By James Cochran, Photo Editor
Alongside Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer in thrash metal’s “Big Four,” one of the acclaimed group of bands’ most vital members, Megadeth, released their new self-titled album on January 23, 2026. Bringing back classic style while mixing in the new, the band’s lineup on the album is composed of the only original member, Dave Mustaine, on guitar and lead vocals; Wintersun’s Teemu Mäntysaari on guitar; Dick Verbeuren on drums; and James LoMenzo on bass, who was a former member of the band from 2006 to 2010 then rejoined again in 2021 to replace David Ellefson due to his sexual misconduct allegations earlier of that year.
The album was promoted in late 2025 with the three singles “Tipping Point” on October 3, “I Don’t Care” on November 14, and “Let There Be Shred” on December 19, with a fourth single, “Puppet Parade,” releasing on January 19 2026 shortly before the album dropped. The singles were dropped as surprises, with little to no prior announcement before each one landed on streaming services. The most surprising track to make the finished album was the Mustaine co-written Metallica song “Ride the Lightning,” which was originally shown in distorted text on the tracklist to hype it up. When I initially saw the theories that it would appear on the album, I was really excited but confused at the same time, considering Mustaine’s strained relationship with Metallica, as he was fired from the band in 1983.
I admittedly did get slightly emotional when I first clicked play, as it quickly hit me that this truly is Megadeth’s last album, but I found myself pushing that feeling away after the first two songs played. Even though the band’s run is coming to a close, those songs brutally reminded me that headbanging is the better option. What I noticed throughout the album is that pieces of Megadeth’s various eras can be heard through each song on the tracklist. The lead single, “Tipping Point,” is a really strong song by itself and a great album opener, with the classic 80’s thrash sound mixed with modern production and a bit of influence from their classic albums Rust in Peace and Peace Sells… as the icing on the cake.
Speaking of, Verbeuren’s drumming is reminiscent of the late Nick Menza’s on this one. The drum intro on “Made to Kill” is almost like an homage to Menza and his drum intro on “Rust in Peace… Polaris,” utilizing the grooves on the toms and double bass drums that Menza was famous for. Tying in with the influences from previous albums, the drums on “Obey the Call” have the band’s 1994 album, Youthanasia, written all over it. These Menza-esque songs are easily my favourites on this album, as I always love when bands do throwbacks to their past material; it shows that they can still do these kinds of songs while being innovative.
Mustaine reflects on his life and mortality on the album, especially so on the project’s most dynamic track, “The Last Note,” with acoustic guitars and, at times, Mustaine’s softer vocals. Lines like “I burned up my youth almost every night / Each show became a battle and a fight” show Mustaine in a rare, open state of vulnerability as he reflects on time and life passing by. The final track, “Ride the Lightning,” is a very fitting close to the album and concludes Megadeth’s mega run as a band. I like to see this cover as the final nail in the coffin for Mustaine’s and Metallica’s public feud of over 40 years, and it makes me question if Megadeth may have recorded any other Mustaine co-written Metallica songs.
While this album has some great cuts, it does have some weak spots as well. In the second single, “I Don’t Care,” the instrumental is good ole Megadeth goodness, but the lyrics don’t have any strong meaning; they’re very generic, repetitive, and rebellious, but in an edgy way. The third single, “Let There Be Shred,” also has issues with its lyrics – it’s almost like a sequel to “Rattlehead” from their debut album, Killing is my Business… and Business is Good!, but oddly, the song has lyrics that seem like they were written by AI. With the song’s strange structuring and lyrics like “Faster than lightning, a machine gun on meth,” I wouldn’t be surprised if it was used, considering the confirmed AI usage in the promotional material.
For a band with so many years under their belt, using AI was a great way to upset their fans. While there was the occasional outlier defending the band’s decision, most fans were disappointed with the band’s AI usage throughout the promotional videos they dropped leading up to the album’s release. Some fans were also concerned that it would spread into the album’s material. I find it a bit hypocritical when an artist uses it when they are fully capable of paying artists or at least creating the art themselves. They’ve already gone down the rabbit hole of NFTs and crypto, so they have now tarnished their credibility even more with these shitty images that could’ve been done better by real artists with heart and soul.
While this is not Megadeth’s strongest album, it is no slouch compared to 2016’s Dystopia and 2022’s The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! Despite some questionable marketing and creative decisions, metal history will be made once they are done, as they will be the second band of the “Big Four” to retire at one point after Slayer’s retirement in 2019. For what we assume is one last run, Megadeth is embarking on a lengthy final tour to promote the final album, but the question still remains: Will Megadeth continue after the tour? Or will they actually retire? Either way, I’ll continue rattling my goddamn head.
