Megadeth are preparing to call it a day. After posting a teaser reading “The end is near…” on Wednesday, they’ve shared a statement from Dave Mustaine announcing a final album and global farewell tour. It reads:
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
They’ve also shared a video where the band’s mascot, Vic Rattlehead, delivers the news amid apocalyptic imagery and urges fans to “stay loud, stay tuned, and meet me on the frontlines.” Watch that below.
No details on the album have been revealed yet, but it’s set to arrive “early next year” via Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint, in partnership with Frontier Label Group’s BLKIIBLK. Mustaine is also releasing a memoir next year, and details of that are also still TBA.
Pick up Megadeth vinyl and merch in the BV shop.