Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has announced that the band will release a final album, in addition to embarking on a farewell tour. The announcement included the cover artwork for the band’s final album, but not the title.
The album – marking the band’s 17th studio project – will be released via Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label early next year. The band will embark on a global farewell tour kicking off in 2026, with details to be announced later this year. More information on when preorders for the album will become available can be found at: www.megadeth.com.
In a video directly shared with his fans and “Cyber Army,” Mustaine shared the new via 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. 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.”
Megadeth was first formed in 1983, after Mustaine was fired from the original lineup of Metallica before the group released their debut album. Megadeth would go on to become one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, releasing sixteen studio albums, five of which have gone platinum. Megadeth released their first album, Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! in 1985, and they earned their first platinum album with the follow-up record Peace Sells … But Who’s Buying. Their most recent album, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s 200 Albums chart back in 2022.
Mustaine revealed in 2019 that he was diagnosed with throat cancer, and the following year said he was cancer-free. He has been Megadeth’s frontman, guitarist and primary songwriter — as well as the band’s only consistent member over the decades. Megadeth’s current lineup is comprised or Mustaine, alongside bassist James LoMenzo, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Mustaine also shared that he plans to release a new memoir in 2026.
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