Megadeth have good reason to celebrate. The Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum metal titans’ self-titled final studio album—released last week (January 23rd) to worldwide critical acclaim—has exploded onto the charts at #1 on the Billboard 200 in their native U.S. (highest previous position #2).This debut also marks the band’s 9th Billboard Top 200 album.
The band also claims the top spot in Australia (highest previous position #2) and Austria (highest previous position #8). Other top five spots include #2 in Finland (+ #1 physical), Sweden (+ #1 physical; highest previous position #9), and Belgium (highest previous position: #6); #3 in both the U.K. and Germany (highest previous position: #6); #4 in the Netherlands (highest previous position: #7); and #5 in both Italy (highest previous position: #15) and New Zealand (highest chart position ever). Debuts in additional territories are still being compiled at press time.
“After 40 years of delivering Megadeth music, playing shows around the world, I have nothing but gratitude at this moment. Finding out that our last Megadeth record is also our first #1 only further validates my will to go out on top,” says Dave Mustaine, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer. “Thank you to my family, Teemu Mantasaari, James LoMenzo, and Dirk Verbueren, and Chris Rakestraw, all our fans for making this possible, without you Megadeth would not be as successful as we are. I’d also like to thank the people behind the scenes, our management, Danny Nozell, Justis Mustaine, and Steve Ross at CTK, and our label BLKIIBLK/Tradecraft.”
“This recording is a labour of love, and I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. See you on tour soon,” Dave Mustaine
“Absolutely amazing news. Thank you and congrats to our entire extended Megadeth family,” Teemu Mäntysaari.
“I want to sincerely thank all our friends and fans who grabbed a copy, we’re over the moon,” James LoMenzo.
“It feels unbelievable to sit atop the charts with an album that’s uncompromisingly Megadeth. Huge thanks to all of you who support us- you made this happen! See you on tour,” Dirk Verbeuren .
“This moment represents the culmination of the trust Dave and the Megadeth team placed in our label, BLKIIBLK/Frontiers Label Group, to deliver these results,” says Jeff Stevenson, General Manager, Frontiers Label Group. “As our label and its owner, Serafino Perugino, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, the timing felt right to proudly partner in this next chapter with a band that has shaped music history since its formation in 1983.”
Tom Lipsky, A&R USA, Frontiers Label Group, adds, “This achievement is a testament to the relationship that Dave Mustaine and Megadeth have built with fans over the course of their career.”
“The impact Megadeth has made on music has forever been cemented. And, now with this long overdue #1 all-genre album, the band is going out on top” says Danny Nozell, Megadeth’s manager and Founder/CEO of CTK Enterprises. “I am so proud of Justis Mustaine, Steve Ross, and the entire CTK team, our Results Global marketing team, SRO PR, and our partners at BLKIIBLK/Frontiers Label Group and The Orchard for bringing this project to life.”
Leading up to the new album (out via Dave Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label), Megadeth—Mustaine, Teemu Mäntysaari (Lead, Rhythm, and Acoustic Guitars), James LoMenzo (Bass Guitar) and Dirk Verbeuren (Drums)—have released four singles: Puppet Parade, Let There Be Shred!, I Don’t Care, and Tipping Point. Megadeth also announced a very special bonus track from the album: a reimagined version of Ride The Lightning, which Mustaine co-wrote with Metallica’s James Hetfield, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich and was the title track from the group’s 1984 album.
Up next for Megadeth, they’ll kick off their farewell tour in North America with a cross-country headlining tour of Canada launching February 15th in Victoria, BC including stops in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ottawa before wrapping March 6th in Quebec City, QC.
6 Responses
I think this final Megadeth album is excellent, and I think it blows away anything Meh-tallica has released over the last 35 years or so. The musicianship of Megadeth has always been superior to the other “Big 4” bands. Dave Mustaine still has riffs in him….the well ran dry for Meh-tallica over 35 years ago.
I agree that Dave is the superior lead player out of the big 4. He smokes Hammett. Hetfield is a tremendous rhythm player. I think Megadeth has a better overall catalog of riffs and solos though, especially over the past 35 years. I’m thrilled that Megadeth has the #1 album in the country. It’s about time a hard rock/metal band gets the spotlight over Easter bunny and whatever lame fake “artists” are playing at the superbowl. Actually it’d be nice if Megadeth came out 30 seconds into Easter bunny’s set, aggressively removing them from stage and then ripping into Tipping Point!
Congratulations to Mustaine & Co. for landing at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
However, without raining on anyone’s parade (because a #1 album is a #1 album!), let’s also keep this in perspective. Since the advent of digital music, actual hard sales of albums have dropped WAY down. This is why a lot of artists who’ve never had Top 10 hits, suddenly have Top 10 hits. An album can sell 20,000 copies in its debut week and become the #1 album in the country. Before digital, sales of 20,000 copies wouldn’t have even registered a blip on the Billboard album charts. While Megadeth clearly sold more albums than anyone else last week, I’m still curious to know how many actual copies of the album were sold.
But again, a #1 album is a #1 album, and Megadeth certainly deserve their victory lap.
Yeah but don’t they include digital downloads as part of the sales now in these charts? Either way congrats to Megadeth, it’s a killer album.
RTunes, I recently read 56,000 physical copies of Megadeth’s album were sold in the first week of its release.
Glad I was able to help. I bought the Solar LP version. I think I just head that Def Lepard came in 2nd. Rock isn’t dead. Wish radio would play new rock and help it out. I don’t know why they are all 70s-90s now.