Megadeth announces retirement with 2026 farewell tour, final album

Call it a symphony for dissolution. American thrash metal giants Megadeth have announced their forthcoming album will be their last.

They will also embark on a farewell tour in 2026.

“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine shared in a statement Thursday.

“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 traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.”

Mustaine and the band have yet to reveal the final album’s title, release date or the band’s remaining tour dates.

His statement continued, with the frontman writing that now is the perfect time for the band to release a final album and embark on their final 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,” he wrote.

“We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”

The statement arrived after the band shared a teaser post on Wednesday that read “The end is near…”

Megadeth was founded in 1983 after Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica, a band he co-founded. Megadeth released their debut album in 1985, “Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!”