Megadeth
Megadeth
BLKIIBLK
Released: January 23, 2026
Megadeth go out with a bang on final studio recording
Megadeth, as anyone worth their salt knows, are one of the big four American thrash metal bands – and the second of the four to call it quits. With the mighty Slayer having already laid down their axes and sailed off into the sunset, sadly we are about to lose Megadeth as well.
But not just yet! Before they go, Dave Mustaine and his Merryman have crafted one final studio album – their seventeenth album that fittingly carries the groups moniker as its title, and one that quite honestly shocked me. For some reason, I had it in my mind that Mustaine and company wouldn’t be able to pull off a final record. Thinking about that now, after having had time to really connect with this final record, I can’t believe what a twat I had been. You see, not only is this final Megadeth record good; its bloody good!
I got onboard with the band with Rust In Peace, because while browsing through a record shop (remember those?), I came across the album and instantly loved the album cover. So many times I would buy an album by a band I didn’t know simply because of the cover art. This was before all this fancy internet stuff and cell phones and all that. I was a high school kid with an allowance. This was a month or two before Countdown To Extinction came out, and represents the period of the bands history I love the most.
I never thought, that in 2026, Megadeth’s final opus would be on par with those two records. It is though.
See Also: Megadeth “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead” Review
Not long after the announcement that a seventeenth record was on its way, Mustaine revealed he has developed Dupuytren’s contracture in his left hand, a condition that causes the fingers to bend and curl inwards which would make playing guitar practically impossible. For this reason, Mustaine must bring an end to one of the greatest metal bands the world has or will ever know.
My thoughts went back to the troubles that bestowed Mustaine and Megadeth during the process of writing and recording their The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead record. A pandemic. A band member caught in a scandal, and Mustaine going ten-rounds in a battle with cancer that he thankfully eventually won.
While tragic, Megadeth collectively have one last hurrah with this self-titled record and they made full use of this final step up to the pedestal. That is to say, this is a fucking incredible record. That’s the short version – read on to find out what makes it so great.
For a man that has trouble moving his fingers, Tipping Point sure does shred. There’s a really fluid and thunderously energetic segment that comes to a climax with the bash of a gong – come on! That’s class. Moving into I Don’t Care, and that old school snotty Dave Mustaine shines through, and again there are great solos here and really solid melodic passages and a sing-a-long chorus that’s just fun to belt out.
On Hey God?!, Megadeth conjure up some brilliantly melodic black magic passages and a brilliantly catchy chorus to go along with it. There’s a great solo to it too, which really echoes back to the Countdown To Extinction era, and while Mustaine’s voice isn’t what it was back then, he still delivers fantastically. Age is a bastard and all that lark, but there is a sort of senior authority to his trademarked snarl from back when that I really enjoy.
Another track I really enjoy is Another Bad Day. Again melodic and full of that old Countdown To Extinction and Youthanasia vibe that I associate with Megadeth. Here, I really find myself in sync with the lyrics and annoyingly can relate it more than I wish to. If Youthenasia wasn’t really your jam, and you prefer the Peace Sells …But Who’s Buying period more, then maybe I Am War is more your speed.
“They gave me gold, They gave me a name, But every deal, Was signed in blood and flames, So here’s my last will, My final testament, my sneer, I came, I ruled, Now I disappear” – and with these words, the final track, on the last studio recording Megadeth will ever do (allegedly) comes to an end and I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to end off a fantastic era from a formidable band.
Well, not so fast. There is also a bonus track (or three, depending on which version of the album you buy) and I honestly wish there wasn’t. As I mentioned above, the album ends spectacularly with The Last Note, and to be brutally honest, ending things off on a Metallica cover seems very petty.
Yes yes, I am aware that Mustaine had a hand in writing Ride The Lightning as well as a great deal of the better Metallica tracks, but the feud that resulted in his firing from Metallica has been done to death and the grudge very well covered. To end this way, just doesn’t feel right. While the cover itself is mediocre at best, the underlying feelings t dredges up reek of Mustaine’s inability to come to terms with the whole Metallica dismissal after all these years, and after all the words that have been spoken on the subject.
I wish Mustaine knew that Metallica haven’t had a good album in decades and that Megadeth is a far, far better band than they will ever be. Some cuts run deep and I get that, but Dave, you won this war long ago.
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Honestly, I really did not think I would be as into this record as I am, and I am, let me tell you. Say what you will about Mustaine – and many have over the years, but I have always liked him and found him a genuine human being; especially after having listened to his radio show on Gimme Metal throughout its lifetime. As such, and despite being sad to see him hang up the guitar after the upcoming world tour – I’m really happy for Mustaine, that he gets to go out on such a high note.
Here’s to a hell of a career Dave! And fifteen great albums! (Yeah, I still really fucking hate Cryptic Writings and Risk, and probably always will).
For Fans Of : Slayer, Anthrax, Metallica
Track Listing:
01. Tipping Point
02. I Don’t Care
03. Hey, God?!
04. Let There Be Shred
05. Puppet Parade
06. Another Bad Day
07. Made To Kill
08. Obey The Call
09. I Am War
10. The Last Note
11. Ride The Lightning (Bonus Track)
