Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has announced that the band’s next studio album, due in early 2026, will be his final record. Shared with fans via his Vic Rattlehead persona, the statement also confirmed a global farewell tour launching next year, with the first dates to be revealed later in 2025. Alongside the album, Mustaine will release a new memoir in 2026, with more details to be revealed at a later date.
The untitled record will arrive through Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s BLKIIBLK label, with its first single set for this fall. Fans can register here for early access to exclusive updates on the album, memoir, and tour.
Dave Mustaine comments:
“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.
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.”
Feature Image Photo Credit: Ross Halfin
