In lighter news for a change, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has earned his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 59. It was presented to him over the weekend. 

Instructor Reggie Almeida comments: "After two years as a blue belt and hard training and lots of ups and downs, today I had the honor to promote Mr. Dave Mustaine to his well deserved purple belt! Congratulations kid!!!"

The purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Mustaine is also a black belt in Ukidokan Karate and a black belt in Taekwondo.

During a January 9th session of the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp Masterclass, Mustaine leaked the following information about his band's forthcoming 16th studio album, which will be the follow-up to Dystopia, released in 2016.

According to Mustaine, "The tentative album title we have right now is called The Sick, The Dying And The Dead. We may change that, because there's some other titles, and I usually change the titles four or five times before I settle on anything." Hear the audio at this location.

The new book Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece, by Dave Mustaine with Joel Selvin, was released on September 8, 2020. It features a foreword by Slash, and stories from Mustaine, bassist David Ellefson, and former members of the band, among others. It details how Megadeth struggled with drug addiction, finances, and more, only to record one of the definitive albums of their career.

Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece details the making of Megadeth’s iconic record, Rust In Peace, which was released in 1990, at an incredible time of flux and creativity in the rock world. Relayed by Dave Mustaine, the book covers the process of hiring the band and supporting cast, of trying to handle the ensuing success, and ultimately the pressure of fame and fortune - which caused the band to finally break-up. In short, it’s a true story of groundbreaking anti-pop that was moving toward the mainstream (or the mainstream that was moving toward the band), at a time of great cultural change, power, ego, drugs, and other vices that went hand-in-hand with rock n' roll, circa the late eighties-early nineties.

Little did Mustaine know that the birth pangs of the record were nothing compared to the oncoming pain and torment that would surround it. Alcohol, drugs, sex, money, power, property, prestige, the lies the band was told by the industry - and the lies they told each other - were just beginning, and much like rust in real life, these factors would ultimately eat away at the band’s bond until only the music survived.

Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece is a story of perseverance, of scraping off the rust off that builds over time on everything: ourselves, our relationships, pop culture, art, and music.