Photo by Maurice Nunez
After more than four decades of thrash metal mastery, Megadeth have confirmed that the band's seventeenth full length studio effort which arrives next year, will be their final.
Sharing both a personal statement as well as a prepared clip that features iconic band mascot Vic Rattlehead speaking for the first-time ever, Megadeth announced that 2026 will not only mark the arrival of the band's final album, but it will begin the run of farewell shows spanning the globe.
Mustaine began by saying, “There's so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional. 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.”
Mustaine continued by affirming the final run of live shows, “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."
The influential guitarist and generational icon finished by expressing his gratitude to the fans. “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.”
Along with the revelation from Rattlehead and the personal statement from Dave Mustaine, the band have offered a glimpse of what the final album will look like. Sharing the cover art, the clean white aesthetic emphasizes what Vic Rattlehead expressed in his video, "forged in metal, ending in fire".
