It’s time for Megadeth to say goodbye.
More than 40 years after the metal band — comprised of Dave Mustaine, James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbeuren and Teemu Mäntysaari — first formed in 1983, vocalist and guitarist Mustaine announced the group’s retirement in a statement shared to their website on Thursday, Aug. 14.
“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” he wrote. “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.”
Per Ole Hagen/Redferns
Mustaine said, “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,” he continued.
The former Metallica member added, “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.”
According to Megadeth’s website, the group’s upcoming seventeenth studio album is slated to drop early next year, and Mustaine is also gearing up to release a memoir.
The band has European tour dates scheduled for September and October.
Megadeth’s retirement announcement arrived alongside an animated video starring the band’s mascot, Vic Rattlehead. “For over four decades, I’ve been chained in silence. But the end demands my voice. It is confirmed the next Megadeth studio album will be the last. 40 years of metal forged in steel, ending in fire,” said the character.
Per Ole Hagen/Redferns
Rattlehead continued, “And when the new year rises, the global farewell tour, you’ve heard the warning. Now prepare yourselves, cyber army. Stay loud, stay tuned, and meet me on the front lines.”
Throughout Megadeth’s career, the band earned eight top-10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. One of their singles, 1992’s “Symphony of Destruction,” hit the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at No. 71.
Megadeth won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017 for their song “Dystopia.” They’ve been nominated 12 other times at the awards show.
