Megadeth Reveals ‘Hardest Part’ of Band’s Retirement News

2025-08-14

Metal and rock band Megadeth.

Megadeth is one of those bands that hasn’t really talked about retirement, but the time has come, and that time is now. – Author: Charles Ken, Photo from Ross Halfin

Megadeth is one of those bands that hasn’t really talked about retirement, but the time has come. Out of seemingly nowhere, the “Symphony of Destruction” favorite has announced that they’ll release their final studio album and head out on a global farewell tour in 2026.

The band sent out the news in a press release on Thursday, August 14. In it, frontman Dave Mustaine talks about why it’s time for them to say farewell.

“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” frontman Dave Mustaine said in the release. “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.”

Dave Mustaine on the Most Difficult Thing About Retiring

So, he says the “hardest part” of retiring, of course, is saying farewell to all of the band’s great fans. Megadeth fans certainly love this band.

So far, Megadeth haven’t revealed too many details about the upcoming album, but they did announce that the album’s first single will arrive this fall, as well as pre-orders, which will start September 27 via per Megadeth’s website. The album is going to be released on Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label.

“We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour,” Mustaine added. “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.”

He added, “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.”

Megadeth Singer Praises Band

In the statement, Mustaine elaborated, saying, “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.”

While the announcement is a bit out of the blue, Megadeth have been teasing something for a day. On Wednesday, August 13, the band launched a countdown clock on their website, and the countdown had a message with lyrics from their track “Holy Wars …the Punishment Due.” With that clue, some thought this may have something to do with the 35th anniversary of the band’s “Rust in Peace” album, but it was obviously something more.

Since then, Megadeth has updated its website with a teaser video picturing Megadeth mascot Vic Rattlehead. It’s so wild to think that Megadeth is retiring for good. After the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, it really seems like a generation of metal will soon be over.

Charles Ken
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Posted by Charles Ken | Metal, Music, Rock News

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