Megadeth will bid farewell with one last album and tour in 2026.
The heavy metal legends – one of the “big four” of American thrash metal, with Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica – have decided to bow out while they are still “on top” after more than four decades.
Frontman Dave Mustaine, 63, had the following message for fans from his alter ego Vic Rattlehead: “There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional.
“Most of them don’t get to go out on their own terms on top, and that’s where I’m at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.”
The former Metallica member continued: “We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it’s now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it’s our last studio album. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour.
“Don’t be mad, don’t be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”
The lead single from the as-yet-untitled record is expected in autumn. The tour dates for their final jaunt are also yet to be confirmed.
The band – completed by James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbeuren and Teemu Mäntysaari – have been known to be working on a follow-up to 2022’s The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! for some time now.
Mustaine was going through treatment for throat cancer in 2019, but still soldiered on with their last LP.
However, the hardest part of all was dealing with “chemo brain”.
He told Total Guitar in 2022: “I think it did (distract him), to a degree.
“The toughest part wasn’t the process of going through all the radiation and chemotherapy, a lot of the cancer medication they gave me f***** with my memory really bad.
“They call it chemo brain, so I’ve been having a hard time staying in the moment, but it’s getting better.”
When asked whether he was thinking of retiring, Mustaine insisted for as long as he can still pick up and play his instrument, he’ll keep shredding.
He replied: “When I got sick I had been talking a lot about playing out a little less.
“Now, if anything, I want to tour more and just carry on until the end when I actually can’t do it anymore.
“I’m not talking about the time when I don’t want to do it anymore.
“I mean when it’s not possible for me to do.
“When I can’t do it, that’s when I’m not gonna want to do it.”