'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAHBAAAgIDAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAEQMEEyFB/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/EABcRAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAhL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMM1NLFsqFUK75VHMAlQxv0V8qR8uBOr14LNCIi5Celv/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The American thrash metal band, Megadeth, announced its final album and tour on Thursday, August 14, 2025, via a video on the band’s official YouTube page.
“For over four decades, I’ve been chained in silence, but the end demands my voice,” the alter ego of Megadeth’s lead singer, Dave Mustaine, said in the video.
“It is confirmed: The next Megadeth studio album will be the last. Forty years of metal, forged in steel, ending in fire. And when the new year rises, the global farewell tour. You’ve heard the warning. Now prepare yourself, Cyber Army. Stay loud, stay tuned, and meet me on the frontlines.”
Megadeth was formed in 1983 by Dave, the vocalist and guitarist of the group. The group comprises four members: Dave, James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbeuren, and Teemu Mantysaari.
They released their debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! in 1985. The band has released sixteen studio albums, five of which earned platinum certifications from the RIAA. Let's explore ten of their best albums below.
Disclaimer: This list was based on the writer’s opinion only.
Countdown to Extinction, Rust in Peace, Youthanasia, and seven other albums of Megadeth
1) Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!
This is the first studio album of the band. It was released in 1985 and featured eight tracks, including Last Rites/Loved to Death and The Skull Beneath the Skin. The album was praised by not only metal-oriented critics but by mainstream magazines, too. Rock Hard scored the album nine out of ten, and Metal Hammer gave the album four and a half stars out of five.
Colin Larken called the project a “ferocious blast of high-energy thrash metal,” and AllMusic’s Steve Huey said the album is “as raw as Megadeth gets.”
2) Countdown to Extinction
This is the fifth studio album of Megadeth. It was released on July 14, 1992, and featured eleven tracks, including four singles: Symphony of Destruction, Foreclosure of a Dream, Sweating Bullets, and Skin o' My Teeth. Countdown to Extinction was certified three time platinum by Canada Music and two times platinum by the RIAA. It received high ratings from About.com, AllMusic, Chicago Tribune, Q, Record Collector, and Sputnikmusic.
“Megadeth guns for arena thrash success and gets it on Countdown to Extinction,” Huey of AllMusic praised.
“Megadeth's first step into the world of mainstream music,” Sputnikmusic’s Mike Stagno wrote, adding that the group “still maintains its identity.”
3) Rust in Peace
Rust in Peace was released in September 1990. The band’s fourth album featured nine tracks, including two singles, Holy Wars... The Punishment Due and Hangar 18. The album topped About.com’s 2012 list of Best Heavy Metal Albums of 1990 and Best Heavy Metal Albums of the 1990s. It is also certified platinum by the RIAA.
4) Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?
This is the second studio album by the thrash metal band. It was released in September 1986 and features eight tracks, including two singles, Wake Up Dead and Peace Sells. Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? was certified platinum by the RIAA and was in the top three of About.com’s 2012 Best Thrash Metal Albums and Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1986.
5) Youthanasia
Youthanasia was released in November 1994 as the sixth studio album of the four-member group. The album features two singles, including Train of Consequence and A Tout le Monde, and twelve tracks. Youthanasia was certified platinum in the United States, Malaysia, and Canada. It was rated four stars by Sputnikmusic and Q.
6) Endgame
Endgame was released on September 15, 2009, as the group’s twelfth studio album. Containing eleven tracks, Endgame featured two singles, including Head Crusher and The Right to Go Insane. The album has been described as the group’s “most reliable and proficient album since Rust in Peace.”
“Megadeth is still at the top of their game. Endgame has some old-school moments, but also modern ones. 2007’s United Abominations garnered much critical praise and was on many year-end best of lists that year... Endgame is even better,” About.com’s Chad Bower wrote.
7) So Far, So Good... So What!
So Far, So Good... So What! had four singles, including Hook in Mouth, Anarchy in the U.K., Mary Jane, and In My Darkest Hour. It was released as the group’s third studio album on January 19, 1988, and features eight tracks.
The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and Music Canada and received praise from critics. Rock Hard described the album as “the new masterpiece of Megadeth.”
8) The System Has Failed
The System Has Failed is Megadeth’s tenth studio album. It was released on September 14, 2004, and features twelve tracks, including three singles: Die Dead Enough, Of Mice and Men, and The Scorpion. The album was rated four stars by AllMusic, KNAC, and Revolver. It has been hailed as “damn near perfect” and received mostly positive reviews from critics.
9) Cryptic Writings
Cryptic Writings was released in June 1997 as the band’s seventh studio album. It features twelve tracks and four singles, including Trust, Almost Honest, Use the Man, and A Secret Place. The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 upon release. It has been certified gold in five countries, including the United States and Canada.
The album has been praised as “pure, solid heavy metal” and named “one of the best metal records of 1997.”
10)The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!
The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is the latest studio album of Megadeth. Released as the group’s sixteenth studio album in 2022, the album features twelve tracks, including six singles: We'll Be Back, Night Stalkers, Soldier On!, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, Life in Hell, and Killing Time.
The album has received favorable reviews. Blabbermouth.net’s Dom Lawson wrote:
“That means that Dave Mustaine is well aware of how lethal Megadeth are, circa 2022. This is easily the band's best album since Endgame... possibly even Countdown To Extinction. The cantankerous old devil is back in blistering top form and making music that will remind you exactly why we love the cantankerous old devil in the first place.”
Other albums of the metal band include Dystopia, United Abominations, Th1rt3en, The World Needs a Hero, Super Collider, and Risk.
Trending
Read more: When will Doja Cat release her album ‘Vie’? Everything to know as she announces its arrival
Read more: Taylor Swift reveals what Max Martin said when she asked him to collaborate on new album: “Do you understand what pressure that is?”
Reply
