Legendary metal band Megadeth to release one final album and go on one final tour

Soon, though, the run of Megadeth will come to an end. Mustaine has confirmed that the band will put out one final album in 2026, hit the road for a farewell tour, and then call it a career. The stage is set for Megadeth to give fans one last dose of thrash before riding off into metal history.

For the frontman of a band famous for its blistering riffs and aggressive energy, Mustaine’s announcement came across surprisingly upbeat. He put it simply:

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.

Mustaine also revealed that he’ll be releasing a memoir in 2026, making it a year of final statements for him. And at this point, it’s worth remembering that Mustaine is Megadeth. The band’s current lineup features members who joined in 2016, 2021, and 2023, with bassist James LoMenzo having a second stint after originally playing from 2006 to 2010. Meanwhile, the list of former members over the decades is enormous, a revolving door of musicians that underscores just how much Megadeth has always been defined by Mustaine himself.

That being said, if you tell metal fans that Dave Mustaine is set for one final album, one last tour, and then retirement, it carries real weight. However you look at it, one of the most iconic names in metal is preparing to step away, and with him, a chapter of the genre’s history will close.

(h/t Pitchfork)