefson says it's "stuff that we've already written, so we're gonna just get in the studio and cut the tracks." They would be the first full original Kings of Thrash songs to be heard apart from "Bridges Burned," the only original track the group has played live thus far. Kings of Thrash have previously shared teasers of other fresh studio material.
Watch the video near the bottom of this post.
In 2021, Ellefson was let go from Megadeth amid a sex scandal involving a leaked video that appeared to put the 58-year-old bass player in a compromising position. James LoMenzo replaced him after Testament's Steve Di Giorgio stepped in to record bass on The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, Megadeth's 2022 studio album.
READ MORE: David Ellefson Compares His Firing From Megadeth to Being 'Kicked Out of Hell'
Ellefson returned in The Lucid with Sponge's Vinnie Dombroski and Fear Factory's Mike Heller. Last year, Ellefson added another new act, Dieth. Finally, he debuted Kings of Thrash with fellow ex-Megadeth member Jeff Young. They launched their first tours performing sets of mostly early Megadeth covers.
Now, Ellefson tells Metal Wani of Kings of Thrash's new stuff, "They're probably gonna be one-off singles rather than a full-length album. And that, of course, could change, depending on how it goes in the studio. The studio has a mind of its own. So we'll know more in a couple of weeks."
He adds, "I think Jeff and I are creating something — we're creating a new sound. It doesn't have to be four songs of blistering assault. It can be musical."
Ellefson continues, "It's interesting connecting with Jeff all these years later, 'cause he's had his own experiences musically and in life [and] I've had mine. And now we intersect all these years later. It's like a family reunion. It's like, Tell me about your life. Where have you been? What have you done? Who have you seen? So I think that's the musical intersection that we're having as well right now."
Ellefson's History With Megadeth
"I'm always gonna be known for my work in Megadeth," Ellefson said in a separate interview last month. "Not being in Megadeth is not of my choice. I think people are appreciative that I'm continuing to make music, at least from what I've seen."
He explained "It's not like I left the band and said, 'Fuck you. I'm out.' 'Cause if I did that, and then if I was trying to start new bands, people would be like, Fuck you, Ellefson. You left our favorite band. Fuck you. We don't care. People know that that was not my decision. It's not the way I would [handle it]."
Ellefson Sex Scandal Video
In a May 2021 statement, Ellefson wrote, "Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me. The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge. I am working with [the police] in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted this video."
Megadeth then notified the musician that they would be dismissing him. They did so later that month, but didn't publicize it until issuing a statement.
"We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him," Megadeth's statement read. "We do not take this decision lightly. … While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough."
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David Ellefson Interview - May 20, 2023
Kings of Thrash Summer 2023 Tour Dates
July 12 – Canberra, Australia @ The Basement
July 13 – Brisbane, Australia @ The Zoo
July 14 – Melbourne, Australia @ Max Watts
July 15 – Sydney, Australia @ Crowbar
