DAVE MUSTAINE's next memoir, 'In My Darkest Hour', to detail his cancer battle

Grand Central Publishing‘s recently launched Da Capo imprint has set a tentative September 2027 release date for MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine‘s next memoir, “In My Darkest Hour”. The book will detail Mustaine‘s “gnarly” treatment after he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the back of his tongue in 2019.

The Da Capo imprint, which is focused on publishing books about music, is a reincarnation of Da Capo Press, the longtime music publisher acquired as part of Hachette Book Group‘s 2016 acquisition of the Perseus Book Group, which was folded into Hachette Books in 2018. The Hachette Books imprint was dissolved in 2024 as part of restructuring efforts at Hachette Book Group.

“In My Darkest Hour” is being co-written by The New York Times journalist Joe Layden, who previously worked with Mustaine on his “Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir” autobiography and on original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley‘s “No Regrets: A Rock ‘N’ Roll Memoir”. Layden also authored “The Last Great Fight” about what is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of boxing: James “Buster” Douglas‘s tenth-round knockout win over Mike Tyson in 1990.

Official “In My Darkest Hour” book description, courtesy of Da Capo: “From King of Metal Dave Mustaine, a powerful reflection on the harsh truths and raw realizations that can only come from confronting death.

“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.”

“Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir”, which came out in August 2010, landed at position No. 15 on The New York Times “Hardcover Nonfiction” best sellers list. The book was released in the U.S. via HarperCollins‘s It Books imprint (focusing on pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet). The U.K. edition, “Mustaine: A Life In Metal”, hit bookstores in the U.K. in September 2010.

In September 2020, Mustaine released his second book, “Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece” (formerly “Building The Perfect Beast”),via Hachette Books. “Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece” detailed the making of MEGADETH‘s iconic “Rust In Peace” album, which was released in 1990.

The now-64-year-old MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist revealed his cancer battle in June 2019 on social media, saying the doctors had given him a 90 percent chance of beating the illness.

Dave later said that he beat cancer after 51 radiation treatments and nine chemotherapy sessions. He returned to the stage in early 2020 — weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic derailed touring for months.

In 2014, five years before his cancer diagnosis, Mustaine and his family relocated to Tennessee, in part, because his daughter Electra wanted to pursue a singing career. Electra now helps run the visionary wine brand House Of Mustaine which uniquely blends music, culture, and fine winemaking.

Last month MEGADETH released the latest single and video for “Let There Be Shred”. The track is a rapid-fire manifesto with jaw-dropping riffs and “a tsunami of sound,” to quote a lyric from the song. Directed by Keith Leman, the video features MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine participating in a mixed martial arts battle alongside live performance footage.

Watch “Let There Be Shred” below.