Megadeth's Dave Mustaine announces final album and farewell tour
'Don't be mad, don't be sad, come celebrate with me these next few years'
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Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has announced that the legendary metal outfit’s upcoming album and 2026 world tour will be their last.
“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Mustaine, 63, shared in a statement posted to the band’s official website. “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 travelled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.”
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Sharing the cover artwork for their forthcoming 17th studio record, Mustaine said that now was “the perfect time” for the band to release a new album and tour the world.
“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,” he wrote. “We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again … I love you all for it.”
Mustaine ended his statement by writing, “Thank you for everything.”
The band’s skeletal mascot, Vic Rattlehead, also announced the news in a video shared on YouTube titled, The End is Near.
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Mustaine and his bandmates did not reveal the final album’s title, release date or their initial run of shows.
Megadeth started in 1983 after Mustaine was fired from Metallica, which he co-founded alongside Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield.
“We had a disagreement,” Mustaine said of his dismissal in a 2010 interview with Postmedia. “But the truth is that we really like each other and it was difficult to split up. If I wasn’t drinking too much I may well not have lost my job. But the best thing that comes out of this is there’s two great bands.”
Megadeth’s first album —Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! — was released in 1985 and alongside Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, the Grammy winners are considered one of the “Big Four of Thrash.”
“We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world,” Mustaine said in his message to fans. “The bands I played in have influenced the world.”
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