After more than 40 years, Megadeth are officially welcoming the final chapter of their journey.

On August 14, 2025 (Thursday), the American thrash metal legends surprised fans by uploading to their official social media a video featuring their mascot Vic Rattlehead. In it, Vic Rattlehead reveals the news that Megadeth are officially set to release their final album sometime next year, with a global tour set to support its release and celebrate the band’s career and legacy.

The upcoming yet-to-be-named full-length record will be Megadeth’s 17th overall, serving as the follow-up to The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, which came out on September 2, 2022. Notably, the lead single of The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! — “We’ll Be Back” — was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

“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,” says Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine in an official statement on the band’s website. “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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Read Mustaine’s full statement below:

“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 traveled 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.  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. 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.”

With this, the band is set to begin their final chapter by releasing the upcoming album’s first single sometime soon, alongside opening global pre-orders for the full-length record. In addition to this, Mustaine is also set to release a brand new memoir in 2026, with more details set to be revealed soon.

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Formed in 1983, Megadeth are regarded as one of the pioneers and “Big 4” of the thrash metal genre, alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Throughout the band’s more-than-four-decade career, vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine has been the sole constant member, with their final lineup consisting of him, bassist James LoMenzo, drummer Dirk Verbeuren, and guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari.

Megadeth are best known for such hits as “Hangar 18,” “Tornado of Souls,” “Symphony Of Destruction,” “Peace Sells,” and more. Throughout their journey, the band has received a total of 12 Grammy nominations, winning their first award under the Best Metal Performance category in 2017 for the song “Dystopia.”

In celebration of Megadeth’s four-decade career, listen to their hits below: