Megadeth frontman and co-founder Dave Mustaine has announced that the thrash metal band will be calling it quits following a farewell tour in 2026.
After a long 40 years, Megadeth have announced they’ll be retiring. Frontman and co-founder Dave Mustaine announced today that the band will disband following the release of a new album in 2026 and a farewell tour. Megadeth’s final iteration will include Mustaine, bassist James LoMenzo, Drummer Dirk Verbeuren, and guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari.
While Mustaine has been tight-lipped about the new album, the guitarist did reveal the final album cover.
Mustaine shared in a press statement that the decision to end the band is due to Mustaine wanting to go out on his terms:
“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Mustaine said in a press statement. “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.”
He 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.”
Megadeth’s previous album The Sick, The Dying…and the Dead! was released in 2022, which critics praised a fine return to form for the group.
The thrash metal group was initially founded by Mustaine in 1983 after Mustaine was fired from Metallica. Megadeth would go on to release sixteen studio albums and become one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time.
You can watch Megadeth’s video teasing their final album and departure below.
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