Jeff Young Says Kings of Thrash’s Debut “Will Be Better Than” Megadeth’s Latest Releases

Last month, ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson said he wasn’t “throwing rocks” at his former band by working on projects like Kings of Thrash. It was a noble stance to take, but his fellow Megadeth alum Jeff Young apparently didn’t get the memo, as he absolutely tried to bury everything Dave Mustaine’s band has put out in recent years.

During an interview with Metal Edge, the guitarist sought to give Kings of Thrash a bit of a boost in the press by making the claim that the band’s debut album was going to eclipse modern Megadeth. And in his mind, that terrifies Mustaine.

“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.

“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.”

Now, we’re not going to sugar coat things when it comes to Megadeth’s latest albums. From Supercollider and Thirteen to Dystopia and The Sick, The Dying… and the Dead, the band’s last few albums have ranged from middling with a shrug to downright horrible. It’s been a looooong time since the days of Countdown to Extinction and Rust In Peace, that’s for sure.

As for Kings of Thrash’s debut album, we’ve only heard a little bit of it so far, so we can’t really judge Young’s assertion. Would it be cool if they put out an all-time thrash metal record? Hell yeah. Would it be better than Megadeth’s stuff? Only time will tell.