Special report time this week, as we got a few pieces of huge news a few days back. The first of which that I’ll cover today involves the impending end of thrash titans Megadeth.

Last week, Megadeth posted a countdown to something on their website. The countdown was only a few days long, it was not some super weeks-long saga. Most people figured the announcement would have to do with a new album, which Dave Mustaine has talked about recording over the past year. Others thought it might have to do with the seminal Rust In Peace record, which was referenced in the countdown announcement and is nearly 35 years old.

But the announcement, that came on August 14^th, was far more significant than just a new album. Such an album was indeed announced and is tentatively slated to release in early 2026. The band also announced they would head out on a world tour in ’26.

None of that is shocking or even outside the realm of routine. But the notice that this album and tour would be Megadeth’s last was definitely not anticipated. A video from Megadeth’s mascot Vic Rattlehead announced the album as being the band’s last and Dave Mustaine also released a statement confirming that Megadeth were engaging in a farewell tour. The details of the tour are not prepared yet and it is expected to last a few years.

I was a bit taken aback at the announcement. I honestly wasn’t expecting Dave Mustaine to pull the plug or even entertain the concept anytime soon. But, he is currently 63 years old and has had a share of health battles. He could be 65 or 66 years old by the time this farewell tour wraps up, so it does make some sense when reflecting upon it. Of course it’s also useless for me to speculate on it, as the decision is clearly in the hands of Dave Mustaine and I don’t know a thing about any of it.

This news generated some buzz, obviously, and not all of it was good. One aspect people didn’t like was the use of AI in the Vic Rattlehead video. I do think AI sucks but I also don’t have the same sharply ideological stance against it that many do. There is nothing I can do to halt its spread, as much as it sucks that it’s forcing its way into the art world. But it’s not a massive part of this topic and is very much a conversation for another time.

The other cynical part of this farewell announcement is obvious to any music fan who has been around long enough to see “farewell” tours, and then see the same bands show up again a few years on. We have no way of knowing if Megadeth will “honor” this farewell statement, or if Dave will change his mind mid-stream and keep things running to some degree. It’s especially a point of thought when a band only has rough plans for a years-long world tour instead of a solid list of farewell dates already planned.

The only thing we can really do is wait and see. I really have no reason not to take Dave Mustaine at face value here. Sure, Dave has said a LOT over the years and running him down is one of the heavy metal Internet’s favorite hobbies. But I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that this plan holds and Megadeth truly is bowing out in a few years’ time. The truth is that it really doesn’t matter to me that much even if he doesn’t stick to it. My life will go on whether or not Megadeth retires in a bit or if they press on in some form.

Megadeth has been a vitally important band to my musical fandom. Rust In Peace was THE album that cemented my interest in heavy metal and sent me on a quest to find faster and heavier music, a quest that still rolls on to this day. All of the real and perceived negative stuff surrounding Dave and Megadeth pales in comparison to how significant Megadeth has been to me.

So I will do the only thing there is to do – wait, check out the new album and see if Megadeth truly are done. I may take in a show on the upcoming tour, that will remain to be seen. I’ve only seen Megadeth once and that was as an opener for Iron Maiden in 2013. The set was excellent but I would like to take in a full Megadeth show so I’ll keep an eye on upcoming tour dates.

If the end is near for Megadeth, then I salute them for the contributions to this fine form of music over the decades and thank them for everything. And if it isn’t the end, I salute them for the contributions to this fine form of music and thank them for everything. And that’s about all I can really say on it.

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