As the unique thrash era’s feistiest and most outspoken bandleader, Dave Mustaine has left a defining mark on heavy steel. After being fired as Metallica’s founding lead guitarist on the eve of the band’s 1983 debut album, he went on to type the unlikely rival powerhouse Megadeth, a platinum-selling thrash-metal act that has remained his main inventive car ever since.
Megadeth’s announcement of an album, releasing January 23, got here with alarming information for followers: The self-titled album would be the band’s remaining launch, accompanied by a farewell tour. The reason being an accumulation of well being points which have threatened to derail Mustaine’s potential to play. He’s already survived a 2019 throat most cancers analysis, and neck surgical procedure earlier than that.
The truth that Megadeth is 10 tracks of growling, high-energy steel could depart some questioning if retirement is untimely, however Mustaine says he’s decided to guard his band’s legacy, and to “exit on high.” The album opens with a searing blast of original-recipe thrash in “Tipping Level” and turns contemplative with the anxious “The Final Word,” as Mustaine considers the tip with a rasping vocal: “The ultimate curtain falls, a quiet finish to all of it / Now it’s simply reminiscences in my thoughts / Simply fading lights and names, if I ever play once more / Then let this final notice by no means die.”
The album additionally consists of as a bonus monitor “Trip the Lightning,” a music Mustaine co-wrote whereas in Metallica. The singer-guitarist may even recount the four-decade historical past of his band within the documentary movie Megadeth: Behind The Masks, set to land on greater than 1,000 movie show screens around the globe the night time earlier than the album’s launch.
Becoming a member of Mustaine on the album and tour is the band’s latest lineup: bassist James LoMenzo, drummer Dirk Verbeuren, and guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who joined in 2023. No remaining live performance has but been set, however Megadeth has introduced dates throughout North America, South America, and Europe all through 2026, starting February 13 in Victoria, British Columbia.
Forward of that tour, a notably reflective Mustaine, 64, known as SPIN from his farm in Franklin, Tennessee, to speak about his historical past, the band’s seventeenth and remaining studio album, and the closing chapter for Megadeth.
Now that you just’ve introduced that that is Megadeth’s remaining album and spherical of touring, has that modified the sensation of being on stage?
No, it hasn’t as a result of I actually take pleasure in taking part in and the blokes that I’m taking part in with proper now. I’ve had loads of guys that I’ve come throughout through the years—not solely band members, however crew guys—and also you be taught rather a lot about individuals through the years and also you learn to deal with individuals correctly. The best way all of us get alongside proper now could be implausible. The songwriting course of was so snug. [On the new album] there’s an equilibrium with the band the place we felt like we’d been collectively longer than the 2 years that our new guitarist has been with us and the best way that the 4 of us all simply melted collectively.
The brand new album may be very energetic and doesn’t sound like a band that’s about to name it quits.
I need to clarify what prompted this. We have been working within the studio. After we received the drums and bass out of the best way, the true work began to pile up, and it was primarily my rhythm lead acoustic and layering of guitar components—and Teemu doing the identical factor—and singing, writing all of the lyrics, and ending writing all of the components. It was about midway by means of the report, and I simply mentioned to my administration, “I don’t know the way for much longer I can do that,” as a result of my arms have been beat.
I’ve received a contracture on my left hand. I’ve received arthritis in my fingers. I had Saturday night time palsy on my left facet from once I fell asleep on my arm. My pinky is numb, and my ring finger is numb on one facet of it. So I’m working with a battered outdated jalopy in comparison with once I first began out and I used to be all piss and vinegar and lightning in my arms. So I mentioned that when it was time and I couldn’t play my greatest anymore, that I might face retirement and that I might make the appropriate choice for our legacy.
Was this a straightforward alternative or did you’re taking a very long time to get there?
No, it was a horrible choice to make. It was arduous as a result of I needed to take into account my bandmates and all of the individuals which are concerned within the mission as a result of there are some those who work solely with Megadeth, like a few of our crew members. When choices like this occur, and also you’ve been with a band for years, or in some instances many years, it’s a extremely arduous capsule to swallow. It’s bittersweet, however I believe everyone understands that. I used to be doing it for one of the best of the group and our historical past, and to be sure that if it’s time, to exit on high.
How have followers reacted to this announcement?
There are individuals which are understanding and there are individuals which are upset. I’m upset too. It’s my arms. I’m going to do my greatest every single day. And we’re going to tour the shit out of this report, and when it’s time, it’s not going to be a 15-year farewell tour, like a few of these heavy steel bands do.
Are your bodily points primarily associated to taking part in guitar?
My neck was damaged by a chiropractor and I needed to get my neck fused. So I’ve received points in my left shoulder from having a guitar hold on it for 51 years. It’s given me guitar shoulder syndrome, and the Saturday night time palsy in my left arm. I’ve had a few powerful rows to hoe. I’ve been actually open with it with the followers and shared all the things in order that I didn’t simply at some point say, “Oh, I’m quitting.” Or, even worse, exit on stage and play terrible.
There have been most likely lots of people if you began who would have predicted a profession taking part in your type of music would have ended a very long time in the past. However thrash turned out to be an enduring factor whereas loads of different music from that point light out fairly rapidly.
You’re so proper. Individuals mocked steel, and so they simply gave us a tough time. I wrote the music “The Final Word” as a result of I had an episode going right into a restroom at a truck cease again once I was in Metallica. I keep in mind it to today: It was that Bob Seger second from “Flip the Web page,” the place I went into the lavatory and proper as I used to be on the point of go in, this fucking man mentioned, “The women’ restroom is down farther.” I used to be on my own, and he was significantly larger than I used to be, and I didn’t have as a lot struggle coaching as I do now, so I didn’t do something. I fumed. Inside, I used to be beating the shit out of him. [laughs]
In that very early interval, was thrash a small scene, or did it blow up straight away?
It took off at first, the place it was type of on the heels of Ozzy and what he was doing, however we needed to work for it. Something that we received, we needed to scratch and claw for it. After about eight years, when the ’90s began, that was when our kind of steel actually turned standard. Not for lack of making an attempt, as a result of these of us that have been within the L.A. steel scene, we have been giving it our greatest shot. The fellows that have been a part of the steel scene that mattered in L.A. have been few and much between—you had us, you had Slayer, Metallica had relocated. Who else do you’ve got?
Whenever you have been developing, the L.A. steel scene was dominated by glam and hair steel. Did you are feeling snug in that firm?
You’ve received to consider the time that we have been residing in. There was glam steel versus heavy steel. We didn’t have all of the totally different genres: energy steel, white steel, black steel, velocity steel, thrash steel, all these totally different sorts of steel. It was simply us towards the glam guys. It wasn’t an issue for me to take care of as a result of I simply didn’t affiliate with them.
How did you arrive at your type of taking part in?
Once I joined Metallica, I used to be the one guitar participant. So our type and our music was primarily based on my taking part in. We had this audition once I went there. I set my amps up in [original bassist] Ron McGovney’s jam room, and I used to be warming up on guitar. And I’m warming up and I’m nonetheless warming up on guitar. I get irritated, and I put my guitar down and I say, “Hey, guys, are we going to do the audition?” And so they mentioned, “No, you bought the job,” as a result of they have been so impressed with what I used to be doing throughout my warmups. After we began taking part in, James [Hetfield] was simply singing. However at some point we determined to get a second guitar participant, and we had a present on the Whisky [in L.A.]—[after] we’d completed a bunch of reveals with simply me, James, Ron, and Lars [Ulrich on drums].
We did one present with this [new] man, and he had this large feather earring. I seemed over and I went, “Ooh, anyone’s not gonna be right here lengthy.” So the subsequent time I went to rehearsal, he wasn’t there and James was taking part in guitar, and he was taking part in nearly as good as he does now. And I believed, the place did this come from? I used to be stoked for the band, as a result of he was so nice.
What led you to report a brand new model of “Trip the Lightning” as a bonus monitor for the brand new album?
It was to finish the circle and pay respect to my companions, James and Lars, and clarify that, to anyone that has any doubts, I consider that James is an distinctive guitar participant, and that Lars is an distinctive songwriter. I’ve all the time thought that. It wasn’t doing a canopy music, as a result of I wrote it with James and it was our creation. One factor I’ve all the time believed is if you do a music from another person—even when it’s your band from an earlier time interval—do it nearly as good or higher. We have been considering of songs we have been going to do, and our administration mentioned, “Why don’t you do ‘Trip the Lightning’?” At first, I believed, individuals will assume that’s type of unusual for me to do this. We talked about it slightly bit, and it simply turned clearer that it was a good suggestion. We sped it up only a teeny bit, and we made positive that we beefed up a few the components.
It sounds such as you’re in a reasonably snug place with Metallica as of late.
James and I have been speaking about one thing, and I mentioned, “Effectively, there’s your model, there’s my model, after which there’s the reality. I consider that the reality is the one one which’s correct, as a result of I don’t actually keep in mind all the things.” And he had mentioned, “We don’t keep in mind stuff and we’d prefer to go over it.” We’re continually engaged on enhancing our relationship, me and James and Lars. I actually do love these guys. That’s why we fought a lot—it was that I missed them. And the thought of leaving the band, it was simply arduous to fathom.
You attempt to put issues into perspective as you get slightly bit older. I take into consideration the place I’m at in my journey: I’m on the bottom of the mountain, and I wish to be sure that every single day counts and that the those who I encounter, that I’m not obnoxious to them in the event that they don’t deserve it. In the event that they deserve it, man, you bought it coming, and right here it comes.
The brand new album begins off with “Tipping Level,” a reasonably traditional speedy thrash monitor that seems like an announcement about nonetheless being linked to that unique power.
I like that power. It provides me loads of pleasure to have the ability to thrash. There was a time once I was youthful after we would do kegger events and music would come on and we might do slam dancing as a result of moshing hadn’t been invented but. It was nonetheless very a lot a punk rock factor.
[In Orange County, California,] I used to go all the way down to The Golden Bear in Huntington Seaside, go to The Cuckoo’s Nest in Costa Mesa, and go to those teeny obscure locations the place all of the punk bands performed, just like the Circle Jerks, the Dickies, Black Flag, and the Useless Kennedys. I received to see Worry and I cherished it. And I believe that perspective, that’s the factor I can’t disguise. I’m a horrible liar. I all the time attempt to inform the reality even once I’m mendacity. That perspective is simply from rising up on the coast, being a surfer, and simply being type of a brat.
On “The Final Word,” there’s a line that claims, “The guitars are heavy, time to put it down.” Is that the way you’re feeling proper now?
That music had a distinct lyric. I had seen this factor on Vice about individuals leaping off the Golden Gate Bridge and so they present this man stroll as much as the bridge, swing his leg over the rail, swing his different leg over the rail, after which he lets go. I flipped out, so I wrote a music known as “Jumpers.” Teemu contributed a really massive a part of the music, in order a courtesy I confirmed him the lyrics to “Jumpers,” and he checked out me with a face like somebody simply clogged your rest room. He didn’t say something as a result of he’s Finnish and Finnish individuals are very reserved. So I went, okay, I’m going to attempt one thing else.
That’s once I began writing “The Final Word,” and it turned out extremely revealing and emotional about my mind-set, and the place I’m at proper now with the announcement. What am I going to do as soon as I’m completed touring and taking part in? Effectively, I do wish to hold working within the music enterprise. I’ve loads of music that I’ve written that I recorded. I’m not planning on closing the door and by no means doing something in music once more, however I do have to deal with myself.
