Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has offered up an update into his recent health battles, revealing he’s been making progress with his cancer treatments.
Back in June, the music world was stunned to learn that Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine had been diagnosed with throat cancer.
Noting that “it’s clearly something to be respected and faced head on,” Mustaine explained that he was “working closely with [his] doctors,” and that he had already received a treatment plan which “they feel has a 90% success rate.”
Understandably, this put a bit of a dampener on hopes of a new Megadeth record this year, but true to his reputation, Mustaine not only thanked his fans for their unending support during this tough time, but also hit the studio to work on the group’s new album.
While Megadeth bassist David Ellefson revealed last month that the iconic rocker was done with his treatments, Mustaine himself has now offered his own statements on the matter.
Speaking to Rolling Stone recently, Dave Mustaine opened up about a number of topics related to his illness, including the method in which he was diagnosed, how he dealt with the news, and how the future is looking for himself and his band.
“I’m on the other side of the majority of the treatment, and I feel really strong,” Mustaine explained.
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“After the radiation, the guy said all of my test results looked amazing. ‘You look like you’re in a stage 1 and you’re supposed to be in stage 3 right now.’
“And then the oncologist said the same thing: ‘You look really strong.’ So we kept moving through the process.”
Check out ‘Hangar 18’ by Megadeth:
While Dave Mustaine makes it clear that he’s finished his treatment but is yet to be in remission, he explains that the battle made it difficult for Megadeth to work on their next album.
Despite this, he says they’re still hoping to release new songs ahead of next year’s European tour with Five Finger Death Punch and Bad Wolves.
“I’m so excited,” Mustaine says of hitting the road again, “and I can’t wait to fire up my guitars.”
Most interestingly though, Mustaine’s conversation revealed that he managed to receive messages of support from some of his closest friends, including his old bandmate, Metallica’s James Hetfield.
“Most notably, I got a text message back from my old brother, James Hetfield, and I was so, so happy to hear from him,” he explained.
“Contrary to what anybody says and contrary to any of the act that we put on, I love James and I know that James loves me and cares about me. You can see that when the moment of truth is here and I’m telling the world that I’ve got a life-threatening disease. Who comes to stand next to me? James.
“And I got a text message from Ozzy, and one from Paul Stanley. It was great to get one from Ozzy; I didn’t expect it from Paul Stanley. That was super bitchin’ because in the beginning, when Kiss first came out, I was just a kid and I loved them.”
“I’m really grateful for everybody,” he concluded. “Even the people who have a hard time with my behavior and my big mouth, I’m just so grateful for them showing care for me.
“Like they say, at the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other here in this crazy metal community.”
While there’s no word as to when we might see the new Megadeth album, or an Aussie tour from the group, we hope that Dave Mustaine focuses on his health before he looks ahead to the future of his music.
Check out Dave Mustaine on Megadeth’s ‘Fatal Illusion’:
