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Dave Mustaine has spoken to NME about calling it quits with Megadeth after being “on defence almost all my career”, his hopes for the future of metal, and the likelihood of seeing the band return to the stage as virtual avatars.

The thrash pioneers released their 17th and final album on Friday (January 23), bringing a pivotal chapter in metal history to a close. Described as a “fiery farewell” by NME, the record sees Mustaine and co. lean into the same thunderous riffs and angsty lyrics that first put them on the map, and yet counterbalance it with touching moments of melancholy.

Now, speaking to NME, Mustaine recalled when he realised that this release had to be their last – noticing how much physical limitations were getting in the way.

“It was about the halfway point [of working on it],” he said, when asked if he knew from the offset that the end was drawing in. “My hands were hurting, and I’d already had issues with them because of arthritis. Then I had numbness from when my neck was fused together – my neck had been broken by a chiropractor – so I have a metal plate in my neck with some screws… so my hands were already messed up.

“I’ve always said that when I don’t feel like I can do it anymore, that’s going to be time for me to stop.”

Check out our full interview with the frontman below, where he also opened up about his thoughts on the current metal scene, his appreciation for former Metallica bandmate James Hetfield, and sticking by his decision to not invite previous members on the final tour.

NME: Hi Dave. Exactly how far was it into the work on the final album that you knew it was time to throw in the towel? It must have been a hard decision to make…

Dave Mustaine: “I had a really difficult time in the studio. When we were already halfway done, I was feeling really achy, so I said something to our management. I have three guys that work in my management, [one of which is my son] Justis Mustaine – so I spoke to him and I said, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this’. He said, ‘We should probably talk about it, because this tour is probably going to go for two, three, maybe four years. You’re going to be a little bit older by that point… so what happens then?’

“I told him to let me think about it. Then I talked to the band and they were all super supportive. If I had said, ‘Hey, I’m old and I don’t want to do this anyway’, that’s one thing, but that’s not the truth. I’m just keeping to my word about if I got to a point where I couldn’t do my job 100 per cent, that I would discuss stopping. It’s very bittersweet for me, but we made a great record and we’re going out on top.”

Was there ever another point that fans aren’t aware of where you felt like calling it quits?

“No. There was one time where I [felt like I had to stop] because my arm got injured – that’s another thing that I’m dealing with, this numbness in my hand from when I had Saturday night palsy in my left arm. I couldn’t play for almost a year and a half because of it. I didn’t touch the guitar for 17 months.

“I have to say no though, to answer that honestly, because the fans knew all about when I got injured. I’ve kept them abreast of everything going on in the band’s life and in our personal lives as much as it’s safe nowadays. Even I didn’t know this was gonna happen [this way]. I just one day was hurting and talking about the tour coming up… that’s how it happened.”

The single ‘I Don’t Care’ feels like Megadeth going out with a bang and holding middle fingers up along the way…

“It was exactly that! So many people don’t say what needs to be said. If somebody comes up to me and starts complaining about shit, I think it is more honouring to that friend to say, ‘Listen, I don’t care. If I stand here and act like I care, as soon as you are out of earshot, I’m gonna tell people what a twat you are… So I don’t care.’ Watch what they say. They probably say, ‘Oh, thanks man!’ Then, hey, look at that, you have somebody thanking you for calling them a twat.”

Speaking of that unfiltered honesty, you outright said that you don’t want to invite previous members along for the tour because it might make it feel like a “puppet show”…

“Yeah. If we were to look at doing that, then you’ve got some members that are deceased. You’ve got some members that I’m friends with, but they can’t play anymore like Chuck [Behler, drummer from 1987-1989]. And then you’ve got a couple guys that are saying very bad things about me in the press. So why would I want to play with those guys?

“We did this before with Marty [Friedman, guitarist from 1990-2000], and I’m sure that if the opportunity presented itself and the timing was right, I would reconsider having one of the guys from the band’s alumni play with us. But if it was something that didn’t end very well, why would I? There’s not a valid reason to do something like that, especially when we have limited time on stage anyway.”

It feels like a full circle moment to include ‘Ride the Lightning’ on this album. What was it like for you to go back and record material from the Metallica days?

“It was really fun. It was fun hearing the track while we were listening to the parts and working out who would be playing what. I actually had a really good time listening to James’ vocals especially, because he and I have a very distinctive voice in the sense that they’re not at all similar, but they’re both very unique.

“I thought that it was cool to hear James doing his thing, and to then be able to put my spin on it too, because I’ve always thought that if you’re going to do a record of somebody else’s stuff, you need to do it at least as good, if not better. That’s a tall order when it comes to those guys, so we sped it up a little bit and we beefed the end up. Then I sang it with my style, which was different too. I think ours is a great version. There wasn’t any, ‘Ah, gotcha’ kind of shit involved. That doesn’t help anybody.

“Another thing we did was spice up the solo just a little bit too, because [if we didn’t] it would be us doing a solo of somebody doing a solo of mine. So we spiced that up a little bit, as well as the drum fills at the end. I said to Dirk [Verbeuren]: ‘Listen, have fun at the end because that’s what Lars [Ulrich, Metallica drummer] is doing, so why not us too.’”

Thanks to acts like Megadeth and Metallica, the ‘80s thrash scene really opened up the world of metal. Do you think a movement like that could still be possible in 2026?

“Sure I do! In fact, I said to the band that I think there’s going to be a renaissance when this record comes out because it’s going to smack a lot of people upside of their earholes. I think people are going to say ‘I forgot what I loved about this kind of music’, and then we’re gonna see a lot of people coming back with [a fresh take].

“So far that’s what I’ve been hearing a lot [with this album]. Not everybody, but a lot of people have been saying to me that they hadn’t listened to us for a little while but they really like the new album. Man, I’m so happy to hear this stuff from journos and radio personalities because I’ve been on defence almost all my career.”

What are your thoughts on the current metal scene? Are there any new artists who stand out to you as doing something new and innovative?

“Nobody in particular. I’ll hear a [new] band, but as soon as it gets to the vocal part that’s always where it loses me because everybody sings in that same particular style. It makes it hard for me to determine who the band is.

“One of the things that I like about Avenged Sevenfold, for example, is the fact that they sing as well as do the screamo stuff. I think what makes a band great is their singer. With the screaming stuff, we’ve had a lot of great bands that have come out on the road with us, but if the singer breaks into a singing voice, that’s what catches my attention – because it’s freaking hard to sing!”

Would you say that some metal artists are playing it too safe by only focusing on doing screaming/growling vocals?

“No, I’m not suggesting that at all because some people are really good at doing that screaming stuff. Just look at Arch Enemy, I think they’re a great band, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard [Alissa White-Gluz] sing. But that piqued my interest because it was a girl doing that.

“I give a pretty fair playing field to anybody who I listen to based on their genre. If I understand it, it’ll be easy for me to figure out if I like it or not. If it’s something I don’t understand, it might take me a few listens to see if there’s something I like.”

One artist who is making waves at the moment is Yungblud. Have you come across any of his work?

“No.”

He’s won over names like Ozzy Osborne, Aerosmith, and The Smashing Pumpkins, and some are even suggesting that he is helping carry the torch for a new generation of metal and rock fans. Do you think something like that can be done by one artist?

“Perhaps. But when you say somebody is working with everybody, that to me means they’ve reached a point where they need to either take a break, or find something else [to separate them from the pack] because you run the risk of your song sounding like the last person’s song, which then sounds like the last person’s song.”

So we shouldn’t expect a collaboration with you and Yungblud any time soon…

“As far as me knowing any young bands or artists that I wanna work with? If I was going to work with anybody right now, I’d keep working with Megadeth.”

What do you think of bands like KISS who have revealed plans to continue performing as virtual avatars even after their farewell tour is done? Would you ever consider doing something like that?

“I have seen some avatars, and if they’re done well, it could be a fun experience. Especially if the band is a phenomenon like ABBA. That works because they are a pop sensation and people will go see a puppet show of ABBA. Right now, though, I love playing live and I don’t know enough about all of that. I just want to keep the cool factor that we’ve been able to maintain for 40 years now.”

Megadeth’s self-titled, final album is out now via BlkIIBlk. Visit here for tickets to their upcoming tour dates.