Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
While Megadeth‘s forthcoming self-titled album, scheduled for release on January 23rd, is promoted as the conclusion of their studio discography, it appears that it may not constitute the final recording from this renowned thrash metal ensemble, as per theprp and Blabbermouth. The band’s vocalist and guitarist, Dave Mustaine, has indicated that a live album documenting their impending farewell tour remains a possibility.
Mustaine announced the band’s disbandment earlier this year in May. Although an official termination date has not been established, the farewell tour is anticipated to span approximately three to five years prior to the band’s disbandment. In discussions with Metal Hammer regarding the impending conclusion, Mustaine emphasized that this tour is intended to serve as Megadeth‘s definitive farewell.
However, the history of metal and hard rock is replete with instances of bands reuniting after declaring their retirement. Notable examples include KISS, Mötley Crüe, Slayer, and Twisted Sister, all of which have reversed their retirement decisions. When questioned about the possibility of Megadeth following a similar path, Mustaine provided a definitive response.
I don’t think so. You see the scuttlebutt that is associated with bands like that. You know they never follow through with it and stick to their word. Look, it all depends on how the statements are crafted. So, we’re doing no more studio albums. Does that mean there might be a live album at the end of all of this? Yeah, it certainly looks that way. 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.
In an interview with Guitar World magazine, Dave Mustaine discussed his choice to include his rendition of “Ride The Lightning,” the eponymous track from Metallica’s 1984 album, on the concluding Megadeth album, titled “Megadeth.”
He explained that he received co-writing credit for the song following his departure from Metallica in 1983.
Mustaine provided insights into the circumstances that led to the creation of the new recording.
The main reason I chose to do this was to close the circle and pay my respects to my partners. I thought this was a really great way to do that. Whenever we select any other band’s music to go on our albums, sometimes there’s a lot of thought behind it and sometimes there’s not. This was one of the ones that we thought long and hard about, because all I wanted to do was play the song I wrote with the guys in Metallica. I wanted to pay my respects to [Metallica frontman] James Hetfield, who I think is an amazing guitar player, and Lars Ulrich, who was an excellent songwriter. I remember when I was there and we were putting these songs together, Lars didn’t just sit there; he was very instrumental in making these songs.
Of course, when we got into making demos of these songs, it was fun to do the recordings, but we were never really able to do a full-on produced version of ‘Ride The Lightning’ [while I was in Metallica], and I would have loved to have heard that. I gotta tell you — listening back to James’s original vocal performance, it was really tremendous
Upcoming shows:
February 15 – Victoria, BC
February 17 – Abbotsford, BC
February 18 – Kelowna, BC
February 20 – Calgary, AB
February 21 – Edmonton, AB
February 24 – Saskatoon, SK
February 25 – Winnipeg, MB
February 28 – London, ON
March 01 – Ottawa, ON
March 03 – Halifax, NS
March 04 – Moncton, NB
March 06 – Québec, QC
April 23 – Lima, PER – Costa 21
April 25 – Bogota, COL – Movistar Arena
April 27 – Bogota, COL – Movistar Arena
April 30 – Buenos Aires, ARG
May 02 – Sao Paulo, BRA – Espaco Unimed
May 05 – Santiago, CHL – Movistar Arena
May 06 – Santiago, CHL – Movistar Arena
May 08 – Monterrey, MEX – Arena Monterrey
May 10 – Mexico City, MEX – Arena Ciudad de Mexico
May 13 – Guadalajara, MEX – Arena Guadalajara
June 07 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany
June 10 – Hradec Kralove, CZE – Rock For People
June 11 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
June 14 – Ferrara, ITA – Ferrara Summer Festival
June 15 – Zurich, Switzerland June 16 – Vienna, Austria
June 23 – Istanbul, Türkiye
June 26 – Helsinki, FIN – Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
June 28 – Almaty, Kazakhstan
With Iron Maiden:
August 29 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
August 30 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
September 03 – Montréal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau (with Anthrax)
September 05 – Harrison, NJ – Sports Illustrated Stadium (with Anthrax)
September 09 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
September 11 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
September 12 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
September 15 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
September 19 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater
September 22 – Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
September 25 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium (with Anthrax)
September 26 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium (with Anthrax)
September 29 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome (with Anthrax)
