American thrash metal giants Megadeth announce that they are disbanding – and that their upcoming album will be their last. In 2026, they will also embark on a farewell tour.
There are so many musicians who reach the end of their career, whether it happens by accident or intentionally. Most do not get to finish on their own terms, at the top – but that's exactly where I am in life right now, said Megadeth's founder and frontman Dave Mustaine in a statement on Thursday.
I have traveled the world and gotten millions and millions of fans, and the hardest thing of all is to say goodbye to them.
The frontman says that now is the perfect time to release a final album and go on his last tour.
Do not be angry, do not be sad – be happy for our sake and celebrate with me the coming years. We have done something together that is completely fantastic and that will probably never happen again, he wrote.
Megadeth was formed in 1983 after Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica – a band he himself had helped start. Megadeth released their debut album "Killing Is My Business … and Business Is Good!" in 1985 and became big in the 1990s as part of the "Big Four" in thrash metal, along with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax.