A thrash metal band credited with helping to develop and popularise the genre have announced they are retiring.
Formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine, Megadeth are known as one of the ‘big four’ of American thrash metal alongside Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica.
Their debut album had moderate success, but it was after signing with Capitol Records that the band took off. Some of their platinum-selling albums included So Far, So Good…So What, Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction.
The line-up has changed several times over the years, with Mustaine the sole member of the band to remain throughout.
The current members are also, bassist James LoMenzo, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren.
However, this week Megadeth announced that their upcoming 17th studio album and 2026 tour would be their last.
‘There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,’ Mustaine, 63, said in a statement revealing the news about the band he began over 40 years ago.
‘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.
‘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.’
The statement concluded with: ‘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.’
Megadeath was formed after Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica, the band he co-founded.
They temporarily disbanded in 2002 but re-established two years later.
Their most recent album, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, was released in 2022.
As of 2023, the band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.
Their farewell tour dates are yet to be announced.
Megadeth was noticeably absent from Black Sabbath’s recent Back To The Beginning farewell concert.
In an interview with Burn! magazine, LoMenzo was asked about the band being the only one of the traditional ‘Big Four’ that did not play.
‘I’m going to let the cat out of the bag. The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe that anybody asked us, which was fine,’ he said.
‘Not everybody gets invited to every party. But at the same time, when we were in Europe last week, David said that he was reaching out to everybody and telling them that we were in the neighbourhood and that we were close enough to come. And if they wanted us to, we could stay over for a few days and work it out…if they wanted us to. I don’t know what our manager had accomplished with that, but it didn’t get accomplished, so we just came home.’
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