If you have been yearning for the golden age of Megadeth, then the Dave Ellefson-led Kings Of Thrash may just be the vehicle to transport you back. Tonight in Dublin, alongside his former Megadeth buddy Jeff Young, lead vocalist/guitarist Chaz Leon and drummer Fred Aching, they brought The Mega Years Tour to the banks of the River Liffey for a night of nostalgic ear abuse.
Kings Of Thrash
The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026
Words: Brian Boyle
Photography: Steven Maloney
Tonight is marked with a bit of sentimentality for me, as while touring their So Far, So Good….So What! album in 1988, Megadeth’s stop off at the Olympic Ballroom in Dublin was my maiden voyage in Thrash Metal concerts.
I remember the night vividly. I was nervously dropped off in an unfamiliar part of the city, and trusted enough by my Dad to bus it home on the 20B to Beaumont.
The night also saw another first. The breaking of my crowd surfing cherry, an out-of-body and near out-of-jeans experience, something not repeated tonight, I might add.
And while this evening I was minus the mullet and the five quid bootleg t-shirt, when Into The Lungs Of Hell got its pistons pumping, you could have knocked me over with a feather as middle-aged hormones took hold.
Naturally, Kings Of Thrash are not a patch on the all-conquering Megadeth of that time, and it is pointless to overcompare. This is just a no-frills, riotous tip of the hat to a monumental period in Thrash Metal history.
What we got this evening was a prime selection of material from the first four Megadeth albums, which few would deny was the band at their creative best.
Opener Rattlehead could not have kicked it off any better. 41 years on and this tune still makes your fillings rattle.
You have got to hand it to Chaz Leon. With a few nit picking purists always lurking about, taking on the Mustaine role is like wearing a target on your back. But his confident demeanour is backed by a man totally immersed in his role. He took on big boys like The Conjuring and Set The World Afire and did them real justice.
Having ignored the tour’s set list up to this point, I must admit, I was hoping for but not expecting Anarchy In The UK. And to my joy, it was as gloriously ragged as it was in ’88.
While the set list is a generous selection, the fact that they were peppered out in a room with a capacity of about 250 made it a more authentic experience.
Do not get me wrong. It is heartening when Thrash Metal bands get promoted to arena status, but the songs just do not hit home in the same way. But when you are in a tight space like The Sound House in what felt like 40 degrees, golden era tunes like Mary Jane and 502 were only going to land the way nature intended.
As ever, Ellefson takes everything in his stride. There was a look of great contentment in everything he did tonight. Even while Fred Aching was doing his drum solo, the revered bassist and coffee entrepreneur was happy to sign and take selfies without a hint of fuss.
And his buddy Jeff Young looked to be having a jolly old evening too. He appeared at times in his own world, totally immersed in an odd-looking guitar that looked like a modified Steinberger that had grown a dodgy-looking head from somewhere.
Still, it was refreshing to see a guitarist not sticking to the Thrash Metal stereotype. And his odd-looking tool did not make In My Darkest Hour or Hook In Mouth sound any less bruising.
The first sign of a mosh pit sparked off during Good Morning/Black Friday, not a ferocious one though, but hats off to the group of teenagers for getting it going in the first place. This old git was not sacrificing his safe and snug stage right position for anything.
The Rust In Peace album got its moment in the spotlight as Dawn Patrol laid the foundation for Tornado Of Souls to wreak its usual havoc.
There was no leaving and dramatically returning for an encore carry-on tonight. Instead, Ellefson and Young declared their undying love for Iron Maiden, especially the Di’Anno period. That then heralded an impressive and Thrashed up version of Murders In The Rue Morgue.
How do you top that? Simple. You ram out Peace Sells in all its legendary glory. From hearing that immortal Ellefson bass line live for the first time as a young one all those years ago, to watching the video on Mick Wall’s Monsters Of Rock and, of course, hearing multiple plays on Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show, seeing it done basically in your face was a joy beyond measure.
I have not seen Megadeth since that memorable night in 1988, and in all honesty, in their current state, I have no great desire to again.
So if it is Kings Of Thrash from here on in, then that will do me just fine.
