Chaz Leon of Kings of Thrash – The NAMM Show 2026 Interviews

Chaz Leon of Kings of Thrash – The NAMM Show 2026 Interviews

The NAMM Show has always been a magnet for the world’s most passionate musicians, but in 2026 the energy felt especially electric. Amid the whirlwind of performances, gear demos, and late‑night jams, Kings of Thrash frontman Chaz Leon carved out time to talk with us about the band’s momentum, their new music, and what it’s like sharing the stage with metal legends David Ellefson and Jeff Young. What followed was a candid, thoughtful conversation that pulled back the curtain on life inside one of thrash metal’s most talked‑about projects.

We’re here with Chaz Leon at the NAMM Show. First of all, what has been the highlight of NAMM 2026 for you?
NAMM 2026… man, the highlight is definitely the musicians all gathering and doing what they do best. The performances have been nonstop. You’ve got Ultimate Jam kicking things off on Tuesday, Metal Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Metal Allegiance yesterday, NAMM Jam last night—and that’s only half of it. There are so many concerts happening. It’s like Mardi Gras for musicians. All of the above, really.

How did you initially wind up in Kings of Thrash?
It’s actually a pretty cool story. Funny enough, it ties right back to Ultimate Jam. That event has been good for a lot of things—it rocks.

David and Jeff had announced they were going to get together and play some Megadeth tunes in May of 2022. It was already circulating online. I knew some of the folks at Ultimate Jam from the scene, and I remember thinking, “They’ve got two weeks to find someone to sing Megadeth? That’s going to be a challenge.”

I had a Megadeth tribute band at the time called Woke Up Dead, so I thought, “Hey, maybe I can help.” I reached out to Jessica Chase, who was organizing it, and asked who was singing. She said, “Actually, we were going to reach out to you.”

So she asked if I wanted to sing with David and Jeff. I joked, “Let me think about it,” but of course I said yes.

Jeff hit me up on social media, and we had a couple of Skype sessions—mostly just chatting. We tried to jam over Skype, but with the gear we had at the time, that wasn’t happening.

We got together, did three or four songs with no real rehearsal—just a quick run‑through backstage. After the show, David came up to me and said, “Hey man, that was awesome. Why don’t you learn all of So Far, So Good… So What! and all of Killing Is My Business? I want to go on tour.”

And I was like, “Sure.” That’s how it all started.

You have a new song, “Lockdown.” That’s an original, right? Tell me about the inspiration behind it and how you ended up doing original music.
Yeah, we’ve been dabbling in originals. We actually have another one coming out soon.

“Lockdown” started as a simple riff I came up with. I ran it by David and Fred, and we just built it out together. It came together pretty naturally.

The lyrics are about the trauma we all went through a couple of years ago. That stuff had been building up in me for a while, and I needed to get it out. Dave added a few riffs, we pieced everything together, and the song was born.

Are you playing it live yet?
Yeah, we’ve played it live several times—on tour in the U.S., in Mexico. It’s new, but fans seem to dig it. It’s a headbanger, it’s a mosher. When we see a pit break out, we’re like, “Okay, we must be doing something right.”

What has it been like celebrating the 30th anniversary of Youthanasia?
Chaz: Man, it’s been awesome. Kings of Thrash mainly focuses on the early Megadeth stuff—the ’80s era—which is one of my favorites. But when I first got into Megadeth in the ’90s, Youthanasia was the new album. I’m a huge fan of it.

It’s more melodic, and it’s got some great vocals. It’s been fun—different pace, but the riffs still slam. We’ve been doing four songs live: “The Killing Road,” “Victory,” “Reckoning Day,” and “Train of Consequences.” We might add more.

Our litmus test is always the crowd. If they’re singing along, moshing, moving—that tells us we’re doing something right.

When was the first time you played the Whisky a Go Go in your career?
I think it was early 2005. I had a thrash band called Absolution. This was during the new wave of thrash—bands like Warbringer, Exmortus, Bonded by Blood. A lot of those bands were just starting out.

We’d all get together—Desecrate, Rattlehead, all of us—and pack the Whisky with these insane thrash shows. I was probably nervous; I was still figuring out my live rig. I don’t remember how we played, but I remember the crowd. The thrash fans were absolutely rabid—mosh pits for days. It was awesome.

Does it still excite you to play the Whisky after all this time?
It does! I’ve played it so many times now that it feels like a hometown gig. I’m super comfortable there. I know the staff, they know me, I know how the stage sounds.

And it’s a piece of rock ’n’ roll history. It’s a cool vibe. You look around and think, “I’m so glad places like this are still alive and thriving.”

People see David Ellefson and Jeff Young as legends. How do you see them?
I do see them as legends—but I also see them as friends and bandmates. You can’t deny the legacy, especially with David. He’s a co‑founder of Megadeth. He’s been there since day one. You can see it in the way fans react to him, and the way other musicians react to him. It’s Dave Ellefson. For me, it was always “Dave and Dave”—that was my version of Megadeth growing up.

And Jeff too—he played on one of the most iconic albums, So Far, So Good… So What!. That’s one of my favorites. So many memorable solos. He’s not as widely known as David to the general Megadeth fanbase because he played on just that one album, but fans absolutely love him. They go nuts when he plays those solos. I love watching him do his thing.

Are you involved with any other bands right now? Would you like to do solo stuff?
I’m working on a couple of things for 2026. Nothing official yet, so I won’t announce anything here, but you’ll see some cool collaborations coming up.

Will it be a shocker when people see who’s involved? Maybe. I think some fans will be surprised, and others will go, “Oh yeah, that makes sense.” A little bit of both.

We’re here at NAMM—it’s all about gear. What are some of your favorite pieces of gear?
I’m an old‑school Peavey 5150 guy. That’s my go‑to rig for anything metal—Woke Up Dead, Kings of Thrash, all of it. So I always stop by the Peavey booth to see what they’re working on.

I’m also a big Hughes & Kettner fan. I have a Hughes & Kettner GrandMeister 40. It’s a 40‑watt tube head with a digital interface, so you get the best of both worlds. Everything can be programmed into a little footswitch, so you don’t need a huge pedalboard. Once you learn how to program it, it’s super versatile, easy to carry, and you can plug it in direct. It sounds killer. I’m always excited to see what Hughes & Kettner are developing.

What’s next for you and for Kings of Thrash?
Kings of Thrash has a new single coming out called “Bullets Ready.” It’ll be out on Cleopatra Records. I don’t have an exact date yet, but it’s coming in 2026.

We’re also doing a lot of touring this year. We’re hitting Tokyo next month, then Canada, then a short U.S. East Coast run in May. At the end of May, we’re going to Colombia with our friend Chris Poland—another absolute legend.

In August, we head to Norway, then the UK and Ireland, plus some other European dates. There might be more coming, but that’s what’s official for now.

Do you have any messages for Kings of Thrash fans reading this right now?
First of all—thank you. Thanks for coming out, thanks for the support.

Sometimes when you look online, it seems like there’s drama or animosity, but when you come to the show, it’s 100% for the fans. The whole setlist is crafted for you. We’re there to give you a great time.

I always say it’s a great time to be a Megadeth fan. You can go see Megadeth playing the big arenas with the more mainstream setlist, and then you can come see Kings of Thrash at a theater or club and get the old‑school, heavy, headbanging stuff. Why not enjoy both?

Whatever business happens between band members—that’s their business. As fans, it’s about the music. That’s what matters. So thank you for the support, and we’ll see you out there.

In Conclusion

As NAMM 2026 wrapped up, it was clear that Chaz Leon is steering Kings of Thrash into a powerful new era—one that honors Megadeth’s legacy while carving out a distinct identity of its own. With new music on the way, an ambitious touring schedule, and collaborations brewing behind the scenes, Chaz shows no signs of slowing down. For fans, the message is simple: keep showing up, keep supporting, and get ready for an even heavier year ahead.

(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Karyn Burleigh of Rock Edge Photography)

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