Dave Mustaine Invented ‘Thrash’?

Bassist David Ellefson says that Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine invented thrash. He made the claim while commenting on the 20th anniversary release of their renown album “Countdown To Extinction”.

“It could be argued that Motorhead were the earliest pioneers to point toward the genre but I think Dave Mustaine’s guitar playing (even in Metallica) was the invention of thrash,” Ellefson said (via Blabbermouth). “Thrash was really invented in the USA because it’s the hybrid of punk and metal music. We were the first generation of musicians to like the Sex Pistols and Black Sabbath, so as a result we drew from both punk and metal cultures to create our thrash.”

Ellefson says Megadeth will play “Countdown…” in its entirety on the forthcoming anniversary tour.

“Fans get to hear deep-cut album tracks instead of just the singles or the more popular songs,” he said. “We usually warm up the set with a few classics to get everyone in the mood, and then we finish with a couple classics so everyone goes away with the memory of those songs in their heads.”

Meanwhile, Mustaine himself reflects on the album fondly.

“When I listen to it, I think, ‘What was I reading then? What were we going through?’ Take the chorus of ‘Symphony Of Destruction’. I found a martial arts instructor I liked, and I started training with him,” he said. “You finish karate and go have sushi, right? I wrote on the back of the receipt from the sushi restaurant, ‘My head explodes. My brain corrodes.’ That’s where it started.”

So what do you think, did Dave Mustaine invent ‘thrash’?