MEGADETH and HALF SUMO collaborate on 'Killing Is My Business…' 40th-anniversary fightwear capsule
13-06-2025
Half Sumo, the Brooklyn-born art collective that blends the ferocity of combat sports with the rebellious spirit of streetwear, today announced a landmark collaboration with thrash metal architects MEGADETH. This ground-breaking partnership celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band’s genre-defining debut album, “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!”
The alliance is a testament to the shared discipline and aggressive artistry that fuels both worlds. MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine, a lifelong martial artist, holds black belts in Taekwondo and Ukidokan Karate, as well as a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, making this collaboration a deeply authentic one.
Forty years after its release, the raw power of “Killing Is My Business…” remains a benchmark in metal. The Megadeth x Half Sumo capsule honors this legacy with a collection of wearable art that reimagines the album’s iconic imagery through the lens of samurai lore, urban warfare, and underground resistance. For the first time ever, MEGADETH‘s iconic mascot, Vic Rattlehead, will be emblazoned across a full range of premium fightwear, including custom nogi rashguards, shorts, and a highly anticipated, master-crafted kimono.
“To see the raw energy of our first album translated into gear that’s built for the mat is a thrilling moment,” said Mustaine. “Half Sumo honored the spirit of ‘Killing Is My Business…’ perfectly.”
“MEGADETH‘s debut was a declaration of war on the status quo,” said Half Sumo founders Luigi Scarcella Perino and Alberto Marchetti. “It was technically brilliant, unapologetically aggressive, and it set a new standard for heavy music. That is the same energy we inject into our gear — the spirit of the underdog fighting a bigger battle. This collection is for them.”
The Megadeth x Half Sumo “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!” 40th-anniversary capsule will be released in four highly limited waves at HalfSumo.com.
Wave 1: The Streets (available today, June 12)
Marking 40 years to the day of the album’s original release, the first drop unleashes a limited run of premium streetwear.
“Katana Vic” Tee: A fearless graphic tee showcasing a reimagined Vic Rattlehead, drawn in signature Half Sumo style — bold, raw, and battle-ready.
Rattlehead Ronin Tee: A throwback-style tee with a bold front graphic of the Ronin Vic design, printed on an off-white sand tee for an old-school, battle-worn vibe.
Half Sumo x Megadeth Anniversary Logo Tee: An iconic crossover piece celebrating 40 years of thrash. This tee features an oversized Vic Rattlehead face reinterpreted through the Half Sumo lens, with the vintage MEGADETH logo blazing across the chest.
“Katana Vic” Pullover Zip Hoodie: A premium heavyweight zip hoodie engineered for durability, featuring the “Katana Vic” artwork in full glory — ready for war, but made to chill.
Rattlehead Ronin Hoodie: Vic Rattlehead goes full ronin in an intricately detailed graphic printed on a vintage shiitake-colored heavyweight hoodie. Built like armor.
“Mechanix” Tech Joggers: Heavyweight fleece joggers built for grit and comfort, finished with the anniversary logo printed cleanly under the knee — subtle, but loud.
Wave 2: The Mats (to be released in July 2025)
The second wave delivers high-performance gear engineered for combat.
“Rattlehead” Nogi Fightwear Kit: A fully sublimated rashguard and shorts set, designed for intense MMA and Jiu-Jitsu training, featuring anti-odor and moisture-wicking technology.
Wave 3: The Dojo (to be released in August 2025)
The centerpiece of the collection arrives.
“Chosen Ones” Custom Kimono: A master-crafted pearl weave kimono built for the discerning Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Features intricate, direct embroidery of MEGADETH and Half Sumo iconography, a custom-printed interior lining, and a collector’s edition gi bag.
Wave 4: The Arsenal (to be released in September 2025)
The final wave delivers unique accessories forged from signature materials.
“Looking Down the Cross” Bomber Jacket: A satin-lined bomber jacket constructed from premium, heavyweight kimono fabric—the same signature material used in high-performance BJJ gis—and finished with intricate, full-back embroidery.
Vic Rattlehead Tactical Backpack: A rugged backpack forged from ultra-durable kimono gi fabric. Built for the mission, it features custom anniversary patches and reinforced compartments.
Every item in this collection is a collector’s piece, individually hand-numbered with no restocks planned. Surprise “flash drops” of unannounced items may occur. This is not for the faint of heart; it is for the dedicated who have followed every riff and every round.
To receive immediate alerts for each drop, fans are urged to subscribe to the official mailing list at halfsumo.com/collections/megadeth and follow @halfsumo_collective on Instagram. When these items sell out, they are gone forever.
About Half Sumo: Half Sumo is a Brooklyn-based independent fightwear brand blending martial arts, combat culture, and conceptual streetwear. Known for its narrative-driven collections, limited drops, cult art direction, and one-of-a-kind pieces, Half Sumo collaborates with legends across combat sports, music, and design to tell stories that hit like a roundhouse to the face. For Jiu Jitsu practitioners, Half Sumo captures the soul of the art: a place where technique beats size, where David can take on Goliath — and submit him with a rear naked choke. It’s for anyone facing a challenge bigger than themselves and refusing to back down. Because let’s face it, the underdog is always more fun to root for.
MEGADETH has previously shared a one-and-a-half-minute “Studio Timelapse 2025” video featuring footage of the making of the band’s upcoming seventeenth studio album. Check out the clip below.
MEGADETH wrote in an accompanying message: “Can’t wait to drop this one”.
MEGADETH‘s next album will be released via frontman Dave Mustaine‘s Tradecraft imprint with the Frontiers Label Group‘s new imprint BLKIIBLK.
MEGADETH is once again working with Chris Rakestraw, a producer, mixer and engineer who previously worked on MEGADETH‘s last two albums, 2022’s “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!” and 2016’s “Dystopia”.
Last September, MEGADETH guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who joined the band a year and a half ago as the replacement for Kiko Loureiro, was asked by Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station about the progress of the songwriting sessions for MEGADETH‘s next LP. He said: “Yeah, actually, already a while back Dave started talking about making the next album and kind of starting to do pre-production. And as soon as he mentioned that, and kind of before that already, once it was clear that I’m gonna be staying with the band, then I kind of started putting my ideas down and just recording any riff ideas that I feel like could be something that could be used in MEGADETH. And by now I have a bunch of riffs and ideas that I’ve gathered. And then Dave told me that he likes to work the way that everybody does their riffs and then at some point we’re gonna get together and then review things and see which riffs are gonna work together and then work out the parts between the riffs to kind of connect things and then that way come up with the skeletons for the songs. And I’m really looking forward to doing that and hearing how he feels about my ideas as well. But what I’ve done so far is whenever I have a moment to sit down, I usually just record a little video of myself playing a riff idea and then when we have a day off at the hotel, then I would record that properly and then just like have this folder of riffs that we can look into at some point. So, [I’m] really looking forward to that. And Dave has been really supportive and sounds like he wants to have all the guys’ input on the next album, which is really exciting.”
In September 2023, MEGADETH‘s latest album, “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!”, debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!” was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in Australia, Poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.
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