Megadeth has confirmed the release of a final, self-titled album for January 2026, and the farewell tour will begin in the same year.
In an interview with the program Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Dave Mustaine explained that physical exhaustion directly influenced the decision to end the band's career. He reported persistent pain in his hands, problems with his spine and neck, as well as slipped discs in his torso. These factors made it increasingly difficult to guarantee a live performance with the intensity required by the group's heavy repertoire.
“It had been dragging on for a while — physical problems with my hands… And there were other difficulties because of all the problems in my neck and torso. That whole area has arthritis and herniated discs. I have a fracture in my lumbar spine. Of course, you know I have spinal fusion, at shoulder height, in my neck. And a lot of other things,” said the vocalist and guitarist. [transcription via Blabbemouth ].
Mustaine admitted that, although the new album is already finished, there was a moment when he needed to talk to his family and bandmates before deciding to end this era. According to him, he didn't want to leave the stage in a forced way or without being willing to give 100% in the performances.
“I always said that when I got to the point where I couldn’t give 100% every night, that’s when I would start considering slowing down. And it wasn’t that I couldn’t give 100%, because we finished the album, and I think we did a good job, but there was a period when we were working and I told my manager: ‘I don’t know how much longer I can do this. My hands are hurting too much.’”
He continued: “And the answer became clear to me: when we finish the album, I’ll already know how it’s going to do. If the album does really well, then I can do one last really good tour. And the farewell part is kind of the same thing, isn’t it? We have some dates we want to play to say goodbye to our friends. We have many tours ahead to do our farewell in the proper way.”
The upcoming farewell album , titled Megadeth , is scheduled for release on January 23, 2026 , by vocalist Dave Mustaine Tradecraft
In addition to the 10 tracks, Dave Mustaine reported that the band recorded three additional songs as bonus tracks, one of which is a cover of Metallica's "Ride The Lightning ." The guitarist and vocalist also announced the release of a new memoir, the details of which will be revealed in the coming months.
In Brazil, the band has confirmed a single performance on May 2, 2026, at Espaço Unimed in São Paulo. Tickets are already sold out.
READ ALSO: Former member's behavior prevents Megadeth reunion, says Dave Mustaine