Megadeth Confirm Final Album Will Contain A Cover of Metallica’s ‘Ride The Lightning’

Megadeth have officially confirmed that their upcoming final self-titled album will include a cover of Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’, a track which frontman Dave Mustaine wrote with the band before being fired.

After weeks of teasing, Megadeth have officially confirmed that their upcoming final self-titled album will include a cover of Metallica‘s ‘Ride the Lightning’.

While it might seem like an odd choice, as any metal fan would know, frontman Dave Mustaine‘s history with Metallica has fuelled Megadeth’s existence. The guitarist, who has co-writing credits on the track thanks to his short stint in Metallica, has gone on to say that by covering the track, he is “reclaiming” it.

Over the past week, Megadeth would share the titles of the upcoming tracks on the record via social media. Speculation about the cover grew as fans believed etched out letters in the tracklist were alluding to the famous Metallica song, but couldn’t quite prove it just yet.

Mustaine had also hinted on the Norwegian Radio Program Stjernepose that the new album would “have 13 new songs for the new album… One of the songs is a cover song but I actually wrote it, so it’s kind of like a cover, kind of like my song.”

Mustaine, would explain why he chose a cover of ‘Ride the Lightning’ to bookend their final album in a statement earlier today:

“As I come full circle on the career of a lifetime, the decision to include ‘Ride The Lightning,’ a song I co-wrote with James, Lars, and Cliff, was to pay my respects to where my career first started.”

Mustaine would also go on to write, “We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again,” he concludes. “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 tracklisting for Megadeth’s final self-titled album is as follows:

1. Tipping Point
2. I Don’t Care
3. Hey, God?!
4. Let There Be Shred
5. Puppet Parade
6. Another Bad Day
7. Made To Kill
8. Obey The Call
9. I Am War
10. The Last Note
11. Ride The Lightning (Bonus Track)

Megadeth’s final album releases January 23rd, 2026. You can listen to the track ‘The Tipping Point‘ below.