Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. The group is known for complex guitar work and precise musicianship and is regarded as one of the big four bands of American thrash metal along with Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica. Its music features fast rhythm sections, dual lead guitars and lyrics addressing topics such as war, politics, religion, mortality and personal relationships.

The band released its debut album, "Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!" in 1985 through Combat Records, gaining attention that led to a contract with Capitol Records. The second album, "Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?" (1986), achieved strong underground success. Despite issues related to substance abuse and internal conflicts during the late 1980s, Megadeth released several commercially successful albums, including "So Far, So Good... So What!" (1988), "Rust in Peace" (1990) and "Countdown to Extinction" (1992). The band continued to tour internationally. Megadeth's most recent album, "The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!", was released in 2022. On August 14, 2025, Mustaine announced that the upcoming seventeenth studio album, "Megadeth," along with its supporting tour, would be the band's final work.

Megadeth has experienced frequent lineup changes, with Mustaine remaining the only constant member. The band briefly disbanded in 2002 following Mustaine's arm injury and returned in 2004 without longtime bassist David Ellefson, who had been involved in legal disputes with Mustaine. Ellefson rejoined in 2010 after a legal settlement but was dismissed in 2021. The current lineup consists of Mustaine, James LoMenzo, Teemu Mäntysaari and Dirk Verbeuren.

Megadeth received platinum certifications in the United States for five studio albums and earned twelve Grammy nominations. The band won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song "Dystopia" in the Best Metal Performance category. Its mascot, Vic Rattlehead, appears on album covers and in stage productions. Megadeth organized the music festival Gigantour multiple times between 2005 and 2013 and launched the MegaCruise in 2019. As of 2023, the band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megadeth

Studio albums Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985) Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986) So Far, So Good... So What! (1988) Rust in Peace (1990) Countdown to Extinction (1992) Youthanasia (1994) Cryptic Writings (1997) Risk (1999) The World Needs a Hero (2001) The System Has Failed (2004) United Abominations (2007) Endgame (2009) Thirteen (2011) Super Collider (2013) Dystopia (2016) The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022) Megadeth (2026)