Megadeth Family Tree

November 16, 2024 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

This is a project aimed at making it easy to see who inspired the bands you love or even hate. For this I try not to use any influences that the band don’t claim themselves. There will be a focus on predecessors but successors will be added as they site the band. These trees become more and more interactive as new bands are added, allowing you to click any band that has a tree and jump to it.

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Megadeth are the thrash metal band formed by guitarist / singer / primary song writer, Dave Mustaine after being booted from Metallica shortly before recording their first album. This was not before Dave made his mark on the early years of that band. Along side the earlier members of Metallica, Dave Mustaine should be considered with equal respect in regards to the innovation of thrash metal. Following his firing, Dave went on to form one of the biggest most influential thrash bands.
Perhaps more than most bands, Megadeth has had a rotating door of members with Mustaine being the only consistent member. The first few years of Megadeth was a process of finding the right members for the band to kick off with the first notable line up being Dave, David Ellefson on bass, Chris Poland on guitar, and Gar Samuelson on drums. The first two albums were done with this line up with all song writing credits belonging to Dave.
The Third album would see replacements for Chris and Gar with Jeff Young on guitar, and Chuck Behler on drums. This album would be the first to feature a few co-writing credits from Ellefson, but otherwise songs are credited again to Dave.
The fourth album Rust in Peace would see the beginning of the only steady line up of Megadeth and would produce four albums in total. Marty Friedman would fill the guitar role with Nick Menza on drums. Rust in Peace was mostly written, again, by Mustaine with a co-writing credit and one full credit for a short song by Ellefson. For the next three albums though this line up would all have writing credit to some degree.

Phase One

Phase one of Megadeth consists of the first three albums. During this period Dave Mustaine was the sole writer with some contribution from David Ellefson on four tracks during that time.

Antonio Vivaldi

The Supremes

Diana Ross

Marvin Gaye

David Bowie is an influential rock icon. Dave said the first album he bought was the live album *ChangesNowBowie*.

The Rolling Stones are a huge band from the British Invasion. Dave named Keith Richards as an influence.

The Who were an influence on many. Dave mentioned them as an influence and that over the years realizes they was more of an influence then he realized.

Al Green

Stanley Clark

Deep Purple were a huge influence on many. Dave mentioned them as an influence. Deep Purple were also an influence on Sawn Drover. Kiko named Ritchie as an influence.

Led Zeppelin are among the most influential bands. Dave named *Presence* as his favorite album and named Jimmy page as an influence. Chris said their first album was one that first got him interested in guitar. Nick named Bonham as an influence. Al named Jimmy Page as an influence. Kiko named Jimmy as an early influence.

Mott The Hoople were a glam rock band that Dave named as an early influence.

Cat Stevens

Alice Cooper is perhaps the original shock rocker. Ellefson named bassist Dennis Dunaway as an influence.

Yes are an important progressive rock band. Ellefson named Chris Squire as one of his heroes.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of heavy metal. Dave named them among the bands he listened to a lot in high school, Vol 4 in particular. Ellefson is a fan of Dio era Sabbath. Jeff also named them as an influence. Marty named Tony as an influence and Sabatage as an influential album. Shawn named them as an early influence. Kiko named Tony as an important early influence.

UFO were an influential hard rock band particularly the years Michael Schenker was on guitar. Dave named *Phenomenon* as on of the albums he listened to the most in high school.

Budgie were a heavy rock/metal band. Dave talks about being a fan of them.

Scorpions are one of the earliest metal bands to follow in the wake of Sabbath. Both Mustaine and Ellefson are fans. Marty named Uli John Roth.

Sweet were an influential hard glam rock band. Ellefson named them as an early influence.

Thin Lizzy were an influential hard rock band. Ellefson named Phil Lynott as one of his heros.

Styx were a progressive rock based arena rock band. Ellefson named them as an early influence.

Bachman–Turner Overdrive were a Canadian Hard Rock band. Ellefson named them as the first rock band that made him want to play base, specifically he named their albums *Not Fragile*.

Aerosmith were one of the biggest American hard rock bands. Ellefson named them as an early influence. Shawn named being a fan.

Judas Priest have earned the title of metal gods for a good reason. They are an influence on Dave and he named Sad Wings of Destiny as the album that defines heavy metal. Ellefson names them as a big influence and moved him into a heavy metal direction from his hard rock roots with their live album Unleashed in the East. Jeff also named them as an influence. Shawn named Priest as an influence.

Kiss are one of the biggest hard rock bands. Dave named Ace Frehley as one of his influences on lead. Ellefson said hearing them was a huge influence and motivation to pursue music. Marty said that Kiss Alive! was the album that made him pick up guitar, and named Ace as an influence.

Rush were a hugely influential progressive hard rock band. Ellefson named them as an influence, and Geddy Lee as one of his heroes. Nick named Neil Peart as one have his biggest influences. Shawn named Rush as is favorite rock band.

AC/DC are the quintessential hard rock band. Dave named *Let There Be Rock* as one of the albums he listened to the most in high school. He named Malcom Young as his number one influence for rhythm guitar. He named Angus as one of his big lead influences. Ellefson also named them as an influence.

Angel were a somewhat proggy hard rock band. Dave said they were a favorite growing up.

Ted Nugent was an influential hard rock guitarist. Dave named him as an influence on his lead playing. Ellefson also named him as an influence. Shawn named Ted Nugent as an early influence.

Motorhead are hard rock and heavy metal legends. Dave named them as an influence. Ellefson is also a fan.

Boston was a big hard rock / arena rock band. Ellefson named their self-titled album first album as an influence. He even learned to play drums along to the album (not that he plays drums in Megadeth)

Sex Pistols had a huge impact on the punk world being one of the earliest and most prominent. Ellefson named them as an influence and said he learned to play guitar to their debut album.

The Ramones were the fathers of punk rock. Ellefson named them as a big influence and specifically *Rocket to Russia*. Marty named Ramones as possibly his biggest influence, and named Johnny.

Diamond Head was one of the earlier New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands. Dave named them as an influence.

Cheap Trick were a hard rock / power pop band. Ellefson named them as a big influence.

Foreigner were a popular arena rock band. Ellefson named them as an early influence.

Gordon Johnson

Van Halen was a hugely influential hard rock band. Ellefson named their first album as a big influence and eventually played in a role in him moving to LA to pursue music. Shawn Drover is also a fan. Kiko named Eddie as a big influence.

The Cars were a new wave band. Ellefson named them as an influence and said they got him into new wave.

Iron Maiden are one of the most influential metal bands. Dave named them as an influence and mentioned *Killers* in particular. Ellefson named Steve Harris as one of his heroes. Jeff also named them as an influence. Kiko’s website bio also names Iron Maiden as one of his influences.

Def Leppard were part of the new wave of British heavy metal turned hard rock / pop metal. Ellefson mentions their first album being inspirational given how young the guys Leppard were at the time.

Venom are the fathers of traditional black metal which combined Cronos’s growling vocals with many speed metal elements. Dave named them as an influence. Ellefson was also a fan.

After his time in Black Sabbath, Ozzy put together many influential musicians in his band. Ellefson named Bob Daisley as an influence in particular his arrangements on the first two Ozzy albums. Glen and Kiko named Randy Rhoads as an influence.

Mercyful Fate were a band with unique vocals and technical playing. Dave named them as an influence.

Aztec Camera were a pop / new wave band. Dave mentions Roddy Frame being a good pop song writer and has a copy of *Love*.

Crowded House were a pop / Rock band. Dave mentions liking their interesting choice of chords for them being jazzy.

Phase Two and Three

Phase two begins with the joining of Marty Friedman and Nick Menza who were one half of Megadeth through most of the 90’s and played on four albums. Phase three continues with Friedman on guitar, but Jimmy DiGrasso joining on drums for Risk. Marty would then be replaced with Al Pitrelli for The World Needs a Hero. Dave and Dave would continue with Dave being the primary writer, and Dave also contributing. (That wasn’t confusing was it?) Marty and Nick became involved in the writing process during their time starting on their second album with the band, Count Down to Extinction. Al contributed to writing for a single song on Risk. This phase of the band ended with the indefinite disbandment of Megadeth due to Dave losing the ability to play guitar for a time.

Buddy Rick

Buddy Rich was a big band jazz player and considered one of the greatest drummers by many. Nick, who’s dad at one time played in Buddy’s band, named him as a great and an influence.

Misora Hibari

Dubbed the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis. Marty names Elvis as an all time favorite and praises guitarist Scotty Moore.

The Beach Boys were surf rock known for their vocal harmonies. Marty named Brian Wilson’s playing with The Beach Boys for his chord structure and harmony.

Mahogany Rush was a hard blues rock band featuring Frank Marino. Marty named Frank as an influence and his playing allowed him to appreciate blues guitar.

Tommy Aldridge

Tommy Aldrich was a hard rock / heavy metal drummer playing with many bands including with Ozzy. Nick named him as an influence.

Queen are an influential rock band. Mary named their album The Game as “my favorite overall presentation of guitar, within the big picture of a band context”. Shawn is also a fan.

Pat Benatar was a popular hard rock / pop singer. Marty named Pat’s guitarist Neil Geraldo as possibly his biggest early influence.

Raven were a NWOBHM band. Marty names Raven with their album Wiped Out and an influential album for him.

Garbage an alt rock or maybe more rightfully an alt pop band. Marty named them as a later influence on him. Their first album released at a time Marty was still in Megadeth.

Phase Four and Five

Phase four of Megadeth begins with the recovery of Dave, once again able to play guitar. He released The System Has Failed with the temporary return of Chris Poland and all the instruments being filled by session musician. Following this the band would go through several lineup changes with no line up being consistent for more than two albums. Beginning with the following album United Abominations, brothers Glen and Shawn Drover joined on guitar and drums with James LoMenzo on bass. Glen would be replaced with Chris Broderick on the following two albums. Dave Ellefson would return for three more albums before being kick out. Steve Di Giorgio would step in as a session player following that. Kiko Loureiro would replace Chris Broderick for the following two albums starting with Dystopia. Chris Adler of Lamb of God would join for a single album which followed with Dirk Verbeuren on drums for the next.
As for writing credits, Dave would be the primary writer of everything. Glen would share credit with Dave on a single song. Shawn, Chris Broderick, and Ellefson would share credits on a few songs. Producer Johnny K would share multiple credits on Thirteen. Kiko would share a few credits on his first album with the band and the majority of his second album. Dirk also shared a single credit with Dave.

Baden Powell

Eric Clapton is an extremely influential guitarist who played with some very important bands including Cream. Kiko named him as an early influence but didn’t name anything specific. Chris Poland named Cream as an early influence.

Jimi Hendrix is one of the most influential guitarists to every play. Kiko named him as an early influence. Chris Poland also named him as an early influence

Jeff Beck was an important guitarist to come out of the 60’s. Kiko named him as an influence but he was also an influence on Chris Poland and Al Pitrelli.

Allan Holdsworth

Pat Metheny

Yngwie Malmsteen

Steve Vai is a virtuoso influential guitarist. Kiko named him as an influence.

Joe Satriani is an influential guitarist and guitar teacher. Kiko named him as an influence.

Greg Howe

Dave Mustaine said growing up he was around British Invasion stuff and Motown which he say he thinks influenced some of the rhythm of Megadeth. Dave said that the jazzy swing of Megadeth comes from his Motown influences he had as a kid. After Malcom Young has Dave’s biggest rhythm guitar influence he said any of the new wave of British heavy metal guys would have been second such as players form Diamond Head, Judas Priest, or Iron Maiden.

Dave Ellefson played in jazz band as a kid.

Before joining Megadeth, Gar and Chris played together for years and had most recently played together in a jazz fusion band called the New Yorkers. Dave said in an interview that Gar’s jazz style had a big impact on the dynamics of their songs at the time. Chris said him and Gar went from playing Deep Purple to the fusion stuff and wanted to be like John Mclaughlin and Brand X. Chris named Gar’s influences as Billy Cobham and Tony Williams, and Lenny White. Chris said they were both rock guys first who were later influenced by fusion guys. Although Chris and Gar were not part of the song writing in Megadeth, their jazz style had an influence on the sound during their period. (their influences are not listed in the main list because their influence on the Megadeth sound was temporary and don’t reflect the core sound of Megadeth which is carried forward without them.)

Chris Poland said as a kid he learned a little blues and folk guitar from his mom before learning to play piano from his aunt. He then was influenced to play guitar again by his older cousin who was playing guitar who played blues and rock stuff. He said he first took a real interest in guitar after hearing the first Led Zeppelin and Cream albums. He also was a fan of Jethro Tull, Hendrix, and Mountain. He was then influenced by Jeff Beck with his albums Truth and Jeff Beck Group. He also named Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, and anything Jeff Beck and Stanley Clarke, Robin Trower, and Jaco Pastorius.

Jeff Young appearing for lead guitar on So Far, So Good.. So What!, named influences as Montrose, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Allan Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, and Paco de Lucía.

I’m unsure who influenced Chuck Behler.

Marty past his time in Megadeth was later influenced by Aya Matsuura. He also said he has been influenced by non guitar music such as “Indian ragas, Chinese Erhu music, Japanese flute and koto music, Okinawan music, Turkish and Iranian violin music”

Besides the influences listed above, Nick’s Wikipedia lists several other jazz drummer besides Buddy Rich. However, at the time of writing this web archive is down which has the original source. For now I will leave those drummer of the list until can verify them to be correct.

Al named influences as: The Allman brothers (Duane Allman, Dickie Betts), Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Gary Moore, and The Beatles. He’s also a fan of Paul Rodgers/Bad Company, Elton John, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Tower of Power, AC/DC, Van Halen, Disney’s Fantasia

Glen’s Seymour Duncan profile lists his influences as Tony MacAlpine, Al Di Meola, Randy Rhoads, Greg Howe, George Lynch, Warren DeMartini, and David Gilmour.

Shawn named influences as: The big four (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer), Exodus, Testament, Judas Priest, and named Rush as his favorite rock band. Some of the early stuff he was playing to was Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Ted Nugent He mentions listening to Deep Purple, Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Steely Dan, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Queen. He in particular named being a fan of Supertramp and Kansas. Shawn also plays guitar and named early influences as Pat Travers, Eddie Van Halen, and Ritchie Blackmore.

Chris Broderick named influences ranging from Dokken, Van Halen, Metallica, King Diamond, Pantera, Meshuggah, and Revocation. He named guitarists Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Scott Mishoe, Andres Segovia, Pepe Romero, Al Di Meola, and flamenco guys like Paco De Lucia, Paco Peña and guys like that. He also named Chet Atkins and Danny Gatton, and more recenlty Johnny Hiland. He also named Bach’s counter point as an influence on approaching Megadeth harmonies. His Jackson profile also lists John Petrucci, Richardo Iznaola, Djanjo Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery.

Kiko said the same year he got is first electric guitar Queen, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Scorpions, AC/DC, and Whitesnake all played Rock in Rio which got him much more seriously into guitar. He also names being a fan of jazz guys like Wayne Shorter, Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. In a 2009 interview when asked what he was listening to he named a veriety of stuff ranging from “Paco de Lucia, Yamandu Costa, Marco Pereira, Marco Tardelli and also some jazz like John Coltrane or Wayne Shorter. Jeff Beck – always.
Some bands like Mesugahh, Tool, King Crimson.” His website bio also names Herbie Hancock and Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal

Dirk only shared credit on a single song. He lists influences as Dave Lombardo, Mick Harris, Sean Reinert, Steve Flynn, Mike Smith, Chad Smith, Pete Sandoval, Napalm Death, Godflesh, Beastie Boys, Björk. He also names albums which he listened to a lot as “Consuming Impulse (Pestilence), Speak English Or Die (S.O.D.), early Nuclear Assault and Metallica, Symphonies Of Sickness (Carcass), World Downfall (Terrorizer), Darkness Descends (Dark Angel) and pretty much everything Earache released in the late 80s/early 90s.”

Bands influenced by Megadeth!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

Folk infused black, melodic death and even power metal

New Wave of Thrash

Sources:

https://www.loudersound.com/features/megadeths-dave-mustaine-the-10-albums-that-changed-my-life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6URPndg9cg&t=22s
https://eddietrunk.com/dave-mustaine-discusses-guitars-his-influences-and-playing-with-marty-friedman-again/
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/dave-mustaine-joe-rogan-experience/
https://player.fm/series/inheritance-tracks-1301256/dave-mustaine
https://loudwire.com/dave-mustaine-musicians-he-admires/
https://www.loudersound.com/features/megadeths-david-ellefson-the-10-records-that-changed-my-life
https://vwmusicrocks.com/2022/05/31/an-interview-with-david-ellefson-of-the-lucid-and-formerly-of-megadeth/
https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-megadeths-dave-ellefson-on-playing-metal-bass-509162
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtqnJXy_k5s
https://www.roppongirocks.com/archives/2111
https://www.loudersound.com/features/6-of-the-best-scorpions-songs-as-chosen-by-dave-mustaine
https://loudwire.com/megadeth-david-ellefson-not-big-fan-ozzy-years-black-sabbath/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD93VhYyc6w
https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/dave-mustaine-megadeth-debut-interview-reissue-8457554/
https://machinemusic.net/2017/04/18/jazz-death-and-megadeth-a-conversation-with-chris-poland/
https://www.guitar9.com/column/interview-chris-poland
https://abstractlogix.com/chris-poland/
https://www.vintageguitar.com/2971/chris-poland/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI4q3T1PriI
https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-10-records-that-changed-marty-friedman-s-life
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/everybody_sounded_like_jimi_hendrix_jimmy_page_or_ritchie_blackmore_marty_friedman_wasnt_into_traditional_guitarists.html
https://www.martyfriedman.com/info_archive_detail.php?id=6&det=71
https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/marty-friedman-picks-5-albums-that-exemplify-his-favorite-guitar-playing
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=5212201145500224
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/08/21/trans-siberian-orchestras-al-pitrelli-shares-playlist-of-favorites/2074757001/
https://www.getreadytorock.com/rock_stars/tso.htm
https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/glenn-drover-formerly-of-megadeath-describes-pedals-pickups-and-his-upcoming-live-performance
https://sickdrummermagazine.com/news/latest-news/quick-update-with-shawn-drover-of-megadeth/
https://www.southeastofheaven.com/?p=3900
https://www.therockpit.net/2015/interview-shawn-drover-act-of-defiance/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNShxFGQzCs
https://loudwire.com/act-of-defiance-chris-broderick-metal-influences-interview/
https://www.guitarworld.com/gw-archive/interview-megadeths-chris-broderick-talks-technique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFNVGevtdjc&t=119s
https://guildguitars.com/guild-conversation-megadeths-chris-broderick/
https://mauce.nl/interview-with-megadeths-chris-broderick/
https://fanoegerm.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/megadeth-guitarist-chris-broderick-talks-technique/
https://www.jacksonguitars.com/en-US/chris-broderick-bio.html
https://www.loudersound.com/features/megadeths-kiko-loureiro-the-10-guitarists-that-changed-my-life
https://blabbermouth.net/news/angra-guitarist-discusses-early-musical-influences
https://blog.truefire.com/interviews/fireside-chat-kiko-loureiro/
https://www.vintageguitar.com/19245/kiko-loureiro/
https://kikoloureiro.com/about
https://www.megadeth.com/pages/dirk-verbeuren
https://sickdrummermagazine.com/the-drummers/sick-drummer-hall-of-fame/dirk-verbeuren/

Flotsam and Jetsam Family Tree

June 08, 2021 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Flotsam and Jetsam are a Thrash band, later they went in a more progressive metal direction but have since come back to a more Thrash base. Singer Eric "A.K." Knutson is the only member to appear on every album. The first core line up also included guitarists Edward Carlson and Michael Gilbert with drummer Kelly David-Smith. Jason Newsted of Metallica fame was the bassist for the first album. He was a main writer for it as well as wrote a lot of the second album although he did not perform on it. Troy Gregory would take his place for two albums. Jason Ward would then play bass on every album through 2013. Mark Simpson would replace Gilbert on guitar for four albums before his return 2010. Steve Conley replaced Edward on guitar in 2013. Michael Spencer who was with the band a short time in the 80s rejoined in 2013, replacing Ward on bass. Drummer Craig Nielsen would replace Kelly on four albums in the 2000’s. Kelly returned for an album. Jason Bittner of Shadows Fall played on one album and Ken Mary has been on drums since 2017.

Deep Purple are a hugely influential hard rock and early heavy metal band. Craig named Ian Paice as a big influence.

Jeff Beck is one of the most influential guitarist out of the 60’s. Steve is a fan.

Yes were an influential progressive rock band. Troy named Chris Squire as one of his favorite bassists. In an interview with Newsted in 89 he is quoted as naming “Chris Flawyer”. I would postulate that the interview miss heard Chris Squire.

Genesis are a progressive rock band and later went into a more pop direction. Troy named them as an influence.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. Newsted named them as an influence and named Geezer as his favorite bassist. Troy said they were one of his biggest influences. Eric named Dio as an influence.

UFO are an influential hard rock band. Newsted named them as an influence.

April Wine are a Canadian hard rock band. Kelly said they was a band he played along to as a kid.

Montrose were a hard rock probably best known as Sammy Hagar’s first band. Newsted named bassist Bill Church as a favorite.

Judas Priest had a huge and in shaping metal as a genre. Newsted named them as an influence. Erick named Halford as a big influence. Kelly said they were a band he would play along to as a kid.

Kiss are one of the biggest American hard rock bands. Newsted said they were an influence when he first started to play and named Gene as an influence. Eric said Destroyers was the first album to have a big impact on him. Edward said Kiss Alive was the album that really got him into music. Kelly said they were a band he would play along to as a kid. — Kiss are one of the biggest American hard rock bands. Newsted said they were an influence when he first started to play and named Gene as an influence. Eric said *Destroyers* was the first album to have a big impact on him. Edward said *Kiss Alive* was the album that really got him into music. Kelly said they were a band he would play along to as a kid.

Rainbow consisted of two of the most legendary people with Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore. Troy named them as an influence. Eric also named Dio as an influence.

Ted Nugent is an influential hard rock / heavy metal guitarist. Newsted named his bassist Rob Grange as one of his favorites.

AC/DC are the quintessential hard rock band. Michael Gilbert said hearing “The Jack” is the reason he wanted to play guitar.

Journey are a huge arena rock band. Craig named Steve Smith as a big influence and also named later drummer Deen Castronovo

Motorhead are hard rock / heavy metal legends. Newsted named them as an influence and named Lemmy as one of his favorite bassists, second only to Geezer. Troy also named Motorhead as an influence.

Rush were a hugely influential progressive hard rock band. Newsted and Troy named Geddy as one of their favorite bassists. Jason Ward said Geddy is the reason he has a career playing bass. Kelly said Neil Peart is his main influence Craig also named Neil as an influence.

Van Halen were revolutionary in rock music. Steve is a fan.

Yngwie Malmsteen was huge for the neo-classical playing style. Steve named him as a favorite.

Iron Maiden are one of the most influential metal bands. Newsted named them as an influence. They were a big influence on Eric and he said after hearing Bruce it was goal to be able to sing like that. Troy is a big fan of Steve Harris. Steve is a… — Iron Maiden are one of the most influential metal bands. Newsted named them as an influence. They were a big influence on Eric and he said after hearing Bruce it was goal to be able to sing like that. Troy is a big fan of Steve Harris. Steve is also a fan.

Accept are German metal legends. Newsted named Peter Baltes as an influence.

Wild Dogs were a traditional / speed metal band. Craig named Deen Castronovo as an influence.

David Weckl

Metallica are the fathers of thrash. Newsted named them as an influence. Eric said that Master of Puppets changed very metal song every written after. Michael Gilbert said hearing “Hit The Lights” changed everything for him. — Metallica are the fathers of thrash. Newsted named them as an influence. Eric said that *Master of Puppets* changed very metal song every written after. Michael Gilbert said hearing “Hit The Lights” changed everything for him.

Exodus are an important early thrash band. Newsted named them as an influence.

Slayer was the most aggressive of the early thrash bands and hugely influential. Newsted named them as an influence.

After a his time in the legendary bands Rainbow and Black Sabbath, Dio created his own legendary band. Eric named Dio as a big influence. Steve is also a fan.

Vinnie Moore

Newsted said he was maybe influenced by a bit of punk but didn’t name any particular bands. He said he was influenced by a lot of funk and soul which is the stuff he grew up on as a kid and probably the reason he played bass. He also said his older brothers were listening to stuff like Jimmy Hendrix, Blue Cheer, MC5, Ted Nugent, Nazareth, and Kiss and that had an impact on him but Black Sabbath really got him into music.

Eric said he likes Frank Sinatra, Nickelback, and some Slipknot. Michael Gilbert has also said he likes Slipknot.

Eric said he has been singing his whole life and as a kid was in theater and choruses at school. He said he wasn’t into metal before meeting the guys in Flotsam when they asked him to learn stuff from Number of the Beast and Unleashed in the East.

Edward Carlson was in the band the longest amount of time besides Eric. Other than AC/DC noted above, I haven’t found any of his influences.

Michael Gilbert said that John Mayer and Dave Matthews are two of his favorite song writers. In metal he names Corey Taylor.

Troy was on two albums and collaborated on When The Strom Comes Down. He was previously in a band that played cover from bands including Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, The Who, Ten Years After, Talking Heads, and Devo. He also mentions being a fan of old Genesis. He auditioned for Metallica a year before joining Flotsam. He said some of his favorite metal bands were Metallica, Celtic Frost, Voivod, and Mercyful Fate. He was also a fan of man bands they played shows with such as Megadeth, Testament, Sanctuary, Forbidden, Vio-lence, and the band Meanstreak. He says he doesn’t see genre and is a fan of all types of music. Before he got into metal he was more into progressive rock and new wave.

Jason Ward was bassists from 1991-2013. Other than Geddy Lee I haven’t seen him name any influences. On a personal note, I met him when he was playing in a Black Sabbath Tribute band, so Geezer is likely an influence.

Craig Nielsen was the drummer from 1997-2011. He said as a kid he really liked Jethro Toll. He says he is a fan of Thomas Haake of Meshuggah.

Mark Simpson was on four albums from 1997-2010. I’m unsure of his influences.

Jason Bittner of Shadows Fall was the drummer for one album. His influences will on the Shadows Fall family tree eventually.

Bassist Michael Spencer was in the band a short time in the late 80’s. He returned to the band more recently and did two albums with them. I’m unsure of his influences.

Ken Mary has been on drum since 2017 has been on one album and will be on the next one. Drummerworld lists his influences as Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Neil Peart, John Bonham, Steve Gadd, and Tommy Aldridge. I have not verified these.

More Family Trees

Sources:

https://guitar.com/features/metallica-jason-newsted-interview/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6bCDXTbFUM
https://userpages.umbc.edu/~thuff1/metallica.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20140222001214/http://wikimetal.uol.com.br/site/interview-with-jason-newsted/
https://loudwire.com/jason-newsted-bass-player-live-concert/
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/01/17/five-heavy-albums-that-changed-my-life-with-eric-a-k-of-flotsam-and-jetsam/
http://www.flotsam-and-jetsam.com/interview1.html
https://myglobalmind.com/2013/04/23/exclusive-interview-with-eric-knutsonvocals-flotsam-and-jetsam/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIaVn2AGIVg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2Zv0e2Wpl8
https://www.powerofmetal.dk/interviews13/flotsamandjetsam_interview.html
https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/michael-gilbert-of-flotsam-and-jetsam
https://www.noecho.net/interviews/troy-gregory-flotsam-and-jetsam-prong-wasted-youth-the-witches
https://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Ken_Mary.html
http://metalsludge.tv/classic/?p=28283
http://www.friday13thmetal.co.uk/Page%203%20-%20Interviews/Flotsam_And_Jetsam_11/new_page_1.htm
https://allthatshreds.com/interview-guitarist-steve-conley-flotsam-jetsam/

Exodus Family Tree

May 20, 2021 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Exodus are among the earliest of the thrash bands. With few exceptions, guitarist Gary Holt has written nearly all of their music with lyric writing being shared more often. The second album Pleasures of the Flesh is the only album that has shared writing credits between all members. That line up consisted of Gary, Original and long time drummer Tom Hunter, vocalist Steve Zetro Souza, bassist Rob McKillop, and on guitar Rick Hunolt. An interesting note is that Kirk Hammett of obvious Metallica fame was one of the original members and did some of the earliest demos along side Gary. Although Exodus started before Metallica, their earliest demos are not quite thrash. The first one is very reminiscent of the NWOBHM style. Other members of Exodus and their contributions will be noted below.

Roy Buchanan

Glen Campbell

Ry Cooder

Deep Purple are one of the most influential hard rock and early heavy metal bands. Gary named them as an influence and named Ritchie Blackmore as his favorite guitarist. Rick also named Ritchie as an influence.

Led Zeppelin are one of the most influential hard rock bands every. Zetro and Dukes named them as a band they grew up on.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. Gary named them as an influence and said Tony as written more great riffs than anyone. Rick also named Tony as an influence. Zetro named them as a band he grew up on. Dukes is also a fan.

Nazareth were a big hard rock band and even had some occasional metal tracks. Gary named them as an early influence.

UFO were a hugely inflectional hard rock band. Gary named them and Michael Schenker as an influence. Rick also named Schenker.

Thin Lizzy are a hugely influential rock / hard rock band. Gary named them as an influence, and named guitarists Gary Moore and John Sykes. He named “Emerald” as his favorite song.

Neal Schon

Scorpions were the first of German metal and influenced many. Gary named both Uli and Mattias as influences as well as Michael Schenker who was with them for a few albums. Rick named Shenker and Uli.

Rainbow was an incredible combination with Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio. Gary named them as an influence. Rick also named Ritiche.

Judas Priest were super important with refining heavy metal as a genre. Gary named them as an influence and said they are probably the best two guitar band. Rick also named K.K. and Glenn as influences.

Gary Moore has done many solo albums on top of some influential Thin Lizzy albums. Rick and Gary both named him as an influence.

AC/DC are the quintessential hard rock band. Gary named them and Angus as an influence. Rick also named Angus. Zetro said Bon Scott is his biggest influence and modeled his voice after him.

Before anyone cared about his politics, Ted Nugent was an influential hard rocker. Gary named him one of his guitar heroes.

Stevie Ray Vaughan is an influential blues player. Rick named him as an influence.

Motorhead are hard rock / heavy metal legends. Gary named them as an influence.

Diamond Head were one of the earliest of the NWOBHM. Gary named them as an influence.

Dokken were an important glam metal band. Rick named George Lynch as an influence.

Van Halen were revolutionary in the music scene when they blew up. Gary named them as an early influence. Rick named Eddie as a main influence and the reason he started playing guitar.

Angel Witch are an important NWOBHM band. Gary and Tom named them as an influence.

Tygers of Pan Tang were a NWOBHM band. Gary named them as an influence.

Iron Maiden are one of the most influential bands. Gary named early Iron Maiden as an influence.

Discharge were a super important early hardcore punk band. Tom named them as an influence and said he takes a lot of his drum beats from them.

Venom are one of the most important bands when it comes to pushing metal in an extreme direction. Gary and Tom both named them as an influence.

Steve Vai is considered one of the best guitarist ever. Rick named him as an influence.

Sweet Savage were the original band of Dio and Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbel. They put out relatively few recordings until reformed with a couple original members years later. Gary named them as an influence.

Mercyful Fate were technical with tons of riffs and changes in their songs. Tom said they were a main influence on the band.

GBH were an influential punk/hardcore band. Tom named them as an influence.

The exploited were a hardcore and corssover band. Tom named them as an influence.

Joe Satriani is an influential mostly instrumental rock guitarist. Rick took lessons from Satriani for about a year when he first picked up guitar.

Gary said he was influenced by early British hardcore but didn’t name any bands. For more modern bands he says he loves Dimmu Borgir, Hypocrisy, The Haunted , Carnal Forge, and Therion.

Rick played piano for four years or so before playing guitar. He has a couple writing co-credits on the first album and co-wrote a lot of Force of Habit. When asked he said Randy Roads was in his top 10. Early on he said Elton John was a big influence; he listened to funk and Rhythm and blues as well. He said even other instruments such as more classical instruments influence his guitar playing.

Paul Baloff was the vocalist for the first album and contributed lyrics. I’m unsure of his influences.

Rob McKillop was the bassist for the first four albums. I’m unsure of his influences.

Mike Butler played on Force of Habit I’m unsure of his influences.

Jack Gibson has been on bass since 1997. He named Geddy Lee and Billy Sheehan as influences.

Tom Hunter was one of the original members. Tom said the earliest version of the band was covering some NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. He said they also were heavily influenced by punk and even listened to some reggae. He said a lot of his drum parts are inspired by Discharge with a bit of Keith Moon.

Lee Altus has been in the band since 2005. He has a few writing credits in recent years. his influences are covered on the Heathen family tree.

Rob Dukes was the vocalist for three albums and co-wrote on a few songs during that time. His early influences come from his parents with stuff like Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. The first bands he got into were The Clash, Sex Pistols, and early albums from The Police. Other bands he names are Queen, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy. He says he listened to a bit of everything. Dukes also plays guitar and was guitar tech for Exodus before singing in the band.

Drummer John Tempesta played on two albums in the early 90’s. He only has one co-writing credit although he has two more on bonus tracks released on the remaster of Force of Habit. He said the first stuff he tried to play was from Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. He is a huge David Bowie fan. He named Cozy Powell as one of his biggest influences. His influences include: John Bonham, Terry Bozzio, Cozy Powell, Simon Phillips, Steve Smith, Brain Downey, Tommy Aldridge, Steve Gadd, Tony Williams, and Charlie Benante, Alex Vanhalen and Bill Ward. He names Black Sabbath as one of his favorite bands. He was a drum tech for Charlie Benante and leaned a lot about how to play thrash from him.

Drummer Paul Bostaph was on Shovel Headed Kill Machine but has now writing credits. Eventually he will be covered on a Forbidden family tree.

Bands influenced by Exodus!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

One of the biggest of the new wave of thrash

Sources:

http://www.getreadytorock.com/pure_metal/exodus.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20071023222410/http://www.metal-invader.com/interviews/exodus-2005-10-01/interview.php
https://www.musicradar.com/news/slayers-gary-holt-dont-sacrifice-feeling-for-technical-perfection
https://metalheadzone.com/gary-holt-names-the-band-that-gave-strong-influence-to-every-twin-lead-guitar-bands/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3kHe-ffteU
http://www.osiamo.com/Gary-Holt
https://theforgedlegions.music.blog/2020/10/08/marc-c-pietrek-interview-with-rick-hunolt-ex-exodus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_hCXMSRQo&t=413s
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/steve-zetro-souza-bands-don-t-survive-off-record-sales-anymore/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uki9zGFycyM
https://www.westword.com/music/tom-hunting-of-exodus-on-how-building-a-song-is-like-building-the-best-sandwich-possible-5674510
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/news/141031/
https://glidemagazine.com/117258/john-tempesta-cult-white-zombie/
https://www.hit-channel.com/john-tempesta-the-cult/1363
http://www.johntempesta.com/

Slayer Family Tree

May 19, 2021 by Joe Cearlock in Family Tree

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

Slayer are one of the earliest thrash bands and part of the big four. They are known for their more extreme sound compared to others of the time. Their core line up consisted of guitarists Kerry King and the late Jeff Hanneman. Vocal and bass was handled by Tom Araya. Dave Lambardo was on drums for the early and most important albums. Paul Bostaph took his place through much of the 90’s. Dave Returned for two albums and Paul once again returned for their last release which also had Exodus guitarist, Gary Holt in the place of Jeff. All music writing credit is shared between Jeff and Kerry. Tom has occasionally contributed to lyrics.

Deep Purple were a very important and influential hard rock and early metal band. Kerry named them as an influence on him and thrash in general. He named Ritchie as one of his early influences. Dave named Ian Paice as one of his heroes.

Led Zeppelin are fathers of hard rock and one of the biggest most important bands. They were an early influence on Jeff, Tom also named them as an influence. Dave named Bonham as one of his heroes.

Black Sabbath are the fathers of metal. Kerry and Tom named them as an influence. Dave named Bill Ward as one of his heroes.

UFO are an influential hard rock band. Tom said they were an influence on the band. Jeff said Michael Schenker was an influence at one time.

Montrose were a hard rock band now mostly remembered as Sammy Hagar’s first band. Kerry named Ronnie Montrose as an early influence.

Judas Priest are known as the metal gods for good reason, being one of the most influential metal bands and had a large hand in defining metal. Kerry named them as an influence. He said both Glenn and K.K were influence but more so Glenn who he says is one of the most underrated guitarists. When asked about influences, Judas Priest is consistently one of the bands Kerry talks about the most and names them as his favorite band. Priest were one of Jeff’s early influences.

Rainbow combined Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio in and incredible band. Kerry named Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll as a favorite album being both a huge fan of Ritchie and Dio. — Rainbow combined Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio in and incredible band. Kerry named *Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll* as a favorite album being both a huge fan of Ritchie and Dio.

AC/DC are the quintessential hard rock band. Kerry is a huge fan.

Ted Nugent was a big hard rock player in the days before people only cared about his politics. Kerry named him as an early influence.

Dead Kennedys were an important punk / hardcore punk band. Jeff named them as an influence.

Van Halen had a huge impact on the music scene when they emerged. Kerry was a huge fan before discovering proper metal with Judas Priest. He said he saw them live around six times when VH were supporting their first three albums.

Yngwie Malmsteen is considered one of the most talented guitarists around and had a huge impact bring a neo-classical style to the forefront. Jeff named him as an influence at one time.

Iron Maiden are one of the most influential metal bands and the biggest of the NWOBHM movement. Kerry named them as an influence, particularly naming Dave and Adrian. Maiden were one of Jeff’s early influences. Tom is also a fan.

Venom are one of the most important bands when it comes to pushing metal into a more extreme direction. Kerry named them as an influence and talks about how their early look was Venom inspired. He said they were “the best shitty band ever”.

Ozzy was blessed with some amazing players when he went solo. Kerry is a huge fan of Randy Rhoads and also thinks Zakk is great. He has said Randy was a huge early influence were as Zakk has become a bigger influence in more recent years.

Black Flag are one of the most important bands for hardcore punk. Jeff named them as an influence.

Mercyful Fate were cramming in tons of riffs and changes in their songs. Kerry said this was something they would also do and were influenced by them.

T.S.O.L. were a hardcore punk band venturing into some gothic. Jeff named them as an influence.

Wasted Youth were a popular LA hardcore punk band. Jeff named them as an influence.

MInor Threat were a hardcore punk band from DC. Jeff named them as an influence.

Metallica are the fathers of thrash. Kerry said himself they deserve the credit for starting it. He remembers him and Jeff seeing them in their early days when Dave Mustaine was still on guitar. In an early unpublished interview from Brian Lew do… — Metallica are the fathers of thrash. Kerry said himself they deserve the credit for starting it. He remembers him and Jeff seeing them in their early days when Dave Mustaine was still on guitar. In an early unpublished interview from Brian Lew done in 1983 prior to *Show No Mercy*, Jeff named Metallica as an influence stating that along with Venom and Mercyful Fate they were the only bands they listened to at the time. Dave also said they were inspired by them.

Dimebag Darrel

Dime is considered one of the greatest metal guitarists by many. With Pantera he became the father of groove metal and would go on to do albums with Rebel Meets Rebel and Damage Plan before his untimely death. Kerry named him as one of his modern … — Dime is considered one of the greatest metal guitarists by many. With Pantera he became the father of groove metal and would go on to do albums with Rebel Meets Rebel and Damage Plan before his untimely death. Kerry named him as one of his modern influences.

Kerry described early Slayer as a cross between Venom, Mercyful Fate, with a bit of Judas Priest and a bit of punk.

Kerry talked about Exodus being like brothers to them, both very similar bands. He names Bonded by Blood as one of his favorite albums. He also gives credit as Metallica being the first thrash band and names Master of Puppets as a favorite album. He remembers him and Jeff seeing them in their early days when Dave Mustaine was still on guitar. Besides his metal influences he also mentions listening to Boston and Elton John.

Kerry named favorite singers as Halford, Dio, and Bruce Dickinson, in that order.

Jeff has earlier influences that are hard rock and heavy metal, his hardcore punk influences started after. He said that is where Slayer’s speed and aggression come from. On the other hand though, Kerry has stated that much of the moody or slow stuff from Slayer is written by Jeff where Kerry tends to write the faster stuff.

Tom was first inspired to play music through what his older brother was listening to and learning to play. This was 60’s rock like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. He say his big influences early on came from the radio in the 60’s stuff from Motown and pop and rock music of the time including: Jefferson Airplane, The Turtles, Steppen Wolf, Janis Joplin. He names The Doors as a big influence. He named Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin as big influences growing up/ Tom says he listens to a large array of music including Chilean folk, old country. He his a big fan of Elvis and Simon and Garfunkle, Iron Maiden, The Police.

Dave named drum heroes as Bill Ward, John Bonham, Ian Paice, Mitch Mitchell, and Ginger Baker. He was first inspired to drum through his brother who was listening to stuff like Cream, Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin. He said he would play on boxes before having a drum set. He also says as a kid he was into Kiss, Ram Jam, Stevie Wonder, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and Doobie Brothers. Dave said that in the early days he was into punk which influenced him to play faster.

Because Paul was not part of the original line up or have writing credit with the band I won’t cover his influences here. Eventually Forbidden will probably get a family tree and his influences will be covered there.

Obviously Gary will be covered with Exodus.

Bands influenced by Slayer!

As this project advances, bands will be added here… there are many!

Considered Fathers of Death Metal by many

Classic Death Metal

Taking Black Metal into a progressive direction

One of the biggest of New Wave Thrash

Sources:

https://geocities.restorativland.org/SoHo/Study/9077/slayer.html
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/slayers-kerry-king-my-10-favorite-metal-albums-197333/venom-black-metal-1982-197516/
https://guitar.com/features/kerry-king-interview-good-king/
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/kerry_king_explains_what_he_did_at_final_slayer_shows_that_some_fans_didnt_notice_comments_on_people_saying_band_was_going_to_fold_after_hannemans_death.html
http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3153
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/raining-blood-jeff-hanneman-origin-legacy-slayers-defining-song
https://www.facebook.com/MITFR/photos/a.247331665301618.63511.194273063940812/376624455705671
https://web.archive.org/web/20081208043348/http://www.midwestmetalmagazine.com/interviewslayer.html
https://bravewords.com/news/slayer-guitarist-jeff-hanneman-im-in-a-weird-mood-right-now-with-music
https://web.archive.org/web/20150417081113/http://knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3456
https://www.fuse.tv/videos/2013/12/slayer-music-influences
https://www.wikimetal.com.br/interview-with-tom-araya-slayer/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNCGLPWxw8
http://myglobalmind.com/2014/03/09/exclusive-interview-thrash-drum-legend-dave-lombardo-former-slayer/
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/slayer-s-dave-lombardo-talks-about-his-early-musical-influences-with-exploremusic/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Urf29ac9bA
https://metaladdicts.com/dave-lombardo-how-dave-mustaine-behaved-in-metallica/