Megadeth have released a sad message for fans, but urged “don’t be mad” as the thrash metal group admit this is the “perfect time” to make the announcement after four decades “on top”
Megadeth have made an announcement that has left fans gutted.
The heavy metal icons, who are part of the “big four” of American thrash metal alongside Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica, have decided that they will be hanging up their hats after an incredible run and cementing themselves as legends.
Frontman Dave Mustaine, 63, recently shared a heartfelt message from his alter ego Vic Rattlehead saying: “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 travelled 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.”
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Dave urged fans “don’t be mad, don’t be sad” but to “be happy for us all” and asked them to “come celebrate with them in the next few years”. He continued: “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.”
He closed off the statement by saying: “The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”
The lead single from the band’s forthcoming album, which is yet to be named, is scheduled for release this autumn. The tour dates for their final outing are also still not yet known.
The group – comprising James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbeuren and Teemu Mäntysaari – have been working on a sequel to 2022’s The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! for some time now.
Despite undergoing treatment for throat cancer in 2019, Mustaine persevered but admitted that dealing with “chemo brain” was the most challenging aspect.
Speaking to Total Guitar in 2022, he said: “I think it did (distract him), to a degree. The toughest part wasn’t the process of going through all the radiation and chemotherapy, a lot of the cancer medication they gave me messed with my memory really bad. They call it chemo brain, so I’ve been having a hard time staying in the moment, but it’s getting better.”
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