David Halbe 
Leering at a camera from inside a prison cell would have been fine in the ’80s but in today’s age it seems wildly inappropriate. More farce than fear. Perhaps a lockdown at high school would have been more appropriate but these guys are so out of touch with the current musical landscape they couldn’t find it if it was growing on their ass!
Now that I’m older I feel like I can finally see the bigger picture, where metal went wrong.
Growing up in the ’80s I experienced the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) firsthand. I remember buying a cassette tape of Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary of a Madman when I was 12 years old.
When I hit my teens bands like Metal Church and Hallows Eve became groups I could call my own.
I think metal survived this transition because the old were willing to introduce the world to the new. Ozzy toured with Metallica and later Anthrax. Judas Priest hit the road with Slayer. Dio and Alice Cooper utilized Megadeth as support. Not only did this unification help with ticket sales, but it also passed the torch and helped rebuild metal’s fanbase.
Fast forward to today – in my humble opinion, the so called ‘Big Four’ did little or nothing to help keep metal alive. Instead of exposing the world to up and coming acts, these supposed juggernauts chose to align themselves with other aged bands, perpetuating metal’s doom.
Honestly, that is why acts like Kings Of Thrash make me want to puke. Talk about cash grabbing, this farce of a band takes the cake. First of all, this group is a Megadeth cover act made up of a bunch of has-beens and never were artists: David Ellefson (Bass), Jeff Young (Guitars), Chaz Leon (Guitars/Vocals), and Fred Aching (Drums).
The only artist worth recognizing is Ellefson, who apparently kept it in his pants long enough to record some new material. Why the band appears to be signed to Cleopatra Records and not Dave’s own EMP Label Group, also known as Ellefson Music Productions is a real head-scratcher.
The music of this group, aside from Megadeth covers, is basically a stale thrash band with vocals that sound like a fruit bat getting put through a meat grinder.
The riffs are stale. Thrash has progressed way beyond this antiquated style, a group calling themselves Kings Of Thrash should be more in-tune with today’s thrashers like: Sylosis, Evile, Dust Bolt, Chronosphere, or Elm Street. Honestly, I’d call them the Kings Of Trash not Thrash – this poor excuse for extreme music just doesn’t cut it.
Leering at a camera from inside a prison cell would have been fine in the ’80s but in today’s age it seems wildly inappropriate. More farce than fear. Perhaps a lockdown at high school would have been more appropriate but these guys are so out of touch with the current musical landscape they couldn’t find it if it was growing on their ass!
If there is a saving grace, it’s the fact that this group is at least willing to hit the road with some fresh blood. Bands like Red Devil Vortex and Seizure are scheduled to open on this planned tour, Thrashin’ The East 2025.
I can tell you right now, I won’t be there. I give this lame band and their bullshit video a solid pass. \m/
KINGS OF THRASH is:
- Chaz Leon – Vocals, Guitars
- David Ellefson – Bass
- Fred Aching – Drums
- Jeff Young – Guitars
