Maybe Dave Mustaine Should Have Cared a Bit More When Writing Megadeth’s New Single
The second single off of Megadeth‘s farewell self-titled album — “I Don’t Care” — dropped today. It’s a punky little number that sees band leader Dave Mustaine effectively giving the middle finger to everything on the way out the door.
At face value, it’s a pretty cool way to start saying goodbye to an industry you’ve been a part of for fourty years. All the ups and downs, the recognition, the accolades he probably felt Megadeth deserved but Metallica received, the jokes at his expense, the massive shows and the at-home breakdowns… all answered with a wry smile and “I don’t care”.
But no matter the message or exemplary musicianship on display from everyone on this track, there’s just one nagging feeling about this one: it’s not genuine. Time and time again, Mustaine’s proven that shit gets to him. He does care, otherwise he would have let things roll off him a little more. Maybe he would have reminded the world a little less about how he was a member of Metallica all those years ago if he actually didn’t care.
What I really wish Dave Mustaine cared about was his lyricism and vocal performance on this track. It’s so basic and stock, it feels like a Megadeth song written by Dr. Seuss. Put down the rhyming dictionary and really tear into this one, man. Do more with the three and a half minutes you spend on the track.
It’s just so funny to see a track like “I Don’t Care” on the album that he literally has his band re-record an old Metallica song. Sure, Dave — you don’t care. I got it.
Still, as I mentioned before, the music is kick ass. The punk style really fits Megadeth and harkens back to their roots a bit. The rhythm section expectedly hold shit down and Temu’s guitar solo fucking rips. Listen, I want to be dead wrong about the rest of the album. I want this thing to be a triumphant middle finger in the air as Dave and crew rides off into the sunset. It’s just a shame that I hear this track and instantly cringe a bit. Here’s hoping the rest of the album kicks ass, but with track titles like “Hey, God?” and “Let There Be Shred”, I’m a little nervous…
Megadeth’s self-titled, farewell LP is set to release January 23 of 2026 via BLKIIBLK, but you can preorder your copy today.
