Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine has revealed that a condition affecting his hands is behind his decision to retire the band after a farewell tour in support of their upcoming final album.
The thrash metal icons will release their self-titled album next month and the band tour Canada in February and March before dates in Europe in the summer followed by a return to North America.
Now the singer and guitarist has given. more detail on the reasons for winding down his remarkable career, saying the effects of Dupuytren's contracture on his hands make it "really painful" to continue playing.
Showing the interviewer how the condition affects him, Mustaine tells MariskalRockTV: "It's gonna make my finger come down like this.
"It's already started, where it's kind of bunching up a little bit. And then if you look at the tips of my fingers, they're severely arthritic. So all those bumps makes it really painful to play."
He plans to undergo surgery to halt the condition's progress, but not before the farewell tour dates.
He adds: "If I wait until my hands are causing a problem and I try it and it doesn't work, well then I've toured everywhere, I've said farewell everybody and am not leaving stuff unsaid or unfinished."
Dupuytren's contracture, once knwo as Viking Disease, causes fingers to become permanently bent and usually begins as small, hard nodules just under the skin of the palm.
It usually worsens over time until the fingers can no longer be fully straightened. Treatment can slow its progression and help alleviate symptoms.
