Megadeth to Release Last Album Ahead of Farewell Tour

he countdown has begun for Megadeth’s final chapter. After hinting with the message “The end is near…” on Wednesday, Dave Mustaine has revealed the band’s plans for one last album and a global farewell tour:

"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."

A video accompanied the news, with mascot Vic Rattlehead appearing in apocalyptic scenes to deliver the message and rally fans to “stay loud, stay tuned, and meet me on the frontlines.” Check it out below.