Da Capo to publish “In My Darkest Hour” from global superstar & Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine, a powerful reflection on the harsh truths and raw realizations that can only come from confronting death
New York, NY (March 19, 2026)—Da Capo, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (GCP) and the Hachette Book Group announce the publication of IN MY DARKEST HOUR: A Memoir by Dave Mustaine with Joe Layden on September 8, 2026. “In My Darkest Hour is Dave Mustaine at his most revealing, vulnerable, and true,” stated Ben Schafer, Executive Editor, Da Capo. “With lacerating honesty and soulful reflection, he speaks to the universal human experience of facing serious illness and how it changes a person, their family and friends, and one’s relationship with creativity. Da Capo is proud to publish Dave Mustaine’s most unblinking memoir to date, one that isn’t only for Megadeth fans.”
“One of most harrowing experiences of my adult life has been my seven-year journey through cancer treatment and onward into remission,” Dave Mustaine says about the experiences detailed in the forthcoming book. “This story is considerably more than just go to the doctor, get diagnosed, get treatment and hopefully I live happily ever after. This was a journey of me saving myself, staying alive, keeping my family together, and continuing to make music through it all.”
Dave Mustaine is no stranger to pain and suffering. He battled demons all his life—including an alcoholic father, addiction, and black magic—and turned fifty-eight believing he’d survived the worst. But in 2019, Mustaine was forced to face the loss of his instantly recognizable voice and the disintegration of his musical talent. Diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the back of his tongue, his entire career—and possibly his life—was about to end.
For Mustaine, it was one more opportunity to fight like hell.
IN MY DARKEST HOUR takes readers from the treatment room to the studio as Mustaine chronicles how his diagnosis inspired him to take up the pen and guitar pick, going from radiation and chemotherapy appointments straight into hours-long recording sessions, resulting in Megadeth’s sixteenth studio album, The Sick, The Dying…and the Dead! Along the way, Mustaine details how confronting his own mortality brought him closer to his family, taught him how to ask for help, strengthened his faith, and challenged the vulnerability of his art.
Filled with perseverance, hope, and the determination to never let the bastards grind you down, IN MY DARKEST HOUR is a masterful portrait of a Dave Mustaine that the world has yet to see, and serves as a moving reminder that even our most invincible heroes are human.
Now, six years removed from that initial diagnosis, Mustaine is seeing the biggest success of his 40-plus-year career with Megadeth’s final studio album and tour. Committed to go out on top, Megadeth’s new album (released in January 2026) debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., marking the band’s highest debut week ever on the chart. Around the world, the album garnered critical acclaim and hit #1 in 11 countries and landed Top 5 positions on 11 additional charts.
About Dave Mustaine: Dave Mustaine and his band Megadeth are always and forever the point of no return for metal. It would be nearly impossible to conceive where heavy music and culture would’ve gone without the band founded, fronted, and fueled by vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Dave Mustaine. As a founding member of Metallica, and then founder of Megadeth, the blast radius of Mustaine’s impact has only been magnified since 1983. Thus far, they have sold 50 million records worldwide, received a GRAMMY® Award (with 12 additional nominations), generated billions of streams, notched nine Top 10 entries on the Billboard 200, and enthralled millions of diehard fans in arenas and stadiums across the globe. Their catalog spans indisputable classics such as the platinum Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (cited at #8 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time”), the platinum Rust In Peace, and double-platinum Countdown To Extinction, which captured #2 on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, Dystopia notched a Top 3 debut and earned a GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Metal Performance” with its title track. They only upped the ferocity with The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! in 2022. It saw them return to #3, receive a “Best Metal Performance” GRAMMY® Award nomination for “We’ll Be Back,” and incite rave reviews. In 2026 Mustaine and the band reached the apex of their success: a #1 debut with their self-titled final album on the Billboard 200. Along with #1s on seven additional Billboard charts, Mustaine and Megadeth logged #1s in eleven countries. The band is currently on their multi-year farewell tour.
About Da Capo:
Da Capo is an imprint dedicated to publishing definitive biographies, memoirs, and narrative non-fiction about music and musicians. Through music, we encounter the world and the counterculture traditions that have animated creative movements in the 20th and 21st centuries. From classic rock and punk to metal, jazz, and hip hop, Da Capo’s books are made with the active listener in mind, whose music is a cornerstone of their identity.
About Grand Central Publishing:
Grand Central Publishing reaches a diverse audience through books that cater to every kind of reader. Its imprints are Balance, Cardinal, Da Capo, Forever, Grand Central, and Legacy Lit. Grand Central Publishing is one of three divisions of the Grand Central Publishing Group, which also includes Hachette Nashville and Union Square & Co.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading US general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group; Grand Central Publishing Group; Hachette Audio; Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orbit; and Workman Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to other publishing companies.
Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Peace Prize and other major honors.
We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.
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