Dave Mustaine Says Ongoing Hand Issues Will Eventually End Megadeth

Dave Mustaine has opened up about the physical toll decades of touring and playing thrash metal have taken on his body, revealing that worsening hand conditions are a major factor in Megadeth’s eventual retirement.

The Megadeth frontman confirmed that before stepping away, the band plans to release a self-titled final studio album on January 23rd, followed by a farewell tour expected to run for three to five years.

After that, Mustaine says the curtain will close for good.

Mustaine’s health battles are well known, he was sidelined in 2002 with radial neuropathy in his left hand, later diagnosed with spinal stenosis, and publicly fought throat cancer in 2019, years of martial arts training have also contributed to long term wear on his body.

Now, in a new interview with MariskalRockTV, Mustaine revealed he is dealing with Dupuytren’s contracture, a progressive condition that affects the connective tissue in the hand and can eventually cause fingers to curl inward.

“You can look right here on this hand. There’s a line right there that’s sticking up. That’s something called Dupuytren’s contracture, and it’s gonna make my finger come down like this,” Mustaine explained.

“It’s already started, where it’s kind of bunching up a little bit. And then if you look at the tips of my fingers, they’re severely arthritic. So, all those bumps makes it really painful to play.”

No cure

Unfortunately there is no cure for Dupuytren’s contracture, treatments like surgery or injections can help slow its progression, Mustaine says he is being cautious about intervention, weighing the risk of setbacks against his remaining time on stage.

“I’m gonna wait for that until I’m ready to try it, because if I try it now and I’m 95 percent, and I do a surgery and it sets me back, that would’ve been a bad decision,” he said.

Mustaine is focused on finishing Megadeth on his own terms.

“If I wait until my hands are causing a problem and I try it and it doesn’t work, well then I’ve toured everywhere, I’ve said farewell to everybody and I’m not leaving stuff unsaid or unfinished.”