Megadeth’s founding frontman, Dave Mustaine, has never shied away from airing his frustrations — and in a recent conversation with Kerrang!, he delivered one of his most pointed critiques yet. With Megadeth’s final self-titled album set for release on January 23, 2026, and a farewell tour stretching across three to five years, Mustaine also turned his attention to the evolution of rock and metal.
In the interview, Mustaine questioned the industry’s shift away from fully-realised albums:
“How long has it been since you heard an album like ‘Nevermind’ or ‘Appetite For Destruction’ or ‘Rust In Peace’ or ‘Master Of Puppets’?”
“You just don’t hear records like that anymore. You get maybe one good song on a record now, and people are so used to skipping tracks. That saddens me, because there are a lot of our songs where, if you listen to them multiple times, you’ll hear there’s a lot more to them.”
Mustaine’s comments echo a broader concern among veteran rockers. He cited how, in his view, the album as art form has been eroded by streaming culture and attention-shortened playlists. “All the good chords are taken,” he remarked in a subsequent discussion.
The metal icon’s forthcoming album will also see him revisiting his history by covering Metallica’s “Ride The Lightning” — a song he co-wrote during his brief early tenure with that band. Of the move, he said:
“If you’re going to do a cover song, you’ve got to do it at least as good, if not better.”
Despite his sharp critique, Mustaine isn’t abandoning hope. “The body will disappear, but the legend will remain. And the music will go on forever,” he concluded.
For fans who grew up on albums that demanded dedication rather than distraction, Mustaine’s words resonate. Whether or not today’s mainstream acts can revive that lost spirit remains to be seen — but from where he stands, the clock is ticking on rock’s golden era.
