Megadeth announced their new, and final, album along with their Farewell Tour . However, David Ellefson , the band's former bassist, believes the event is merely "an attempt to increase ticket sales."
In an interview with AlternativeNation.net , David Ellefson spoke again about his reaction to the announcement of his farewell tour [transcription via Blabbermouth ]: “Honestly, I don’t think about it much. I think probably everyone else thinks about it more for me than I do myself.”
The bassist questioned whether it's really a farewell or just a way to raise more money: "If it really a farewell, and not just an attempt to increase ticket sales, because we've seen this movie before — increase ticket sales, leave, and then the bigger offers come after everyone's gone for a few years; I mean, we've seen how that works."
He continued: “But look, if Dave needs to end it and give up because he’s had enough and has been through all this, then, hey, you know what? Since I’m still his friend, even though we haven’t spoken in almost five years—you know what? God bless you, brother. Keep it gracefully and go enjoy the rest of your life. So, if he really is ending it and is going to keep it, please do it with dignity and grace, do what you say and be sincere. Because I think this whole goodbye thing has been talked about so much by so many people that it doesn’t carry much weight. We’ve just seen it over and over again. So, if you really need to disconnect, disconnect, keep it, and go enjoy the rest of your life.”
David Ellefson reveals his desire to be part of Megadeth's farewell tour.
David Ellefson also reiterated his desire to be part of the farewell tour : “It’s been a tough road, for sure, obviously, and there have been sublime moments and moments that leave me scratching my head, but ultimately… Look, Dave said four and a half years ago that he didn’t want to play with me anymore, so I just left it at that and moved on. I’m not going to sit around waiting for a call. I’ve already offered myself and, if one comes, I’ll be happy to participate in some way.”
“What we saw in Birmingham [at Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning event ], in my opinion, was 100% the right way to say goodbye. You bring back the OGs — Geezer [ Butler ], Tony [ Iommi ] , Bill [ Ward ], and Ozzy [ Osbourne ] , the four OGs. Because, obviously, they went through… Look, they fired Bill, they fired Ozzy, and at some point, they’re together again. The four guys who started it all say goodbye together, to each other, to the fans, the fans say goodbye to them. So, for me, that’s the model of how to do it. I mean, that’s 100% the right way to do it.”
The end of Megadeth
Members of the Big 4 of thrash metal, Megadeth have announced a new album along with their Farewell Tour . The first single, "Tipping Point," is already available , however, the new album does not yet have a defined name, but will be released in early 2026. The global farewell tour will also begin in 2026.
In a statement on his official website , Dave Mustaine commented: “There are so many musicians who have reached the end of their careers, whether accidentally or intentionally. Most of them don't get to leave the top on their own terms, and that's where I am in my life now. I've traveled the world and gained millions and millions of fans, and the hardest part of all this is saying goodbye to them.”
Dave continued: “We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time to release a new album, it’s now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now. This is also the perfect time to say that this is our last studio album. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see you all on our farewell global tour.”
Don't be angry, don't be sad, be happy for all of us, come celebrate with me in the years to come. We did something together that is truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the world of the guitar and how it's played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in influenced the world. I love you all for that. Thank you for everything.”
READ ALSO: David Ellefson says relationship with Dave Mustaine was affected by “external forces”
