The end of an era is coming. Dave Mustaine has confirmed that MEGADETH’s next record due early 2026 will be their final studio album. The news broke in a message to fans via his Vic Rattlehead alter ego, with Mustaine also revealing a massive global farewell tour set to kick off next year, plus a brand-new memoir in the works.
“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Mustaine says. “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 thrash titan continues: “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 upcoming LP is being wrapped up now, with MEGADETH once again teaming up with producer Chris Rakestraw, who also worked on 2022’s The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! and 2016’s Dystopia. It will drop via Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint and BLKIIBLK under the Frontiers Label Group.
The band’s current lineup features Mustaine, drummer Dirk Verbeuren, bassist James LoMenzo, and Finnish shredder Teemu Mäntysaari—who joined in 2023 after Kiko Loureiro stepped away from touring.
From their game-changing debut Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! in 1985, to genre-defining landmarks like Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?, Rust In Peace, and Countdown to Extinction, MEGADETH have spent four decades as one of thrash metal’s “Big Four.” Now, the final chapter begins.
