New York. April 11, 1983. David Scott Mustaine was sleeping peacefully when the men he had considered his three best friends until that day walked into his room to wake him up.
– Hey Dave!!! Dave!! Wake up!
– What’s going on?
– Man, I’m sorry, but you’re out.
– What? Out of what??
– Out of the band. We’ve bought you a bus ticket back to Los Angeles.
Dave Mustaine—21 years old, redhead, alcoholic, occasionally violent, and with no real trade or prospects beyond dealing weed—had just been kicked out of a band that hadn’t even recorded its first album. A band that would eventually become the most successful American act from 1986 to the present day: Metallica.
No one could have imagined that this kid, who began plotting his revenge during that nearly 50-hour bus ride from New York to Los Angeles, would be capable of overcoming such a massive blow to build a project that is estimated to have sold around 50 million records to date: Megadeth.
August 14, 2026. After 15 stints in rehab, a conversion to Catholicism, throat cancer, 22 lineup changes, and 16 studio albums, good ol’ Dave tells us that’s it. It’s over. The arthritis is worsening, and it’s only a matter of time before he can’t play metal anymore—but he’s leaving us one final farewell LP… And it’s finally here.
THE TITLE
Megadeth’s final LP is simply titled “Megadeth.” In my opinion, it’s a fitting title because, after several listens, the impression I’m left with is that this work is a tribute to himself, to his different eras… Let me explain.
THE SONGS
Almost every song on this album echoes past eras of Megadeth. It would be easy to go with a first impression and say that on this LP, Mustaine is repeating himself and living off past glories. But given the context (a farewell work, a self-titled album, etc.), I believe my favorite redhead planned everything meticulously. I have the feeling that with “Megadeth,” good ol’ David intends to say goodbye by giving us exactly what the title suggests… more classic Megadeth… the sound of ’90, ’92, 2002… In other words, a retrospective of his career, but through brand-new songs.
The album opens with “Tipping Point,” which is nothing less than furious, fast, old-school thrash metal—the kind Mustaine abandoned between 1992 and 2007 but reclaimed for his most recent works. It’s a track where he warns us he’s at a turning point in his life, and it seems that what used to make him angry just doesn’t matter anymore.
Next, we find “I Don’t Care,” a typical punk-infused track like the ones he used to drop occasionally during the first half of the 90s.
We continue with “Hey Lord!,” a song with vibes from “The World Needs a Hero” era, and a chorus that reminds me of “Symphony Of Destruction.”
The intro to “Let there be Shred” strongly recalls “Last Rites/Loved to Death,” the opening track of his 1985 debut “Killing is my Business…,” serving as one of the few nods to his pre-1990 period.
We return once again to the “The World Needs a Hero” era (a wonderful album that nobody seems to remember…) with “Puppet Parade,” a politically-themed song with the kind of “poppy” chorus typical of 90s Megadeth. The word “self-plagiarism” comes to mind here, as it is very, very, very similar to his classic “Almost Honest,” but since this is a farewell, we’re not going to get upset… Besides, I actually dig the track.
If someone told me “Another Bad Day” was a leftover from the 1994–2002 period, I’d believe them; it’s the standard commercial Megadeth track they’ve mastered since going mainstream in 1992.
“Made to Kill” is the exact opposite—one of the few pre-1992 traces on the record, which also follows the line of several of his recent albums.
Up to this point, everything is fine. The problem arises with the next two tracks: “Obey the Call” and “I Am War” don’t do much for me right now and feel a bit like “more of the same” just for the sake of it.
Luckily, everything is redeemed with “The Last Note,” a solid closing track where Mustaine bids us his final farewell.
As a bonus, the album includes a well-executed and respectful cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning.” It’s a bold move because, in my opinion, there is not—nor will there ever be—a version that comes close to matching the original. But I respect that Mustaine did it as a symbolic way of closing the circle, returning to the exact point right before his life began to derail.
CONCLUSION
“Megadeth” is a good album. A very dignified one. You won’t remember it on the same level as anything from the legendary lineup (Mustaine, Friedman, Ellefson, and Menza), but it’s far superior to, say, “Supercollider,” and surely “Risk” (although I actually love “Risk”… but since you all hate it…). Besides, can anyone point to a band that, by their 15th studio album, manages to churn out something that ranks among their top three works? Exactly.
What works against it is the lack of a specific musical coherence throughout the record, making it feel like a mishmash of tracks that don’t have much to do with one another. But for this writer, that flaw becomes a virtue because, as the “hardcore-heavy-metal-geek-hater” that I am, I find exactly what I want in this LP: a bit of every style Megadeth touched during their career that I actually enjoy. Especially considering it’s the final curtain. If you’re leaving, don’t come at me with experiments.
Another nod to the past worth noting is the album’s duration. 11 songs in 47 minutes. “Old School” vibes. Like the LPs of yesteryear. And it’s appreciated. Just like the sound. This record doesn’t fatigue the ears and sounds remarkably well compared to how albums are produced today. Particularly the drums. Since the mid-2000s, in the world of rock and metal, most albums sound fake, hyper-compressed, and with drums that sound like anything but drums. Add the infamous “Loudness War” to that.
Regarding the lineup, I must say I’m stunned by the guitar work from new guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who occasionally makes me feel like I’m hearing the ghost of Marty Friedman lingering nearby. I also have to highlight how much I like Dirk Verbeuren, who remains, in my view, the second-best drummer in terms of taste Megadeth has ever had after Nick Menza. James LoMenzo joins them on the four strings.
CODA
The story ends when it had to end. Megadeth found success thanks to Dave Mustaine’s resentment, bitterness, and hunger for revenge against Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica. Without that drive fueled by the hate of a 40-year-old unhealed wound, the multi-platinum Megadeth would not exist.
And that wound has finally healed, so there’s no longer a reason to continue.
As Ayrton Senna said of Alain Prost: “It wasn’t the same without him.”