Timeline of heavy metal and hard rock music

This is a timeline of heavy metal or hard rock, from its beginning in the late 1960s to the present time.

1963

Newly formed bands

• Heart
• MC5
• Steppenwolf

Popular songs

• The Kingsmen – "Louie Louie"

1964

Newly formed bands

• The Amboy Dukes
• The Who

Popular songs

• The Kinks – "You Really Got Me" & "All Day and All of the Night"
• Them – "Gloria"

1965

Newly formed bands

• Scorpions

Popular songs

• The Beatles – "Drive My Car"

1966

Newly formed bands

• Cream
• Blue Cheer
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Iron Butterfly
• The Mothers of Invention
• Nazareth
• Vanilla Fudge

Albums

• John Mayall with Eric Clapton – Blues Breakers UK #6
• The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!
• Cream – Fresh Cream UK #6

Popular songs

• The Beatles – "Taxman"
• The Beatles – "Doctor Robert"
• The Beatles – "She Said She Said"
• The Beatles – "Tomorrow Never Knows"
• The Rolling Stones – "Paint It Black"
• The 13th Floor Elevators – "You're Gonna Miss Me"

Note: The 13th Floor Elevators coined the term "psychedelic rock" in 1966, the first band ever referred to as psychedelic rock.

1967

Newly formed bands

• Budgie
• Genesis
• Soft White Underbelly

Albums

• Cream – Disraeli Gears US #4 UK #5
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced US #5 UK #2
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis Bold As Love US #3 UK #5
• The Mothers of Invention – We're Only in It for the Money
• The Rolling Stones – Their Satanic Majesties Request US #2 UK #3
• Vanilla Fudge – Vanilla Fudge US #6

Popular songs

• The Doors – "The End"
• The Doors – "Light My Fire"
• The Doors – "Break on Through (To the Other Side)"
• Jimi Hendrix – "Hey Joe" UK #6
• Jimi Hendrix – "Purple Haze" UK #3
• Jimi Hendrix – "The Wind Cries Mary" UK #6
• Iron Butterfly – "Possession"
• Pink Floyd – "Interstellar Overdrive"
• 13th Floor Elevators – "Levitation"
• Status Quo – "Pictures of Matchstick Men" UK #7
• Vanilla Fudge – "You Keep Me Hanging On" US #6
• The Who – "I Can See For Miles" US #9 UK #10

1968

Newly formed bands

• Accept
• Alice Cooper
• Black Sabbath
• Deep Purple
• King Crimson
• Led Zeppelin
• Rush
• Warpig
• Breakout

Disbandments

• Cream

Albums

• Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum
• Blue Cheer – Outsideinside
• Cream – Wheels of Fire US #1 UK #3
• Deep Purple – Shades of Deep Purple
• Deep Purple – The Book of Taliesyn
• Iron Butterfly – Heavy
• Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida US #4
• the Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland US #1 UK #6
• MC5 – Kick Out the Jams
• Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf US #6 CAN #1
• Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf the Second US #3 CAN #2
• The Amboy Dukes – Journey to the Center of the Mind
• The Jeff Beck Group – Truth
• Vanilla Fudge – The Beat Goes On
• Vanilla Fudge – Renaissance

Popular songs

• The Beatles – "Helter Skelter
• The Beatles – "Birthday"
• The Beatles – "Yer Blues"
• The Beatles – Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me And My Monkey
• Deep Purple – "Hush" US #4
• Iron Butterfly – "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience – "All Along the Watchtower" UK #5

Events

• Blue Cheer's guitarist Leigh Stephens leaves the band after the release of the Outsideinside album. He is replaced by Randy Holden.
• Steppenwolf's bass guitarist Rushton Moreve is fired from the band. He will be eventually replaced by Nick St. Nicholas.

1969

Newly formed bands

• April Wine
• Blackfoot
• Gary Moore
• Grand Funk Railroad
• Hawkwind
• Humble Pie
• Judas Priest
• Mountain
• Slade
• Thin Lizzy
• UFO
• Uriah Heep
• Wishbone Ash

Disbandments

• The Jeff Beck Group
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Pretties for You
• Blue Cheer – New! Improved!
• Blue Cheer – Blue Cheer
• Cream – Goodbye US #2 UK #1
• Deep Purple – Deep Purple
• Leslie West – Mountain
• Iron Butterfly – Ball
• King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
• Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin US #10 UK #6
• Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II US #1 UK #1
• Steppenwolf – At Your Birthday Party US #7
• Steppenwolf – Monster
• The Stooges – The Stooges
• The Jeff Beck Group – Beck-Ola
• Vanilla Fudge – Near the Beginning
• Vanilla Fudge – Rock & Roll

Popular songs

• The Beatles – I Want You (She's So Heavy)
• Led Zeppelin – Communication Breakdown
• Led Zeppelin – Dazed and Confused
• Led Zeppelin – Good Times Bad Times
• Led Zeppelin – Ramble On
• Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love US #4 AUS #1
• Pink Floyd – The Nile Song

Events

• The hard rock group The Who releases the concept album Tommy, about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who wins a mass following after becoming a pinball guru. The album's consistent themes, plot, story and interlinking songs set the template for many other hard-rock artists to attempt such concept albums.
• Deep Purple's lead singer Rod Evans is fired after the recording of Deep Purple and is replaced by Ian Gillan. The band's bass guitarist Nick Simper is replaced next by Roger Glover on the demand of Ian Gillan.
• Guitarist Randy Holden leaves Blue Cheer after recording 3 titles of the New! Improved! album. He is replaced by Bruce Stephens.
• Due to disagreements with John Kay, lead guitarist Michael Monarch leaves Steppenwolf after the release of the At Your Birthday Party album. He will be replaced later on by Larry Byrom.
• Woodstock was held in August 15–18
• Pink Floyd releases "the Nile Song"

1970

Newly formed bands

• Aerosmith
• Cactus
• Queen

Disbandments

• The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Vanilla Fudge(1st Hiatus)

Reformed bands

• The Jeff Beck Group
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Easy Action
• Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath UK #8
• Black Sabbath – Paranoid UK #1
• Blue Cheer – The Original Human Being
• Cactus – Cactus
• Deep Purple – Deep Purple in Rock UK #4
• Iron Butterfly – Metamorphosis
• Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin III US #1 UK #1
• Mountain – Climbing!
• November – En ny tid är här...
• Sir Lord Baltimore – Kingdom Come
• Slade – Play it Loud
• Status Quo;-Dog Of Two Head
• Steppenwolf – 7
• The Stooges – Fun House
• The Jeff Beck Group – Rough and Ready
• UFO – UFO 1
• Uriah Heep – Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble
• Warpig – Warpig
• Wishbone Ash – Wishbone Ash

Popular songs

• Black Sabbath – "Black Sabbath"
• Black Sabbath – "Iron Man"
• Black Sabbath – "N.I.B."
• Black Sabbath – "Paranoid" UK #4
• Black Sabbath – "War Pigs"
• Black Sabbath – "The Wizard"
• Deep Purple – "Black Night" UK #2
• Deep Purple – "Child In Time"
• Deep Purple – "Speed King"
• Jimi Hendrix – "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" UK #1
• Led Zeppelin – "Immigrant Song"
• Mountain – "Mississippi Queen"
• UFO – "C'mon Everybody"''(Eddie Cochran cover)

Events

• Jimi Hendrix dies at 27 on September 18 in London, England from alcohol and barbiturate abuse.

1971

Newly formed bands

• Blue Öyster Cult
• Buffalo
• Pentagram

Disbandments

• Iron Butterfly

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Love It to Death
• Alice Cooper – Killer
• Black Sabbath – Master of Reality US #8 UK #5
• Bloodrock – Bloodrock 2
• Blue Cheer – Oh! Pleasant Hope
• Budgie – Budgie
• Deep Purple – Fireball UK #1
• Dust – Dust
• James Gang – Thirds
• Led Zeppelin – Untitled fourth album US #2 UK #1
• Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride
• Steppenwolf – For Ladies Only
• UFO – UFO 2: Flying
• Uriah Heep – Salisbury
• Uriah Heep – Look at Yourself
• Wishbone Ash – Pilgrimage

Popular songs

• Black Sabbath – "After Forever"
• Black Sabbath – "Children of the Grave"
• Black Sabbath – "Sweet Leaf"
• Deep Purple – "Strange Kind of Woman" UK #8
• Deep Purple – "Fireball"
• Led Zeppelin – "Black Dog"
• Led Zeppelin – "Rock and Roll"
• Led Zeppelin – "Stairway to Heaven"

Events

• Joe Walsh leaves James Gang, the band moves to a softer sound under guitarist Domenic Troiano.

1972

Newly formed bands

• Beck, Bogert, and Appice
• Cirith Ungol
• Magnum
• Twisted Sister
• Van Halen

Disbandments

• Blue Cheer
• Mountain
• Steppenwolf
• The Jeff Beck Group

Albums

• Alice Cooper – School's Out US #2 UK #4
• Black Sabbath – Vol. 4 UK #8
• Blue Öyster Cult – Blue Öyster Cult
• Budgie – Squawk
• Buffalo – ''Dead Forever...
• Deep Purple – Machine Head US #7 UK #1
• Dust – Hard Attack
• The Jeff Beck Group – Jeff Beck Group
• Scorpions – Lonesome Crow
• Status Quo;-Piledriver
• Uriah Heep – Demons and Wizards
• Uriah Heep – The Magician's Birthday

Live albums

• UFO Live

Popular songs

• Alice Cooper – School's Out US #7 UK #1
• Deep Purple – Highway Star
• Deep Purple – Lazy
• Deep Purple – Smoke on the Water US #4
• Deep Purple – Space Truckin'
• Black Sabbath – Snowblind
• Status Quo ;- Paper Plane

Events

1973

Newly formed bands

• AC/DC
• KISS
• Montrose

Disbandments

• MC5
• UFO Went on hiatus to find a reliable guitarist.

Albums

• Aerosmith – Aerosmith
• Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies US #1 UK #1
• Alice Cooper – Muscle of Love US #10
• Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath UK #4
• Blue Öyster Cult – Tyranny and Mutation
• Budgie – Never Turn Your Back on a Friend
• Buffalo – Volcanic Rock
• Deep Purple – Who Do We Think We Are UK #4
• Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy US #1 UK #1
• Montrose – Montrose
• Nazareth – Loud 'n' Proud UK #10
• Status Quo;- Hello UK #1
• Queen – Queen I
• Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom

Live albums

• Deep Purple – Made in Japan US #6

Popular songs

• Aerosmith – Dream On
• Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
• Led Zeppelin – Over the Hills and Far Away
• Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same
• Montrose – "Space Station #5"
• Status Quo;- Caroline

Events

• UFO replaces Bernie Marsden with Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker. Ulrich Roth takes Schenker's place in Scorpions.
• Ian Gillan and Roger Glover leave Deep Purple, and are replaced by David Coverdale and Trapeze bassist Glenn Hughes.

1974

Newly formed bands

• Praying Mantis
• Y&T

Reformed bands

• Blue Cheer
• Iron Butterfly
• Scorpions
• Steppenwolf
• UFO

Albums

• Aerosmith – Get Your Wings
• Blue Öyster Cult – Secret Treaties
• Budgie – In for the Kill!
• Buffalo – Only Want You For Your Body
• Deep Purple – Burn US #9 UK #3 (introduced Mk. III lineup with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes)
• Deep Purple – Stormbringer UK #6
• Iron Butterfly – Scorching Beauty
• Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla
• Kiss – Kiss
• Kiss – Hotter Than Hell
• Montrose – Paper Money
• Queen – Queen II UK #5 US #49
• Queen – Sheer Heart Attack UK #2 US #12
• Rush – Rush
• Scorpions – Fly to the Rainbow, first album with guitarist Ulrich Roth
• Status Quo;- ''Quo
• Steppenwolf – Slow Flux
• UFO – Phenomenon, their first with ex-Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker
• Uriah Heep – Wonderworld

Popular songs

• Aerosmith – Same Old Song and Dance
• Deep Purple – Burn
• Deep Purple – Mistreated
• Deep Purple – Soldier of Fortune
• Kiss – Cold Gin
• Kiss – Deuce
• Kiss – Goin' Blind
• Kiss – Hotter Than Hell
• Kiss – Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll
• Kiss – Strutter
• Rush – Working Man
• UFO – "Doctor Doctor"
• UFO – "Rock Bottom"

Events

• The drummer John Rutsey of Rush quits and Neil Peart joins as a permanent member.
• Sammy Hagar leaves Montrose to go solo.

1975

Newly formed bands

• Iron Maiden (by Steve Harris)
• Motörhead
• Quiet Riot
• Rainbow
• The Runaways
• Riot

Disbandments

• Blue Cheer (Hiatus)

Albums

• AC/DC – High Voltage AUS #7
• AC/DC – T.N.T AUS #1
• Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic
• Alice Cooper – Welcome to My Nightmare US #9
• Angel – Angel
• Black Sabbath – Sabotage UK #7
• Blue Öyster Cult – On Your Feet or on Your Knees
• Budgie – Bandolier
• Deep Purple – Come Taste the Band
• Iron Butterfly – Sun and Steel
• Kiss – Dressed to Kill
• Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti US #1 UK #1
• Montrose – Warner Brothers Presents... Montrose!
• Nazareth – Hair of the Dog
• Queen – A Night At The Opera UK # 1 US #4
• Rainbow – Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
• Rush – Fly by Night CAN #9
• Rush – Caress of Steel
• Scorpions – In Trance
• Status Quo;- ''On The Level UK #1
• Steppenwolf – Hour of the Wolf
• Steppenwolf – Skullduggery

• Ted Nugent – Ted Nugent
• UFO – Force It
• Uriah Heep – Return to Fantasy UK #7

Live albums

• Kiss – Alive! US #9

Popular songs

• AC/DC – "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)"
• AC/DC – "T.N.T."
• Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion
• Aerosmith – Walk This Way
• Alice Cooper – "The Black Widow"
• Alice Cooper – "Welcome to My Nightmare"
• Black Sabbath – Symptom of the Universe
• Kiss – C'mon and Love Me
• Kiss – Love Her All I Can
• Kiss – Rock and Roll All Nite
• Kiss – She
• Nazareth – Hair of the Dog
• Rainbow – Man on the Silver Mountain
• Rush – Fly by Night
• Status Quo;- Down Down UK #1
• Ted Nugent – "Stranglehold"
• UFO – "Let It Roll"

Events

• Alice Cooper disbands, singer Vincent Furnier has name legally changed to "Alice Cooper" and launches solo career.
• Hawkwind bassist Lemmy is fired when a [...] arrest causes him to miss tour dates. He subsequently forms Motörhead.
• Motörhead's original drummer, Lucas Fox, leaves the band. He is replaced by Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor.
• Ritchie Blackmore leaves Deep Purple, and is replaced by ex-James Gang guitarist Tommy Bolin.

1976

Newly formed bands

• Bow Wow/Vow Wow
• Diamond Head
• Ratt
• Rose Tattoo
• Running Wild
• Saxon

Disbandments

• Deep Purple
• Montrose
• Steppenwolf

Albums

• AC/DC – High Voltage (International)
• AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap AUS #4
• Aerosmith – Rocks US #3
• Alice Cooper – Alice Cooper Goes to Hell
• Black Sabbath – Technical [...]
• Blue Öyster Cult – Agents of Fortune
• Budgie – If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules
• Buffalo – Mother's Choice
• Heart – Dreamboat Annie
• Judas Priest- Sad Wings of Destiny
• Kiss – Destroyer
• Kiss – Rock and Roll Over
• Led Zeppelin – Presence US #1 UK #1
• Montrose – Jump on It
• Queen – A Day At The Races The Billboard 200 #5
• Rainbow – Rising
• Rush – 2112 CAN #5
• Scorpions – Virgin Killer
• Ted Nugent – Free-for-All
• Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak UK #10
• Thin Lizzy – Johnny the Fox
• UFO – No Heavy Petting
• Uriah Heep – High and Mighty
• Y&T – Yesterday & Today

Live albums

• Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same US #2 UK #1
• Rush – All the World's a Stage CAN #6

Popular songs

• AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
• Aerosmith – Dream On US #6 (re-issue)
• Aerosmith – Back in the Saddle
• Aerosmith – Last Child
• Aerosmith – Rats in the Cellar
• Aerosmith – Walk This Way US #10 (re-issue)
• Blue Öyster Cult – (Don't Fear) The Reaper
• Heart – Magic Man
• Heart – Crazy on You
• Heart – Dreamboat Annie
• Judas Priest- The Ripper
• Judas Priest- Tyrant
• Judas Priest- Victim of Changes
• Kiss – Beth US #7
• Kiss – Calling Dr. Love
• Kiss – Detroit Rock City
• Kiss – Flaming Youth
• Kiss – God of Thunder
• Kiss – Shout It Out Loud
• Rainbow – Stargazer
• Rainbow – Starstruck
• Ted Nugent – Free-for-All
• Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
• Thin Lizzy – "The Boys Are Back in Town"

Events

• Guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke joins Motörhead and Larry Wallis leaves after a month.
• Pat Travers promotes the air guitar phenomenon by giving out cardboard guitars at his London shows. Cardboard guitars later become a staple of New Wave of British Heavy Metal audiences.

1977

Newly formed bands

• Angel Witch
• Def Leppard
• Ram Jam
• Samson
• Trust

Albums

• AC/DC – Let There Be Rock
• Aerosmith – Draw The Line
• Alice Cooper – Lace and Whiskey
• Blue Öyster Cult – Spectres
• Buffalo – Average Rock 'n' Roller
• Heart – Little Queen
• Kiss – Love Gun US #4
• Judas Priest – Sin After Sin
• Motörhead – Motörhead
• Queen – News Of The World The Billboard 200 #3
• Quiet Riot – Quiet Riot
• Rush – A Farewell to Kings
• Scorpions – Taken by Force
• Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever
• Thin Lizzy – Bad Reputation UK #4
• UFO – Lights Out
• Uriah Heep – Firefly
• Uriah Heep – Innocent Victim

Live albums

• Kiss – Alive II US #7
• Rainbow – On Stage (Rainbow album) UK #7

Popular songs

• AC/DC – Let There Be Rock
• Heart – Barracuda
• Judas Priest – Diamonds & Rust
• Kiss – Christine Sixteen
• Kiss – Love Gun
• Ted Nugent – "Cat Scratch Fever"
• UFO – "Lights Out"
• UFO – "Too Hot To Handle"

Disbandments

• Buffalo

Events

• Alice Cooper undergoes treatment for alcoholism and begins a period of career decline.

1978

Newly formed bands

• Anvil
• Dokken
• Exciter
• Gillan
• Girlschool
• [...] Joke
• Avatar/Savatage
• T.S.O.L.
• Tygers of Pan Tang
• Whitesnake

Reformed bands

• Blue Cheer (End of the first hiatus)

Albums

• AC/DC – Powerage
• Alice Cooper – From the Inside
• Black Sabbath – Never Say Die!
• Budgie – Impeckable
• Heart – Magazine
• Heart – Dog & Butterfly
• Judas Priest – Stained Class
• Queen – Jazz The Billboard 200 #6
• Quiet Riot – Quiet Riot II
• Rainbow – Long Live Rock 'N' Roll UK #7
• Rush – Hemispheres
• Ted Nugent – Weekend Warriors
• UFO – Obsession
• Uriah Heep – Fallen Angel
• Van Halen – Van Halen
• Y&T – Struck Down

Live albums

• AC/DC – If You Want Blood You've Got It
• Blue Öyster Cult – Some Enchanted Evening
• Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes(Europe)
• Ted Nugent – Double Live Gonzo
• Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous UK #2

Popular songs

• AC/DC – Riff Raff
• AC/DC – Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
• Heart – Heartless
• Heart – Straight On
• Heart – Dog & Butterfly
• Judas Priest – Better By You, Better Than Me
• Judas Priest – Beyond the Realms of Death
• Judas Priest – Stained Class
• UFO – "Only You Can Rock Me"
• Van Halen – Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love
• Van Halen – Eruption/You Really Got Me
• Van Halen – Jamie's Cryin'
• Van Halen – Runnin' with the Devil

Events

• Brian Robertson exits Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore rejoins in his place.
• Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen joins at 15 as a permanent member.
• The Who's drummer Keith Moon dies of Clomethiazole overdose on September 6, he was 32.
• Scorpions' desire to move to a more commercial type of metal sound causes Ulrich Roth to leave for a solo career. He is replaced with Matthias Jabs.

1979

Newly formed bands

• Europe
• Gamma
• TSA
• KAT
• Michael Schenker Group
• Venom
• Witchfinder General
• Hanoi Rocks
• V8

Disbandments

• Blue Cheer (Second hiatus)

Albums

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell UK #8
• Accept – Accept
• Aerosmith – Night in the Ruts
• Blackfoot – Strikes
• Blue Öyster Cult – Mirrors
• Judas Priest – [...] Machine/Hell Bent for Leather
• Kiss – Dynasty US #9 (Disco single "I Was Made for Loving You" led to accusations of sellout, band's popularity suffered for several years)
• Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door US #1 UK #1
• Motörhead – Overkill
• Motörhead – Bomber
• Motörhead – On Parole (unofficial release from sessions recorded in 1975)
• Nazareth – ''No Mean City
• The Pat Travers Band – Live! Go for What You Know
• Rainbow – Down to Earth UK #6
• Saxon – Saxon
• Scorpions – Lovedrive
• Ted Nugent – State of Shock
• Thin Lizzy – Black Rose: A Rock Legend UK #2
• Triumph – Just a Game
• Van Halen – Van Halen II US #6

Live albums

• Judas Priest – Unleashed in the East UK #10, first U.S. success
• Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes (USA)
• UFO – Strangers in the Night UK #7

Popular songs

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell
• Judas Priest – Diamonds & Rust(Live)
• Judas Priest – Evening Star
• Judas Priest – The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)(Fleetwood Mac cover)
• Judas Priest – The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)(Live)
• Judas Priest – Hell Bent for Leather
• Judas Priest – Take on the World
• Judas Priest – Tyrant(Live)
• Judas Priest – Victim of Changes(Live)
• Kiss – I Was Made for Lovin' You
• Motörhead – Overkill
• Van Halen – Beautiful Girls
• Van Halen – Dance the Night Away

Events

• Gary Moore again leaves Thin Lizzy, is eventually replaced by sometime Pink Floyd guitarist Snowy White
• Joe Perry leaves Aerosmith and forms The Joe Perry Project, is replaced in Aerosmith by Jimmy Crespo. Aerosmith goes into commercial decline.
• Ozzy Osbourne is kicked out of Black Sabbath due to problems with drugs and alcohol
• Ronnie James Dio becomes the new lead singer of Black Sabbath, is replaced in Rainbow by Graham Bonnet
• Michael Schenker departs UFO, replaced by Paul Chapman

1980

Newly formed bands

• Blitzkrieg
• Exodus
• Joan Jett
• Los Suaves
• King's X
• Manowar
• Overkill
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Turbo
• Ángeles del Infierno
• Barón Rojo
• The Smithereens

Disbandments

• Led Zeppelin

Reformed bands

• Black Sabbath (Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler replaced by Ronnie James Dio and Geoff Nicholls; Nicholls moved to keyboards when Butler rejoined the band)
• Steppenwolf

Albums

• AC/DC – Back in Black US #4 UK #1 AUS #1
• Accept – I'm a Rebel
• Alice Cooper – Flush the Fashion
• Angel Witch – Angel Witch
• Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell UK #9
• Blue Öyster Cult – Cultösaurus Erectus
• Budgie – Power Supply
• Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations
• Deep Purple – Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple UK #1
• Def Leppard – On Through the Night
• Gillan – Glory Road UK #3
• Girlschool – Demolition
• Heart – Bebe le Strange
• Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden UK #4
• Judas Priest – British Steel UK #4
• Kiss – Unmasked
• Motörhead – Ace of Spades UK #4
• Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz UK #7
• Queen – The Game The Billboard 200 #1
• Rush – Permanent Waves US #4 UK #3 CAN #3
• Saxon – Wheels of Steel UK #5
• Saxon – Strong Arm of the Law
• Scorpions – Animal Magnetism
• Ted Nugent – Scream Dream
• Thin Lizzy – Chinatown UK #7
• UFO – No Place to Run
• Uriah Heep – Conquest
• Van Halen – Women and Children First US #6
• Whitesnake – Ready an' Willing UK #6

Live albums

• Black Sabbath – Live at Last UK #5 (originally recorded in 1973)
• Motorhead – The Golden Years EP UK #8
• Whitesnake – Live...in the Heart of the City UK #5

Popular songs

• AC/DC – Back in Black
• AC/DC – Hells Bells
• AC/DC – Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
• AC/DC – Shoot to Thrill
• AC/DC – You Shook Me All Night Long
• Black Sabbath – Children of the Sea
• Black Sabbath – Die Young
• Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell
• Black Sabbath – Lonely Is The Word
• Black Sabbath – Neon Knights
• Diamond Head – Am I Evil?
• Heart – Even It Up
• Heart – Tell It Like It Is
• Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
• Iron Maiden – Prowler
• Iron Maiden – Running Free
• Iron Maiden – Sanctuary
• Judas Priest – Breaking the Law
• Judas Priest – Living After Midnight
• Judas Priest – United
• Kiss – Shandi
• Motörhead – Ace of Spades
• Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
• Ozzy Osbourne – Mr. Crowley
• Ozzy Osbourne – [...] Solution
• Queen – Another One Bites The Dust
• Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love
• Queen – The Game
• Rush – Freewill
• Rush – The Spirit of Radio

Events

• Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, dies at 33 on February 19 after a binge of heavy drinking.
• John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin, dies at 32 on September 25, after a binge of heavy drinking. His death was similar to Bon Scott's, and caused Led Zeppelin to disband.
• Metal for Muthas compilation of NWOBHM bands is released, with a supporting British tour.
• Rainbow headlines the initial Donington Festival. Judas Priest, Scorpions, April Wine, Saxon, Riot, and Touch also play, with 35,000 in attendance.
• April 1: Brian Johnson joins AC/DC replacing Bon Scott as lead singer.
• Mike Varney founds Shrapnel Records.
• Iron Maiden lead guitarist Dennis Stratton leaves and is replaced by Adrian Smith.

1981

Newly formed bands

• Anthrax
• Dark Angel
• Faith No More
• Green Jellÿ
• Icon
• Loudness
• Mercyful Fate
• Metallica
• Ministry
• Mötley Crüe
• Pantera
• Slayer
• Sodom
• [...] Tendencies
• Tarantula
• Vandenberg

Albums

• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You US #1 UK #3 AUS #3
• AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap US #3 (re-issue)
• Accept – Breaker
• Alice Cooper – Special Forces
• Anvil – Hard 'n' Heavy
• Black Sabbath – Mob Rules
• Blue Öyster Cult – Fire of Unknown Origin
• Budgie – Nightflight
• Def Leppard – High 'n' Dry
• Gillan – Future Shock UK #2
• Girlschool – Hit and Run UK #5
• Iron Maiden – Killers UK #12
• Judas Priest – Point of Entry
• Kiss – Music from "The Elder"
• Mercyful Fate – Nuns Have No Fun
• Mötley Crüe – Too Fast for Love
• Headgirl – St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP UK #5
• Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman
• Rainbow – Difficult to Cure UK #3
• Riot – Fire Down Under
• Rush – Moving Pictures US #3 UK #3 CAN #1
• Saxon – Denim and Leather UK #9
• Thin Lizzy – Renegade
• Triumph – Allied Forces
• UFO – The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent
• Van Halen – Fair Warning US #5
• Venom – Welcome to Hell
• Whitesnake – Come an' Get It UK #2

Live albums

• Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith UK #1
• Rush – Exit...Stage Left US #10 UK #6 CAN #7

Popular songs

• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
• Black Sabbath – Country Girl
• Black Sabbath – Falling Off The Edge Of The World
• Black Sabbath – The Mob Rules
• Black Sabbath – The Sign Of The Southern Cross
• Def Leppard – "Bringin' On the Heartbreak"
• Iron Maiden – Purgatory
• Iron Maiden – Twilight Zone
• Judas Priest – Desert Plains
• Judas Priest – Don't Go
• Judas Priest – Heading Out to the Highway
• Judas Priest – Hot Rockin'
• Judas Priest – Solar Angels
• Motorhead – Motorhead (Live) UK #6
• Ozzy Osbourne – Flying High Again
• Ozzy Osbourne – Over the Mountain

Events

• Iron Maiden's lead singer Paul Di'Anno leaves band due to heavy drinking and [...] usage, and is replaced by Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson.
• Eric Carr joins Kiss on drums and makes his songwriting debut with "Under the Rose".
• In response to the burgeoning international metal scene, Shrapnel Records releases the U.S. Metal: Unsung Guitar Heroes compilation. Over the course of four volumes, the series gives early exposure to many artists, including Mike Batio, Exciter, Marty Friedman (with Vixen/Hawaii), Derek Frigo, Keel, Manilla Road, Shawn Lane, The Rods, Vicious Rumors, Virgin Steele, Wild Dogs, and Lyle Workman.

1982

Newly formed bands

• Armored Saint
• Corrosion of Conformity
• Death Angel
• Dio
• Flotsam and Jetsam
• Kreator
• Napalm Death
• Possessed
• Queensrÿche
• Tankard (band)
• Vixen/Hawaii
• Warlock
• W.A.S.P.
• Sangre Azul

Disbandments

• Praying Mantis

Reformed bands

• Vanilla Fudge

Albums

• Accept – Restless and Wild
• Alice Cooper – Zipper Catches Skin
• Anvil – Metal on Metal
• Budgie – Deliver Us from Evil
• Heart – Private Audition
• Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast UK #1
• Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance
• Kiss – Creatures of the Night
• Led Zeppelin – Coda US #6 UK #4 (contained unreleased recordings before Bonham's death)
• Manowar – Battle Hymns
• Motörhead – Iron Fist UK #6
• Plasmatics – Coup d'État
• Rainbow – Straight Between the Eyes UK #5
• Rush – Signals US #10 UK #3 CAN #1
• Scorpions – Blackout US #10 GER #10
• Steppenwolf – Wolftracks
• Ted Nugent – Nugent
• Twisted Sister – Under the Blade
• UFO – Mechanix UK #8
• Uriah Heep – Abominog
• Van Halen – Diver Down US #3
• Venom – ''Black Metal
• Whitesnake – Saints & Sinners UK #9
• Y&T – Black Tiger

Live albums

• Black Sabbath – Live Evil
• Saxon – The Eagle Has Landed UK #5

Popular songs

• Anvil – Metal on Metal
• Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name
• Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
• Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills UK #7
• Judas Priest – The Hellion/Electric Eye
• Judas Priest – (Take These) Chains
• Judas Priest – You've Got Another Thing Comin'
• Kiss – I Love It Loud
• Scorpions – No One Like You

Events

• Iron Maiden's first album with Bruce Dickinson, The Number of the Beast, becomes the first heavy metal album to reach No.1 in the U.K. music charts.
• Drummer Clive Burr is fired from Iron Maiden for his unreliability and replaced by Nicko McBrain.
• Motörhead's guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke leaves the band and is replaced by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson.
• Judas Priest's single "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" becomes the first heavy metal single to break into the Billboard U.S. Top 20 Singles.
• Ace Frehley leaves Kiss and is replaced by Vinnie Vincent. Last tour in make-up
• Megaforce Records founded.
• Metal Blade Records formed by Brian Slagel and released through it first compilation album Metal Massacre. It is famous for "shedding light" on bands such as Metallica, Ratt, Armored Saint, and many more.
• Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads dies in an aeroplane accident on March 19.
• Ronnie James Dio leaves Black Sabbath, and is replaced by former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. Dio forms Dio with Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, former Rainbow and Wild Horses bassist Jimmy Bain, and Sweet Savage guitarist Vivian Campbell.
• Snowy White leaves Thin Lizzy, and is replaced by John Sykes
• Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne get married and become the first Solo Heavy Metal Singer and Manager to get married

1983

Newly formed bands

• Alcatrazz
• Bathory
• Bon Jovi
• Cinderella
• The Cult
• Death
• D'erlanger
• Fastway
• Fates Warning
• L.A. Guns
• Lita Ford
• Megadeth
• Melvins
• Metal Church
• Poison
• Testament
• Waysted
• White Lion
• Raging Slab

Disbandments

• Riot
• The Who

Albums

• AC/DC – Flick of the Switch UK #4 AUS #3
• Accept – Balls to the Wall
• Alcatrazz – No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll
• Alice Cooper – DaDa
• Anvil – Forged in Fire
• Black Sabbath – Born Again UK #4
• Blue Öyster Cult – The Revolution by Night
• Def Leppard – Pyromania US #2
• Dio – Holy Diver
• Europe – ''Europe
• Heart – Passionworks
• Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind UK #3
• Kiss – Lick It Up UK #7
• Krokus – Headhunter
• Manilla Road – Crystal Logic
• Manowar – Into Glory Ride
• Metallica – Kill 'Em All
• Mercyful Fate – Melissa
• Mötley Crüe – Shout at the Devil
• Motörhead – Another Perfect Day
• Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
• Pantera – Metal Magic
• Queensrÿche – Queensrÿche (EP)
• Quiet Riot – Metal Health US #1
• Rainbow – Bent out of Shape
• Ratt – Ratt (EP)
• Saxon – Power & the Glory
• Slayer – Show No Mercy
• Steeler – Steeler, debuts Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Ron Keel
• Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning UK #4 (their heaviest and final album, with ex-Tygers of Pan Tang guitarist John Sykes)
• UFO – Making Contact

Popular songs

• Europe – Seven Doors Hotel
• Dio – Don't Talk to Strangers
• Dio – Holy Diver
• Dio – Rainbow in the Dark
• Dio – Shame On The Night
• Dio – Stand Up And Shout
• Dio – Straight Through The Heart
• Iron Maiden – Flight of Icarus
• Iron Maiden – Revelations
• Iron Maiden – The Trooper
• Judas Priest – Freewheel Burning
• Kiss – Lick It Up
• Metallica – The Four Horsemen
• Metallica – Jump in the Fire
• Metallica – Seek & Destroy
• Metallica – Whiplash
• Mötley Crüe – "Looks That Kill"
• Mötley Crüe – "Shout at the Devil"
• Mötley Crüe – "Too Young to Fall in Love"
• Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
• Quiet Riot – Cum on Feel the Noize
• Quiet Riot – Metal Health (Bang Your Head)
• Slayer – Black Magic
• Slayer – Metal Storm/Face the Slayer

Events

• At the end of the year, drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor and guitarist Brian Robertson leave Motörhead. The band is reborn with a new, four-piece line-up (Kilmister/Campbell/Burston/Gill).
• Dave Mustaine, lead guitar player for Metallica, is fired for [...]/alcohol abuse, and is replaced by Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett
• Yngwie Malmsteen debuts with Steeler, then leaves to form Alcatrazz with Graham Bonnet, and finally goes solo and is replaced in Alcatrazz by Steve Vai.
• "Heavy Metal Day" at the 1983 US Festival sets a United States single-day concert attendance record.
• Kiss publicly remove their makeup on MTV and experience a slight resurgence in their career
• Quiet Riot's Metal Health becomes the first heavy metal album to reach No.1 in the Billboard United States music charts and is followed by albums by Twisted Sister, and Mötley Crüe
• Mötley Crüe – Shout at the Devil Becomes a huge hit marking one of the turning points into commercialisation of Heavy Metal. Often called "The Breakthrough Metal album"
• Pete Townshend officially announces The Who's disbandment.

1984

Newly formed bands

• Annihilator
• Atheist
• Blind Guardian
• Celtic Frost
• Gaye Bykers on Acid
• Gwar
• Helloween
• King Kobra
• KMFDM
• Living Colour
• Mayhem
• Morbid Angel
• Nuclear Assault
• Obituary
• Sadus
• Sepultura
• Soundgarden
• Steve Vai (solo)
• The Quireboys
• Warrant

Disbandments

• Rainbow
• Thin Lizzy
• Vanilla Fudge(2nd Hiatus)

Albums

• Anthrax – Fistful of Metal
• Bathory – Bathory
• Black Flag – ''My War, Slip It In
• Blue Cheer – The Beast Is Back
• Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi
• The Cult – Dreamtime
• Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers UK #5
• Dio – The Last in Line UK #4
• Dokken – Tooth and Nail
• Iron Maiden – Powerslave UK #2
• Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith
• Kiss – Animalize
• Loudness – Disillusion
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Rising Force
• Manowar – Hail to England
• Manowar – Sign of the Hammer
• Metallica – Ride the Lightning
• Mercyful Fate – Don't Break the Oath
• Motörhead – No Remorse
• Pantera – Projects in the Jungle
• Queensrÿche – The Warning
• Quiet Riot – Condition Critical
• Ratt – Out of the Cellar US #7
• Rush – Grace Under Pressure US #10 UK #5 CAN #4
• Saxon – Crusader
• Scorpions – Love at First Sting US #6 GER #6
• Spinal Tap – This Is Spinal Tap
• Steppenwolf – Paradox
• Steve Vai – Flex-Able
• Ted Nugent – Penetrator
• Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry
• Van Halen – 1984 US #2
• Vanilla Fudge – Mystery
• Voivod – War and Pain
• W.A.S.P. – W.A.S.P.
• Whitesnake – Slide It In UK #9

Live albums

• Slayer – Live Undead

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Deathrider
• Anthrax – Metal Thrashing Mad
• Dio – Egypt (The Chains Are On)
• Dio – The Last in Line
• Dio – We Rock
• Iron Maiden – 2 Minutes to Midnight
• Iron Maiden – Aces High
• Iron Maiden – Powerslave
• Iron Maiden – Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• Judas Priest – Love Bites
• Judas Priest – The Sentinel
• Judas Priest – Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
• Metallica – Creeping Death
• Metallica – Fade to Black
• Metallica – For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Ratt – Round and Round
• Scorpions – Big City Nights
• Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane
• Scorpions – Still Loving You
• Van Halen – Hot for Teacher
• Van Halen – Jump
• Van Halen – Panama

Events

• Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen loses his arm in a car accident on December 31.
• Iron Maiden Embarks on the World Slavery Tour which begun in Warsaw Poland. They were the first ever band to bring a full production show into Eastern Bloc Europe. It was also their first visit to South America because of their performance at the first Rock in Rio Supporting Queen
• This is Spinal Tap film released

1985

Newly formed bands

• Acid Reign
• Aria
• Atrocity
• Carcass
• Majesty/Dream Theater
• Gogmagog
• Guns N' Roses
• Iced Earth
• King Diamond
• Macabre
• Slave Raider
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.)
• White Zombie

Disbandments

• Mercyful Fate

Albums

• AC/DC – Fly on the Wall UK #7 AUS #4
• Accept – Metal Heart
• Aerosmith – Done With Mirrors, original lineup reunites
• Alcatrazz – Disturbing the Peace, with Steve Vai
• Anthrax – Spreading the Disease
• Black Flag – '' Loose Nut, In My Head
• Blue Öyster Cult – Club Ninja
• Bon Jovi – 7800° Fahrenheit
• The Cult – Love UK #4
• Dio – Sacred Heart UK #4
• Dokken – Under Lock and Key
• Exodus – Bonded by Blood
• Heart – Heart
• Helloween – Walls of Jericho
• Kreator – ''Endless Pain"
• Loudness – "Thunder In The East"
• Manilla Road – Open the Gates
• Megadeth – [...] Is My Business... And Business Is Good!
• Metal Church – Metal Church
• Motley Crue – Theatre of Pain US #6
• Overkill – Feel The Fire
• Pantera – I Am the Night
• Possessed – Seven Churches
• Ratt – Invasion of Your Privacy US #7
• Rush – Power Windows US #10 CAN #5
• Saxon – Innocence Is No Excuse
• Slayer – Hell Awaits
• UFO – Misdemeanor
• Voivod – Rrröööaaarrr
• Watchtower – Energetic Disassembly
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Marching Out
• Y&T – Down for the Count

Live albums

• Iron Maiden – Live After Death UK #2
• Scorpions – World Wide Live GER #4

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Armed and Dangerous
• Anthrax – Madhouse
• Heart – What About Love?
• Heart – Never
• Heart – These Dreams
• Heart – Nothin' At All
• Heart – If Looks Could Kill
• Dio – Hungry For Heaven
• Dio – King Of Rock and Roll
• Dio – Rock 'n' Roll Children
• Dio – Sacred Heart
• Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills (live)
• Megadeth – Mechanix
• Slayer – Hell Awaits

Events

• Van Halen's former singer David Lee Roth left the band for solo career and Sammy Hagar replaced him.
• Ex-Mercyful Fate members form King Diamond

1986

Newly formed bands

• Bolt Thrower
• Cacophony
• Darkthrone
• Faster Pussycat
• Grave
• Immolation
• Joe Satriani
• M.O.D. (Method Of Destruction)
• Pestilence
• Primus
• Prong
• Rata Blanca
• Skid Row
• Terrorizer

Albums

• AC/DC – Who Made Who AUS #4
• Accept – Russian Roulette
• Alice Cooper – Constrictor
• Black Sabbath – Seventh Star
• Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet US #1 UK #6
• Cinderella – Night Songs US #3
• David Lee Roth – Eat 'Em and Smile US #4
• Europe – The Final Countdown US #8 UK #9
• Fates Warning – Awaken the Guardian
• Iron Maiden – Somewhere in Time UK #3
• Judas Priest – Turbo
• King Diamond – Fatal Portrait
• Kreator – Pleasure to Kill
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Trilogy
• Megadeth – Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
• Metallica – Master of Puppets
• Motörhead – Orgasmatron
• Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin US #6 UK #8
• Poison – Look What the Cat Dragged In US #3
• Queensrÿche – Rage for Order
• Ratt – Dancing Undercover
• Saxon – Rock the Nations
• Slayer – Reign in Blood
• Ted Nugent – Little Miss Dangerous
• Tesla – Mechanical Resonance
• Van Halen – 5150 US #1

Live albums

• Dio – Intermission
• Rainbow – Finyl Vinyl''
• UFO – Misdemeanor Tour Live

Popular songs

• Anthrax – The Enemy
• Iron Maiden – Stranger in a Strange Land
• Iron Maiden – Wasted Years
• Judas Priest – Locked In
• Judas Priest – Turbo Lover
• Megadeth – Peace Sells
• Megadeth – Wake Up Dead
• Metallica – Master of Puppets
• Slayer – Angel of Death
• Slayer – Raining Blood

Events

• Metallica's bassist Cliff Burton dies at 24 on September 27 in a bus accident in Sweden. Jason Newsted from Phoenix band Flotsam and Jetsam is hired after auditions are held.
• The success of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet ushers in the era of hair metal. The album went on to sell 28 million copies worldwide, and is currently the 21st best-selling studio album of all time.

1987

Newly formed bands

• Alice in Chains
• Apocrypha
• Asphyx
• [...]ück
• Autopsy
• Cynic
• Danzig
• Deicide
• Entombed
• Extremoduro
• Meshuggah
• Nirvana
• Nocturnus
• Primordial
• Reincidentes
• Rotting Christ
• Samael
• Therion

Disbandments

• Twisted Sister

Reformed bands

• Vanilla Fudge

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Raise Your Fist and Yell
• Anthrax – Among the Living
• Anthrax – I'm the Man (EP)
• Anvil – Strength of Steel
• Black Sabbath – The Eternal Idol
• The Cult – Electric UK #4
• Death – Scream Bloody Gore
• Death Angel – The Ultra-Violence
• Deep Purple – The House of Blue Light UK #10
• Def Leppard – Hysteria US #1 UK #1
• Dio – Dream Evil UK #8
• Dokken – Back for the Attack
• Exodus – Pleasures of the Flesh
• Guns N' Roses – Appetite for Destruction US #1 UK #5
• Heart – Bad Animals
• Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1
• King Diamond – Abigail
• Kiss – Crazy Nights UK #4
• Kreator – Terrible Certainty
• Manowar – Fighting the World
• Mayhem – Deathcrush
• Melvins – Gluey Porch Treatments
• Metal Church – The Dark
• Mötley Crüe – Girls, Girls, Girls US #2
• Motörhead – Rock 'n' Roll
• Napalm Death – Scum
• Overkill – Taking Over
• Rush – Hold Your Fire UK #10
• Joe Satriani – Surfing with the Alien
• Soundgarden – Screaming Life (EP)
• Steppenwolf – Rock & Roll Rebels
• Testament – The Legacy
• White Lion – Pride
• Y&T – Contagious
• Warlock – Triumph and Agony
• Whitesnake – Whitesnake US #2 UK #8
• White Zombie – Soul-Crusher

Live albums

• Judas Priest – Priest...Live!
• Ozzy Osbourne – Tribute US #6

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Caught in a Mosh
• Anthrax – I Am the Law
• Anthrax – Indians
• Anthrax – I'm the Man
• Dio – All The Fools Sailed Away
• Dio – Dream Evil
• Guns N' Roses – Paradise City
• Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child o' Mine
• Guns N' Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
• Heart – Alone
• Heart – Who Will You Run To
• Heart – There's the Girl
• Heart – I Want You So Bad
• Helloween – A Tale That Wasn't Right
• Helloween – Future World
• Judas Priest – Parental Guidance
• Warlock – All We Are

Events

• Bon Jovi headlines the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, England on a bill which includes Dio, Metallica, Anthrax, Cinderella and W.A.S.P..
• Motörhead's drummer Pete Gill leaves the band and Phil Taylor returns.
• Mötley Crüe – Girls, Girls, Girls Debuts at #5 in the Billboard charts.'
• Guns N' Roses – Appetite for Destruction goes on to become the best selling debut album of all time with over 28 million copies sold to date.

1988

Newly formed bands

• Acheron
• Badlands
• Biohazard
• Buckethead
• B'z
• Cadaver
• Cannibal Corpse
• Carnage
• Cryptopsy
• Deftones
• Dismember
• Electric Boys
• Gorefest
• Hermética
• Mr. Big
• Nine Inch Nails
• Paradise Lost
• Saigon Kick
• Soziedad Alkoholika
• The Almighty
• Tiamat

Disbandments

• Warlock
• V8
• Vanilla Fudge(3rd Hiatus)

Reformed bands

• Riot

Albums

• AC/DC – Blow Up Your Video UK #2 AUS #2
• Anthrax – State of Euphoria
• Anvil – Pound for Pound
• Jason Becker – Perpetual Burn
• Blind Guardian – ''Battalions of Fear
• Blue Öyster Cult – Imaginos
• Bolt Thrower – In Battle There Is No Law
• Bon Jovi – New Jersey US #1 UK #1
• Cinderella – Long Cold Winter US #10
• David Lee Roth – Skyscraper US #6
• Danzig – Danzig
• Death – Leprosy
• Death Angel – Frolic through the Park
• Dokken – Beast from the East
• Guns N' Roses – G N' R Lies US #2
• Gwar – Hell-O
• Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2 GER #5
• Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son UK #1
• Judas Priest – Ram It Down
• King Diamond – "Them"
• Kingdom Come – Kingdom Come
• Living Colour – Vivid US #6
• Yngwie Malmsteen – Odyssey
• Manowar – Kings of Metal
• Megadeth – So Far, So Good... So What!
• Metallica – ...And Justice for All US #6 UK #4
• Overkill – Under the Influence
• Ozzy Osbourne – No Rest for the Wicked
• Pantera – Power Metal
• Poison – Open Up and Say... Ahh! US #2
• Prong – Force Fed
• Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime
• Ratt – Reach for the Sky'
• Riot – Thundersteel
• Saxon – Destiny
• Scorpions – Savage Amusement US #5 GER #4
• Slayer – South of Heaven
• Soundgarden – Ultramega OK
• Ted Nugent – If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em
• Testament – The New Order
• UFO – Ain't Misbehavin'
• Van Halen – OU812 US #1
• Winger – Winger

Live albums

• Motörhead – Nö Sleep at All

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Antisocial
• Anthrax – Be All, End All
• Anthrax – Make Me Laugh
• Helloween – Eagle Fly Free
• Helloween – I Want Out
• Helloween – Dr. Stein
• Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys
• Iron Maiden – Can I Play with Madness UK #3
• Iron Maiden – The Clairvoyant UK #6
• Iron Maiden – The Evil That Men Do UK #5
• Judas Priest – Blood Red Skies
• Judas Priest – Johnny B. Goode
• Judas Priest – Ram It Down
• Megadeth – In My Darkest Hour
• Megadeth – Liar
• Megadeth – Mary Jane
• Slayer – Dissident Aggressor
• Slayer – Mandatory [...]
• Slayer – South of Heaven

Events

• Iron Maiden headlines the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, England to the largest crowd in the venue's history (107,000), on a bill which includes Kiss, Guns N' Roses, Megadeth, David Lee Roth and Helloween. Two fans were accidentally crushed to death during Guns N' Roses performance of "It's So Easy".
• Bon Jovi's album New Jersey sets the record for the hard rock album to spawn the most Top 10 singles, with five singles charting on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in United States
• Metallica's ...And Justice for All receives a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance, but lose to the non-metal act Jethro Tull.

1989

Newly formed bands

• Bruce Dickinson
• The Black Crowes
• Comecon
• Dark Tranquillity
• Doro (former Warlock singer)
• Edge of Sanity
• Gamma Ray
• Joe Bonamassa
• Luna Sea
• Marilyn Manson
• Platero y Tú
• Ramp
• Sentenced
• Slaughter
• The Gathering
• Therapy?
• The Wildhearts
• Ugly Kid Joe
• Unanimated

Disbandments

• Cacophony
• Dokken

Albums

• Accept – Eat the Heat
• Alice Cooper – Trash UK #2
• Autopsy – Severed Survival
• Black Sabbath – Headless Cross
• Blind Guardian – Follow the Blind
• Blue [...] – Blue [...]
• Bolt Thrower – Realm Of Chaos
• The Cult – Sonic Temple US #10 UK #3
• Dream Theater – When Dream and Day Unite
• Exodus – Fabulous Disaster
• Extreme – Extreme
• Faith No More – The Real Thing
• Great White – ...Twice Shy US #9
• King Diamond – Conspiracy
• Kiss – Hot in the Shade
• Kreator – Extreme Aggression
• Melvins – Ozma
• Macabre – Gloom
• Metal Church – Blessing in Disguise
• Mr. Big – Mr. Big
• Mötley Crüe – Dr. Feelgood US #1 UK #4
• Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine
• Overkill – The Years of Decay
• Richie Kotzen – Richie Kotzen
• Rush – Presto CAN #7
• Joe Satriani – Flying in a Blue Dream
• Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
• Skid Row – Skid Row US #6
• Soundgarden – Louder Than Love
• Stratovarius – Fright Night
• Testament – Practice What You Preach
• W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children
• White Lion – Big Game
• Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue US #10 UK #10
• White Zombie – Make Them Die Slowly
• X Japan – Blue Blood

Live albums

• Anvil – Past and Present – Live in Concert
• Iron Maiden – Maiden England
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad
• Primus – Suck on This
• Rush – A Show of Hands
• Saxon – Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies

Popular songs

• Blind Guardian – Valhalla
• Dream Theater – Afterlife
• Dream Theater – Status Seeker
• Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams UK #6
• Megadeth – Hook in Mouth

Events

• Primus records their live album Suck on This at Berkeley Square in Berkeley, California on February 25 and March 5.
• Marty Friedman joins Megadeth.
• Cinderella, Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and Skid Row take part in the Moscow Music Peace Festival on August 12 & August 13, 1989.
• Guitarist Kai Hansen left Helloween due the excessive touring and musical differences, he was replaced by Roland Grapow
• After leaving Helloween, guitarist Kai Hansen found his own band Gamma Ray

1990

Newly formed bands

• Amorphis
• Anathema
• At the Gates
• Body Count
• Clutch
• Converge
• Fear Factory
• Hypocrisy
• In Flames
• Infectious Grooves
• Krisiun
• Kyuss
• Lamb of God
• Monstrosity
• Opeth
• Pearl Jam
• SepticFlesh
• Tool

Disbandments

• Icon
• Quiet Riot

Reformed bands

• Praying Mantis

Albums

• AC/DC – The Razors Edge US #2 UK #4 AUS #3
• Alice in Chains – Facelift
• Annihilator – Never, Neverland
• Anthrax – Persistence of Time
• Black Sabbath – TYR
• Blind Guardian – Tales from the Twilight World
• Blue Cheer – Highlights and Lowlives
• Bruce Dickinson – Tattooed Millionaire
• Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back to Life
• Death – Spiritual Healing
• Death Angel – Act III
• Dio – Lock Up the Wolves
• Entombed – Left Hand Path
• Exodus – Impact Is Imminent
• Extreme – Pornograffiti US #10
• Gamma Ray – Heading for Tomorrow
• Gwar – Scumdogs of the Universe
• Heart – Brigade
• Iron Maiden – No Prayer for the Dying UK #2
• Judas Priest – Painkiller
• King Diamond – The Eye
• Richie Kotzen – Fever Dream
• Kreator – Coma of Souls
• Living Colour – Time's Up
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Eclipse
• Megadeth – Rust in Peace UK #8
• Monster Magnet – Monster Magnet
• Pantera – Cowboys from Hell
• Primus – Frizzle Fry
• Prong – Beg to Differ
• Queensrÿche – Empire US #7
• Ratt – Detonator
• Sadus – Swallowed in Black
• Scorpions – Crazy World GER #1
• Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
• Slaughter – Stick It to Ya
• Steppenwolf – Rise & Shine
• Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare
• Testament – Souls of Black

Live albums

• Death Angel – Fall from Grace
• King Diamond – In Concert 1987: Abigail
• Rainbow – Live in Germany 1976
• Saxon – Greatest Hits Live

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Got the Time
• Anthrax – In My World
• Anthrax – Keep It in the Family
• Heart – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You
• Heart – I Didn't Want to Need You
• Heart – Stranded
• Heart – Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger
• Iron Maiden – Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter UK #1
• Iron Maiden – Holy Smoke UK #3
• Iron Maiden – Tailgunner
• Judas Priest – Metal Meltdown
• Judas Priest – Painkiller
• Megadeth – Hangar 18
• Megadeth – Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
• Slayer – Dead Skin Mask
• Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
• Slayer – War Ensemble

Events

• A lawsuit alleges that the Judas Priest song "Better By You, Better Than Me" was the cause of two Nevada teenagers' suicides. Judas Priest win the trail and were acquitted.
• Faith No More's The Real Thing, carried by the single Epic, cracks the Billboard Top 10.
• Stevie Ray Vaughan dies in a helicopter crash on August 27 in Wisconsin.
• Guitarist Adrian Smith agrees to leave Iron Maiden and is replaced by former Gillan and White Spirit guitarist Janick Gers.
• The Heavy metal music festival Wacken Open Air is first performed with bands of German origin like Motoslug and Wizzard

1991

Newly formed bands

• Behemoth
• Belphegor
• Burzum
• Cradle of Filth
• Crematory
• Down
• Emperor
• Enslaved
• Hank Williams III
• Illdisposed
• Kamelot
• Machine Head
• Nevermore
• Rage Against the Machine
• Type O Negative

Disbandments

• Death Angel
• Vanilla Fudge(4th Hiatus)

Reformed bands

• Vanilla Fudge

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Hey Stoopid UK #4
• Anthrax – Attack of the Killer B's
• At the Gates – Gardens of Grief
• Blue Cheer – Dining With the Sharks
• Bolt Thrower – War Master
• Cannibal Corpse – Butchered at Birth
• Darkthrone – Soulside Journey
• Death – Human
• Entombed – Clandestine
• The Cult – Ceremony UK #9
• Gamma Ray – Sigh No More
• Guns N' Roses – Use Your Illusion I US #2 UK #2
• Guns N' Roses – Use Your Illusion II US #1 UK #1
• Great White – Hooked
• Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape
• Iced Earth – Iced Earth
• Infectious Grooves – The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves
• Richie Kotzen – Electric Joy
• Kyuss – Wretch
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection
• Melvins – Bullhead
• Meshuggah – Contradictions Collapse
• Metal Church – The Human Factor
• Metallica – Metallica US #1 UK #1
• Monster Magnet – Spine of God
• Motley Crue – Decade of Decadence US #2
• Motörhead – 1916
• Mr. Big – Lean into It
• Overkill – Horrorscope
• Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears US #7
• Primus – Sailing the Seas of Cheese
• Prong – Prove You Wrong
• Rush – Roll the Bones US #3 UK #10
• Saxon – Solid Ball of Rock
• Sepultura – Arise
• Skid Row – Slave to the Grind US #1
• Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
• Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge US #1

Live albums

• Exodus – Good Friendly Violent Fun
• Heart – Rock the House Live!
• Queensrÿche – Operation: Livecrime This was recorded in three different cites in Wisconsin
• Slayer – Decade of Aggression

Popular songs

• Guns N' Roses – November Rain
• Guns N' Roses – Civil War
• Iced Earth – Iced Earth
• Judas Priest – A Touch of Evil
• Judas Priest – Leather Rebel
• Metallica – Enter Sandman
• Metallica – The Unforgiven

Events

• Anthrax's collaboration with Chuck D for a recording of "Bring The Noise" and subsequent joint tour with Public Enemy launches rap metal.
• Skid Row's second album Slave to the Grind becomes the first and only 1990s classic heavy metal album to debut at No.1 in the Billboard music charts in the 1990s.
• Metallica's self-titled Black Album becomes the first thrash metal album to hit No.1 in the Billboard music charts, after they streamlined their sound and hired Bob Rock to produce their album.
• Queen singer Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS induced bronchial pneumonia.
• Skid Row, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica's albums all debut #1, at that time they were all in tour together.
• Kiss Drummer – Eric Carr dies on November 24, 1991, Eric Carr died at the age of 41 of complications from cancer. As a tribute, the group's 1992 release Revenge featured what is said to be the only drum solo Carr ever recorded with the band, which was titled "Carr Jam 1981".
• AC/DC headlines the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, England on a bill which includes Pantera Metallica, Queensrÿche, Mötley Crüe and The Black Crowes. Dimebag Darrell of Pantera performed what's known as "The Solo That Freed Russia" during their song Domination.
• The success of Nirvana's Nevermind ushers in the era of Grunge.
• Steve Clark, the co-lead guitarist of Def Leppard, died at the age of 30 on January 8, 1991 from an overdose of drugs and alcohol.

1992

Newly formed bands

• Amon Amarth
• Edguy
• Esoteric
• Groundswell/Three Days Grace
• Mourning Beloveth
• Moonspell
• Vision of Disorder

Albums

• Alice in Chains – Dirt US #6
• Alice in Chains – Sap (EP)
• Anvil – Worth the Weight
• At the Gates – The Red in the Sky Is Ours
• Black Sabbath – Dehumaniser
• Blind Guardian – Somewhere Far Beyond
• Body Count – Body Count
• Bolt Thrower – The IVth Crusade
• Bon Jovi – Keep the Faith US #5 UK #1
• Cannibal Corpse – Tomb of the Mutilated
• Darkthrone – A Blaze in the Northern Sky
• Def Leppard – Adrenalize US #1 UK #1
• Dream Theater – Images and Words
• Exodus – Force of Habit
• Faith No More – Angel Dust US #10 UK #2
• Fear Factory – Soul of a New Machine
• Iced Earth – Night of the Stormrider
• Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark UK #1
• Kiss – Revenge US #6 UK #10
• Kreator – Renewal
• Kyuss – Blues for the Red Sun
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Fire and Ice
• Manowar – The Triumph of Steel
• Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction US #2 UK #5
• Melvins – Lysol
• Monster Magnet – Tab (EP)
• Motörhead – March ör Die
• Nine Inch Nails – ''Broken (EP) US #7
• Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
• Primus – Miscellaneous Debris (EP)
• Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
• Sadus – A Vision of Misery
• Saxon – Forever Free
• Spinal Tap – Break Like the Wind
• [...] Tendencies – Art of Rebellion
• Testament – The Ritual
• UFO – High Stakes & Dangerous Men
• Ugly Kid Joe – America's Least Wanted
• White Zombie – '' La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1

Live albums

• AC/DC – Live UK #5 AUS #1
• UFO – Lights Out in Tokyo Live

Popular songs

• Dream Theater – Pull Me Under
• Iron Maiden – Afraid to Shoot Strangers
• Iron Maiden – Be Quick or Be Dead UK #2
• Iron Maiden – From Here to Eternity
• Judas Priest – Night Crawler
• Kiss – God Gave Rock N' Roll to You II
• Megadeth – Foreclosure of a Dream
• Megadeth – Skin o' My Teeth

Events

• KNAC airs on radio airplay in Los Angeles, California for the first time.
• Living Colour's bassist Muzz Skillings leaves the band and is replaced by Doug Wimbish.
• Body Count causes nationwide controversy over "Cop Killer" from their self-titled debut album. The band then decides to re-release the album without the song.
• Motörhead's drummer Phil Taylor finally leaves after recording "Ain't No Nice Guy" for the March ör Die album. The drummer on that album is Tommy Aldridge, who was replaced by Mikkey Dee after recording the album.
• In April, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert is held. Top heavy metal acts such as Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Metallica, Extreme and the heavy metal parody band Spinal Tap perform, as well as heavy metal/hard rock legends such as Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Roger Daltrey (The Who), and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath).
• Iron Maiden headlines the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, England on a bill which includes Slayer, Skid Row, Thunder, The Almighty and W.A.S.P..
• Izzy Stradlin leaves Guns N' Roses

1993

Newly formed bands

• Apocalyptica
• Children of Bodom
• Dark Funeral
• Dimmu Borgir
• Fight
• HammerFall
• KoЯn
• Korpiklaani
• Mournful Congregation
• Mushroomhead
• Nile
• Rhapsody of Fire
• Theatre of Tragedy

Disbandments

• Judas Priest(Hiatus)

Reformed bands

• Mercyful Fate

Albums

• Accept – Objection Overruled
• Annihilator – Set the World on Fire
• Anthrax – Sound of White Noise US #7
• At the Gates – With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness
• Cannibal Corpse – Hammer Smashed Face (EP)
• Darkthrone – Under a Funeral Moon
• Death – Individual Thought Patterns
• Dio – Strange Highways
• Entombed – Wolverine Blues
• Gamma Ray – Insanity and Genius
• Guns N' Roses – "The Spaghetti Incident?" US #4 UK #2
• Heart – Desire Walks On
• Helloween – Chameleon
• Infectious Grooves – Sarsippius' Ark
• Living Colour – Stain
• Macabre – Sinister Slaughter
• Melvins – Houdini
• Mercyful Fate – In the Shadows
• Monster Magnet – Superjudge
• Motörhead – Bastards
• Mr. Big – Bump Ahead
• Overkill – I Hear Black
• Paradise Lost – Icon
• Primus – Pork Soda US #7
• Rush – Counterparts US #2 CAN #6
• Scorpions – Face the Heat GER #4
• Sepultura – Chaos A.D.
• Tool – Undertow
• Type O Negative – Bloody Kisses
• Steve Vai – [...] and Religion
• X Japan – Art of Life

Live albums

• Dream Theater – Live at the Marquee
• Iron Maiden – A Real Live One UK #3
• Iron Maiden – A Real Dead One
• Iron Maiden – Live at Donington
• Kiss – Alive III US #9
• Mayhem – Live in Leipzig
• Metallica – Live [...]: Binge & Purge
• Van Halen – Live: Right Here, Right Now US #5

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Black Lodge
• Anthrax – Only
• Anthrax – Room for One More
• Dream Theater – Another Day
• Dream Theater – Take the Time
• Heart – Will You Be There (In the Morning)
• Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark (Live) UK #8
• Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name (Live) UK #9
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
• Megadeth – Symphony of Destruction

Events

• Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson leaves the band to pursue his solo career. He would be replaced the following year by Blaze Bayley.
• Dokken reforms and tours without a new album.
• Helloween drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg was having difficulties coping with personal and career-related demands and asked for time off for an unspecified period, he was replaced by Uli Kusch.
• Rob Halford of Judas Priest leaves the band to start his own project Fight.
• Aerosmith headlines the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, England on a bill which includes Extreme, Sepultura, Pantera, Therapy? and Pride and Glory.
• Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske was fired from the band for personal reasons and musical differences, he was replaced by Andi Deris.

1994

Newly formed bands

• Abscess
• Amen
• Down
• Destroyer 666
• Foo Fighters
• Glenn Tipton
• Hatebreed
• Heavenly
• Lacuna Coil
• Rammstein
• Slash's Snakepit
• Strapping Young Lad
• Static-X
• Symphony X
• The Killer Barbies

Disbandments

• Hermética
• Nirvana

Reformed bands

• Rainbow

Albums

• Accept – Death Row
• Alice Cooper – The Last Temptation UK #6
• Alice in Chains – Jar of Flies EP US #1
• At the Gates – Terminal Spirit Disease
• Black Sabbath – Cross Purposes
• Blue Öyster Cult – Cult Classic
• Body Count – Born Dead
• Bolt Thrower – ...For Victory
• Bruce Dickinson – Balls to Picasso
• Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding
• Cryptopsy – Blasphemy Made Flesh
• The Cult – The Cult
• Darkthrone – Transilvanian Hunger
• Deftones – Adrenaline
• Dream Theater – Awake
• Helloween – Master of the Rings
• Hermética – Victimas del Vaciamiento
• Infectious Grooves – Groove Family Cyco
• King's X – Dogman
• KoЯn – KoЯn
• Kyuss – Welcome to Sky Valley
• Machine Head – Burn My Eyes
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – The Seventh Sign
• Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
• Melvins – Stoner Witch
• Megadeth – Youthanasia US #4 UK #6
• Mercyful Fate – Time
• Metal Church – Hanging in the Balance
• Mötley Crüe – ''Mötley Crüe US #7
• Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral US #2 UK #9
• Overkill – W.F.O.
• Pantera – Far Beyond Driven US #1
• Prong – Cleansing
• Queensrÿche – Promised Land US #3
• Samael – Ceremony of Opposites
• Slayer – Divine Intervention US #8
• Soundgarden – Superunknown US #1 UK #4
• Testament – Low
• The 3rd and the Mortal – Sorrow (EP)
• The 3rd and the Mortal – Tears Laid in Earth
• Whitesnake – Whitesnake's Greatest Hits UK #4

Live albums

• Anthrax – The Island Years Originally recorded in 1991 and 1992

Popular songs

• Bruce Dickinson – Tears of the Dragon
• Cradle of Filth – The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
• Cradle of Filth – The Black Godddess Rises
• Dream Theater – Caught in a Web
• Dream Theater – Lie
• Helloween – Sole Survivor
• Helloween – Perfect Gentleman
• Korn – Blind
• Marilyn Manson – Get Your Gunn
• Marilyn Manson – Lunchbox
• Mayhem – Freezing Moon
• Megadeth – À Tout le Monde
• Megadeth – Train of Consequences
• Megadeth – The [...] Road
• Nine Inch Nails – Mr. Self Destruct
• Nine Inch Nails – Closer
• Nine Inch Nails – Hurt
• Pantera – Becoming
• Pantera – I'm Broken
• Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
• Soundgarden – Spoonman
• Slayer – Dittohead
• Slayer – Serenity in [...]

Events

• Far Beyond Driven by Pantera debut's at No 1 on the U.S. British and Australian charts.
• Soundgarden wins two Grammys; Best Hard Rock Performance for "Black Hole Sun" and Best Metal Performance for "Spoonman".
• Nirvana's Kurt Cobain commits [...] at 27 on April 5.
• Varg Vikernes is convicted and sentenced to 21 years in prison for murdering former Mayhem guitarist Euronymous

1995

Newly formed bands

• After Forever
• Almafuerte
• Autumn
• Ayreon
• Buckcherry
• Ensiferum
• Godsmack
• Hibernus Mortis
• Kittie
• Limp Bizkit
• Moonsorrow
• Slipknot
• System of a Down
• Trapt

Disbandments

• The Cult
• Groundswell/Three Days Grace
• Kyuss (in October)
• Living Colour (in January)

Reformed bands

• UFO

Albums

• AC/DC – Ballbreaker US #4 UK #6 AUS #1
• Alice in Chains – Alice in Chains US #1
• Anthrax – Stomp 442
• At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul
• Black Sabbath – Forbidden
• Blind Guardian – Imaginations From the Other Side
• Bon Jovi – These Days US #9 UK #1
• Darkthrone – Panzerfaust
• Death – Symbolic
• Deftones – Adrenaline
• Down – NOLA
• Fear Factory – Demanufacture
• Gamma Ray – Land of the Free
• Iced Earth – Burnt Offerings
• Iron Maiden – The X Factor UK #8
• King Diamond – The Spider's Lullabye
• Kreator – Cause for Conflict
• Kyuss – ...And the Circus Leaves Town
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Magnum Opus
• Marilyn Manson – Smells Like Children
• Megadeth – Hidden Treasures
• Meshuggah – Destroy Erase Improve
• Monster Magnet – Dopes to Infinity
• Motörhead – Sacrifice
• Mushroomhead – Mushroomhead
• Nevermore – Nevermore
• Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzmosis US #4
• Rainbow – Stranger in Us All
• Rammstein – Herzeleid GER #6
• Samael – Rebellion
• Saxon – Dogs of War
• Skid Row – Subhuman Race
• Soundgarden – Songs from the Superunknown
• Ted Nugent – Spirit of the Wild
• The 3rd and the Mortal – Nightswan (EP)
• UFO – Walk on Water
• Steve Vai – Alien Love Secrets (EP)
• Van Halen – Balance US #1 UK #8
• Vision of Disorder – Still (EP) (EP)
• White Zombie – Astro Creep: 2000 US #6

Live albums

• Black Sabbath – Cross Purposes Live
• Heart – The Road Home
• Mayhem – Dawn of the Black Hearts
• Overkill – Wrecking Your Neck
• Scorpions – Live Bites
• Testament – Live at the Fillmore

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Fueled
• Dream Theater – The Silent Man
• Gamma Ray – Land Of The Free
• Iron Maiden – Man on the Edge UK #10
• Megadeth – A Tout le Monde

Events

• Motörhead's guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston leaves the band.
• MTV abruptly canceled the music television program Headbanger's Ball in January 1995.
• After a series of private tragedies, drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg felt unable to cope with life and committed [...], to honor his memory, guitarist Roland Grapow bought his Drum kit.

1996

Newly formed bands

• Arch Enemy
• Control Denied
• Decapitated
• God Forbid
• Gojira
• Linkin Park
• Lordi
• Mudvayne
• Nightwish
• Norther
• Pain
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Shadows Fall
• SHOCKLET
• Skillet
• Slapshock
• Spineshank
• Tristania
• Within Temptation

Disbandments

• Down
• Skid Row

Reformed bands

• Judas Priest(Back from Hiatus with new singer Tim "Ripper" Owens)
• Kiss (back in full makeup and costume with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss)

Albums

• Accept – Predator
• Alice in Chains – Unplugged US #6
• Anvil – Plugged in Permanent
• Arch Enemy – Black Earth
• Bruce Dickinson – Skunkworks
• Cannibal Corpse – Vile
• Cryptopsy – None So Vile
• Darkthrone – Total Death
• Def Leppard – Slang UK #5
• Dio – Angry Machines
• Helloween – The Time of the Oath''
• Iced Earth – The Dark Saga
• King Diamond – The Graveyard
• KoЯn – Life Is Peachy US #3
• Manowar – Louder Than Hell
• Melvins – Stag
• Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar US #3
• Mercyful Fate – Into the Unknown
• Metallica – Load US #1 UK #1
• Ministry – Filth Pig
• Motörhead – Overnight Sensation
• Mushroomhead – Superbuick
• Neurosis – Through Silver in Blood
• Nevermore – The Politics of [...]
• Overkill – The [...] Kind
• Pantera – The Great Southern Trendkill US #2 UK #9
• Prong – Rude Awakening
• Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire US #1 UK #4
• Rush – Test for Echo US #5 CAN #3
• Scorpions – Pure Instinct GER #8
• Sepultura – Roots UK #4
• Slayer – Undisputed Attitude
• Soundgarden – Down on the Upside US #2 UK #7
• Steve Vai – Fire Garden
• The 3rd and the Mortal – Painting on Glass
• Tool – Ænima US #2
• Van Halen – Best Of – Volume I US #1
• Vision of Disorder – Vision of Disorder

Live albums

• Gamma Ray – Alive '95
• Saxon – The Eagle Has Landed – Part II

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Nothing
• Helloween – The Time of the Oath
• Helloween – Power
• Iced Earth – I Died For You
• Metallica – Bleeding Me
• Pantera – Drag the Waters
• Slayer – Gemini

1997

Newly formed bands

• 2wo
• Alien Crime Syndicate
• American Head Charge
• Atargatis
• Dir En Grey
• Disturbed
• Finntroll
• Hardcore Superstar
• Hate Eternal
• Nonpoint
• Pig Destroyer
• Soulfly
• Turisas

Disbandments

• Prong
• Soundgarden
• Skindred
• X Japan

Reformed bands

• Three Days Grace

Albums

• Aerosmith – Nine Lives US #1 UK #4
• Anvil – Absolutely No Alternative
• Black Sabbath – Reunion
• Body Count – Violent Demise: The Last Days
• Bruce Dickinson – Accident of Birth
• Children of Bodom – Something Wild
• Deftones – Around The Fur
• Dimmu Borgir – Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
• Dream Theater – Falling into Infinity
• Emperor – Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
• Entombed – DCLXVI: To Ride Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth
• Gamma Ray – Somewhere Out in Space
• Glenn Tipton – Baptism of Fire
• Hatebreed – ''Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire
• Immortal – Blizzard Beasts
• In Flames – Whoracle
• Judas Priest – Jugulator
• Kreator – Outcast
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Facing the Animal
• Mayhem – Wolf's Lair Abyss
• Melvins – Honky
• Megadeth – Cryptic Writings US #10
• Metallica – ReLoad US #1 UK #1
• Motley Crue – Generation Swine US #4
• Overkill – From the Underground and Below
• Queensrÿche – Hear in the Now Frontier
• Rammstein – Sehnsucht GER #1
• Saxon – Unleash the Beast
• Sodom – 'Til Death Do Us Unite
• Soundgarden – A-Sides
• Testament – Demonic
• The 3rd and the Mortal – In This Room
• The 3rd and the Mortal – Streams (EP)

Live albums

• AC/DC – Live from the Atlantic Studios
• Exodus – Another Lesson in Violence
• Manowar – Hell on Wheels
• Pantera – Official Live: 101 Proof
• Saxon – Donnington: The Live Tracks

Popular songs

• Aerosmith – Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)
• Aerosmith – Hole in My Soul
• Aerosmith – Pink
• Bruce Dickinson – Man of Sorrows
• Bruce Dickinson – Accident of Birth
• Bruce Dickinson – Road To Hell
• Children of Bodom – Red Light in My Eyes, Pt. 1
• Children of Bodom – Deadnight Warrior
• Deftones – My Own Summer (Shove It)
• Dimmu Borgir – Mourning Palace
• Dimmu Borgir – Master of Disharmony
• In Flames – Episode 666
• Judas Priest – Bullet Train
• Judas Priest – Burn in Hell
• Megadeth – Almost Honest
• Megadeth – She-Wolf
• Megadeth – Trust
• Metallica – Fuel
• Metallica – The Memory Remains
• Metallica – The Unforgiven II
• Metallica – Better Than You
• Rammstein – Engel
• Rammstein – Du hast

Events

• Black Sabbath reunites with the original line-up between Black Sabbath and Never Say Die!..
• Tim "Ripper" Owens becomes the lead singer of Judas Priest.

1998

Newly formed bands

• All That Remains
• Anaal Nathrakh
• Andrew WK
• Atreyu
• Beseech
• Black Label Society
• Bobaflex
• Bruthal 6
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Freedom Call
• The Giraffes
• Kult ov Azazel
• Liquid Tension Experiment
• Mnemic
• Origin
• Rebaelliun
• Unearth

Disbandments

• Faith No More

Albums

• Amon Amarth – Once Sent from the Golden Hall
• Anthrax – Volume 8: The Threat Is Real
• Arch Enemy – Stigmata
• Blind Guardian – Nightfall in Middle-Earth
• Blue Öyster Cult – Heaven Forbid
• Bolt Thrower – Mercenary
• Bruce Dickinson – The Chemical Wedding
• Cannibal Corpse – Gallery of [...]
• Cryptopsy – Whisper Supremacy
• Death – The Sound of Perseverance
• Fear Factory – Obsolete
• Godsmack – Godsmack
• Helloween – Better Than Raw
• Iced Earth – Something Wicked This Way Comes
• Iron Maiden – Virtual XI UK #14
• King Diamond – Voodoo
• Kiss – Psycho Circus US #3
• KoЯn – Follow the Leader US #1 UK #5
• Liquid Tension Experiment – Liquid tension experiment
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Em, Opus 1
• Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals US #1 UK #5
• Mercyful Fate – Dead Again
• Meshuggah – Chaosphere
• Metallica – Garage Inc. US #2
• Monster Magnet – Powertrip
• Motörhead – Snake Bite Love
• Nashville [...] – Let Them Eat [...]
• Nile – Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
• Queens of the Stone Age – Queens of the Stone Age
• Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe US #5
• Slayer – Diabolus in Musica
• Stratovarius – Destiny FIN #1
• System of a Down – System of a Down
• Van Halen – Van Halen III US #4
• Vision of Disorder – Imprint

Live albums

• Black Sabbath – Reunion
• Dio – Inferno: Last in Live
• Dream Theater – Once in a LIVEtime
• Judas Priest – '98 Live Meltdown
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Double Live!
• Rush – Different Stages
• Saxon – BBC Sessions / Live at Reading Festival '86 Originally recorded in 1986

Popular songs

• Blind Guardian – Mirror Mirror
• Bruce Dickinson – Chemical Wedding
• Bruce Dickinson – The Tower
• Bruce Dickinson – Trumpets of Jericho
• Godsmack – Voodoo
• Helloween – Push
• Iron Maiden – The Clansman
• Iron Maiden – Futureal
• Kiss – Psycho Circus
• Korn – Freak on a Leash
• Korn – Got the Life
• Marilyn Manson – The Dope Show
• Marilyn Manson – Rock Is Dead
• Marilyn Manson – I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)
• Marilyn Manson – Coma White
• Megadeth – Use the Man
• Metallica – Die, Die My Darling
• Metallica – Turn the Page
• Metallica – Whiskey in the Jar
• Monster Magnet – Space Lord
• Monster Magnet – Powertrip
• Nile – Ramses Bringer of War
• Rob Zombie – Dragula
• Rob Zombie – Superbeast
• Rob Zombie – Living Dead Girl
• Slayer – Stain of Mind
• System of a Down – Sugar
• System of a Down – Spiders
• Van Halen – Without You

1999

Newly formed bands

• 3 Inches of Blood
• Assjack
• Avantasia
• Avenged Sevenfold
• Beautiful Creatures
• Bleeding Through
• Burning Brides
• Crossfade
• DragonForce
• Dream Evil
• Five Pointe O
• Killswitch Engage
• Loaded
• Metsatöll
• A Perfect Circle
• Protest the Hero
• Psycroptic
• Sonata Arctica
• Sabaton

Disbandments

• Death
• Mercyful Fate
• Mötley Crüe (reformed in 2004)
• Liquid Tension Experiment

Reformed bands

• The Cult
• Skid Row
• Vanilla Fudge
• The Who as a five-piece band with Pete Townshend on lead guitar.

Albums

• Alice in Chains – Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
• Alice in Chains – Music Bank
• Amon Amarth – The Avenger
• Anvil – Speed of Sound
• Arch Enemy – Burning Bridges
• Black Label Society – Sonic Brew
• Cannibal Corpse – Bloodthirst
• Children of Bodom – Hatebreeder
• Control Denied – The Fragile Art of Existence
• Darkthrone – Ravishing Grimness
• Drain STH – Freaks of Nature
• Dream Theater – Scenes From A Memory
• Finntroll – Midnattens Widunder
• Gamma Ray – Power Plant
• God Forbid – Reject the Sickness
• KoЯn – Issues US #1
• Kreator – Endorama
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Alchemy
• Lamb Of God – Burn the Priest
• Limp Bizkit -Significant Other US #1 UK #10
• Liquid Tension Experiment – Liquid Tension Experiment 2
• Megadeth – Risk
• Melvins – The Maggot
• Mercyful Fate – 9
• Mushroomhead – M3
• Nevermore – Dreaming Neon Black
• Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile US #1 UK #10
• Overkill – Necroshine
• Powerman 5000 – Tonight the Stars Revolt!
• Queensrÿche – Q2K
• Rage Against the Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles US #1
• Rammstein – Live Aus Berlin
• Saxon – Metalhead
• Scorpions – Eye II Eye GER #6
• Slipknot – Slipknot
• Static-X – Wisconsin Death Trip
• Steve Vai – The Ultra Zone
• Testament – The Gathering
• Vision of Disorder – For the Bleeders

Live albums

• Children of Bodom – Tokyo Warhearts
• Iced Earth – Alive in Athens
• Manowar – Hell on Stage
• Mayhem – Mediolanum Capta Est
• Metallica – S&M US #2
• Motörhead – Everything Louder Than Everyone Else

Popular songs

• Dream Theater – Home
• Megadeth – Crush 'Em
• Megadeth – Insomnia
• Megadeth – Prince of Darkness
• Slipknot – (sic)
• Slipknot – Spit It Out
• Slipknot – Surfacing
• Slipknot – Wait and Bleed

Events

• Vocalist Blaze Bayley is asked to leave Iron Maiden, following which they are rejoined by Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, creating their current six-piece line up.
• During Edguy's Theater of Salvation tour, Tobias Sammet began to write down his ideas for a metal opera recruiting well-known metal musicians like Michael Kiske, Andre Matos, Kai Hansen, Rob Rock, Timo Tolkki, Markus Grosskopf and more.

2000

Newly formed bands

• As I Lay Dying
• Between the Buried and Me
• Crashdïet
• The Darkness
• Deathstars
• Halford
• Mastodon
• Nightrage
• Revocation_(band)
• Steel Panther
• Trivium
• Volbeat
• Wolfmother

Disbandments

• Rage Against the Machine
• Primus

Albums

• AC/DC – Stiff Upper Lip US #7 AUS #3
• Alice Cooper – Brutal Planet
• Black Label Society – Stronger Than Death
• Children of Bodom – Follow the Reaper
• Cryptopsy – ...And Then You'll Beg
• Decapitated – Winds of Creation
• Deftones – White Pony US #3
• Dio – Magica
• Disturbed – The Sickness
• Godsmack – Awake US #5
• Halford – Resurrection
• Helloween – The Dark Ride
• Infectious Grooves – Mas Borracho
• Iron Maiden – Brave New World UK #7
• King Diamond – House of God
• Lamb of God – New American Gospel
• Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water US #1 UK #1
• Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory US #2
• Macabre – Dahmer
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – War to End All Wars
• Marilyn Manson – Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
• Mayhem – Grand Declaration of War
• Melvins – The Crybaby
• Monster Magnet – God Says No
• Motörhead – We Are Motörhead
• Nevermore – Dead Heart in a Dead World
• Nile – Black Seeds of Vengeance
• Origin – Origin
• Overkill – Bloodletting
• Pantera – Reinventing The Steel US #4
• Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R
• Racer X – Technical Difficulties
• Rage Against the Machine – Renegades
• Scorpions – Moment of Glory GER #3
• Static-X – The Death Trip Continues
• Stratovarius – Infinite FIN #1
• UFO – Covenant

Live albums

• Alice in Chains – Live
• Cannibal Corpse – Live Cannibalism
• Saxon – Live at Donnington 1980 Originally recorded in 1980

Popular songs

• Dream Theater – Through Her Eyes
• Iron Maiden – Blood Brothers
• Iron Maiden – Brave New World
• Iron Maiden – The Wicker Man UK #9
• Megadeth – Breadline

Events

• Metallica releases the song "I Disappear" that was never released on any studio albums and appears on the Mission: Impossible II soundtrack.
• Living Colour reforms with the Stain line-up.

2001

Newly formed bands

• Audioslave
• Indorphine
• Ambeon
• Black Stone Cherry
• Jet

Reformed bands

• Death Angel
• Down
• Rush

Albums

• Aerosmith – Just Push PlayUS #2 UK #7
• After Forever – Decipher
• Alice Cooper – Dragontown
• Alice in Chains – Greatest Hits
• Amon Amarth – ''The Crusher
• Anaal Nathrakh – The Codex Necro
• Anvil – Plenty of Power
• Arch Enemy – Wages of Sin
• Avantasia – ''The Metal Opera
• Avenged Sevenfold – Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
• Blue Öyster Cult – Curse of the Hidden Mirror
• Bolt Thrower – Honour – Valour – Pride
• The Cult – Beyond Good and Evil
• Darkthrone – Plaguewielder
• Drowning Pool – Sinner
• Fear Factory – Digimortal
• Finntroll – Jaktens Tid
• Gamma Ray – No World Order
• God Forbid – Determination
• Gojira – Terra Incognita
• Iced Earth – Horror Show
• Judas Priest – Demolition''
• Kreator – Violent Revolution
• Megadeth – The World Needs a Hero
• Melvins – Electroretard
• Opeth – Blackwater Park
• Ozzy Osbourne – Down To Earth US #4
• Psycroptic – The Isle of Disenchantment
• Rammstein – Mutter GER #1
• Rob Zombie – The Sinister Urge US #8
• Saxon – [...] Ground
• Slayer – God Hates Us All
• Slipknot – Iowa US #3 UK #1
• Static-X – Machine
• System of a Down – Toxicity US #1
• Tool – Lateralus US #1
• Unearth – The Stings of Conscience
• Vision of Disorder – From Bliss to Devastation

Live albums

• Black Label Society – Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live!! +5
• Death – Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)
• Death – Live in Eindhoven
• Dream Theater – Live Scenes from New York
• Halford – Live Insurrection
• Mayhem – Live In Marseille
• Queensrÿche – Live Evolution
• Scorpions – Acoustica

Popular songs

• Iron Maiden – Dream of Mirrors
• Judas Priest – Feed on Me
• Judas Priest – Machine Man
• Megadeth – Dread and the Fugitive Mind
• Megadeth – Moto Psycho
• Megadeth – Return to Hangar
• Slayer – Disciple
• Slipknot – The Heretic Anthem
• Slipknot – Left Behind

Events

• Death guitarist Chuck Schuldiner dies at 34 on December 13 of brain cancer.
• Metallica bassist Jason Newsted (who joined after Cliff Burton's death) officially left the band and joined Voivod.
• Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory becomes a sleeper hit a year after its release, outselling all other records in 2001
• Guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch were fired from Helloween, both start their own band Masterplan

2002

Newly formed bands

• The Acacia Strain
• Angtoria
• The Bronx
• Heidevolk
• Parkway Drive
• Probot
• Sahara Dust/Epica
• [...] Silence
• Velvet Revolver
• Winds of Plague

Disbandments

• Alice in Chains
• The Cult
• Fear Factory (until 2003)
• Megadeth (until 2004)
• Vision of Disorder (until 2008)

Reformed bands

• Prong

Albums

• Amon Amarth – Versus the World
• Anvil – Still Going Strong
• Atreyu – [...] Notes and Butterfly Kisses
• Avantasia – ''The Metal Opera Part II
• Audioslave – Audioslave US #7
• Between The Buried And Me – Between The Buried And Me
• Black Label Society – 1919 Eternal
• Blind Guardian – A Night at the Opera
• Cannibal Corpse – Gore Obsessed
• Cannibal Corpse – Worm Infested (EP)
• Decapitated – Nihility
• Def Leppard – X
• Dio – [...] the Dragon
• Disturbed – Believe US #1
• Down – Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
• Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
• Fear Factory – Concrete (recorded 1991, released 2002)
• Five Pointe O – Untitled
• Halford – Crucible
• Hatebreed – Perseverance
• King Diamond – Abigail II: The Revenge
• KoЯn – Untouchables US #2 UK #4
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Attack!!
• Manowar – Warriors of the World
• Mastodon – Remission
• Melvins – Hostile Ambient Takeover
• Meshuggah – Nothing
• Motörhead – Hammered
• Nile – In Their Darkened Shrines
• Norther – Dreams of Endless War
• Opeth – Deliverance
• Origin – Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas
• Protest The Hero – A Calculated Use of Sound
• Rush – Vapor Trails US #6 CAN #3
• System of a Down – Steal This Album!
• Ted Nugent – Craveman
• Trapt – Trapt
• UFO – Sharks
• Vanilla Fudge – The Return

Live albums

• Black Sabbath – Past Lives
• Iron Maiden – Rock in Rio
• Megadeth – Rude Awakening
• Overkill – Wrecking Everything
• Prong – 100% Live

Popular songs

• Dio – Along Comes The Spider
• Dio – Better In The Dark
• Dio – [...] The Dragon
• Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
• Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills (Live) UK #9
• Slipknot – My Plague

Events

• Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley dies on April 5 at 34 from an overdose of [...].
• The Who bassist John Entwistle dies on June 27 at 57 from a [...]-induced heart attack.
• Ex – Freedom Call guitarist Sascha Gerstner enter Helloween after the dimissal of Roland Grapow

2003

Newly formed bands

• Battlecross
• Beyond Fallen
• Deathgaze
• Leaves' Eyes
• Powerwolf
• Mono Inc.
• Skeletonwitch
• The Sword

Disbandments

• Coal Chamber
• Five pointe o
• Pantera

Reformed bands

• Primus
• Judas Priest

Albums

• Alice Cooper – The Eyes of Alice Cooper
• Anaal Nathrakh – When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap As It Has Sown
• Anthrax – We've Come for You All
• Arch Enemy – Anthems of Rebellion
• As I Lay Dying – Frail Words Collapse
• Avenged Sevenfold – Waking the Fallen
• Between The Buried And Me – The Silent Circus
• Black Label Society – The Blessed Hellride
• Cannibal Corpse – 15 Year [...] Spree
• Cryptopsy – None So Live
• Children Of Bodom – Hate Crew Deathroll FIN #1
• Deftones – Deftones US #2 UK #7
• Darkthrone – Hate Them
• Dragonforce – Valley of the [...]
• Dream Theater – Train of Thought
• Finntroll – Visor om Slutet
• Godsmack – Faceless US #1
• Gojira – The Link
• Hatebreed – The Rise of Brutality
• Helloween – Rabbit Don't Come Easy
• Iron Maiden – Dance of Death UK #2
• King Diamond – The Puppet Master
• KoЯn – Take a Look in the Mirror US #9
• Lamb Of God – As the Palaces Burn
• Limp Bizkit – Results May Vary US #3 UK #7
• Linkin Park – Meteora US #1 UK #1
• Living Colour – Collideøscope
• Marilyn Manson – The Golden Age of Grotesque US #1 UK #4
• Macabre – [...] Metal
• Metallica – St. Anger US #1 UK #1
• Nevermore – Enemies of Reality
• Nightrage – Sweet Vengeance
• Norther – Mirror of Madness
• Opeth – Damnation
• Overkill – Killbox 13
• Prong – Scorpio Rising
• Psycroptic – The Scepter of the Ancients
• Queensrÿche – Tribe
• Shadows Fall – The War Within
• Static-X – Shadow Zone
• Trivium – Ember to Inferno

Live albums

• Gamma Ray – Skeletons in the Closet''
• Heart – Alive In Seattle
• Judas Priest – Live in London
• Led Zeppelin – How the West Was Won US #1 UK #5 (recorded May 1972)
• Motörhead – Live At Brixton Academy The Complete Concert
• Rush – Rush in Rio
• UFO – Live on Earth
• Vanilla Fudge – The Return – Live in Germany Part 1
• Vanilla Fudge – Rocks the Universe – Live in Germany Part 2
• Vanilla Fudge – The Real Deal – Vanilla Fudge Live

Popular songs

• Anthrax – Safe Home
• Anthrax – Taking the Music Back
• Anthrax – What Doesn't Die
• Avenged Sevenfold – Second Heartbeat
• Avenged Sevenfold – Unholy Confessions
• Dream Theater – As I Am
• Dream Theater – Stream of Consciousness
• Iron Maiden – Dance of Death
• Iron Maiden – No More Lies
• Iron Maiden – Rainmaker
• Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams UK #6

Events

• Fear Factory reforms with all original members except for the former guitarist Dino Cazares.
• Metallica hires new bassist Robert Trujillo (from [...] Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne).
• MTV2 resurrected the old Heavy metal, Rock television program Headbangers' Ball.
• Judas Priest reunites with frontman Rob Halford.
• Tim "Ripper" Owens becomes Iced Earth front-man after Matt Barlow departure from the band.

2004

Newly formed bands

• Alestorm (Battleheart)
• Architects
• Alter Bridge
• Auf Der Maur (solo)
• Airbourne
• Black Tide
• Bring Me the Horizon
• Evile
• Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders
• Texas Hippie Coalition
• Threat Signal
• Warbringer
• Wintersun

Reformed bands

• Megadeth (without David Ellefson)
• Mötley Crüe

Albums

• 3 Inches of Blood – Advance and Vanquish
• Aerosmith – Honkin' on Bobo
• Amon Amarth – Fate of Norns
• Anaal Nathrakh – Domine Non Es Dignus
• Anvil – Back to Basics
• Atreyu – The Curse
• Black Label Society – Hangover Music Vol. VI
• Cannibal Corpse – The Wretched Spawn
• Damageplan – New Found Power
• Darkthrone – Sardonic Wrath
• Death Angel – The Art of Dying
• Decapitated – The Negation
• Dio – Master of the Moon
• Dokken – Hell to Pay
• DragonForce – Sonic Firestorm
• Exodus – Tempo of the [...]
• Fear Factory – Archetype
• Finntroll – Nattfödd
• God Forbid – Gone Forever
• Godsmack – The Other Side EP US #5
• Guns N' Roses – Greatest Hits US #3 UK #1
• Heart – Jupiters Darling
• Iced Earth – The Glorious Burden
• KoЯn – Greatest Hits, Volume 1 US #4
• Lamb Of God – Ashes of the Wake
• Marilyn Manson – Lest We Forget: The Best Of US #9 UK #4
• Mastodon – Leviathan
• Mayhem – Chimera
• Megadeth – The System Has Failed
• Metal Church – The Weight of the World
• Monster Magnet – Monolithic Baby!
• Motörhead – Inferno
• Norther – Death Unlimited
• Probot – Probot
• Rammstein – Reise, Reise GER #1
• Rush – Feedback EP CAN #5
• Saxon – Lionheart
• Scorpions – Unbreakable GER #4
• Skeletonwitch – At One with the Shadows
• Slipknot – Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses) US #2 UK #5
• Static-X – Beneath, Between, Beyond
• UFO – You Are Here
• Unearth – The Oncoming Storm
• Van Halen – The Best of Both Worlds US #3
• Velvet Revolver – Contraband US #1

Live albums

• Anthrax – Music of Mass Destruction
• Disturbed – Music as a Weapon II
• Dream Theater – Live at Budokan
• King Diamond – Deadly Lullabyes
• Queensrÿche – The Art of Live

Popular songs

• Iced Earth – When The Eagle Cries
• Megadeth – Blackmail the Universe
• Megadeth – Die Dead Enough
• Megadeth – Of Mice and Men
• Slipknot – The Blister Exists
• Slipknot – Duality
• Slipknot – Vermilion
• Slipknot – Vermilion Pt. 2

Events

• Pantera lead guitarist Dimebag Darrell is murdered at 38 on December 8 by Nathan Gale while performing a Damageplan concert in Ohio.
• The book: Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal Was released talking about the history and key points in heavy metal. Authored by Ian Christe
• Van Halen reunites with Sammy Hagar (who was replaced in 1996) and toured without a new album.

2005

Newly formed bands

• Anew Revolution
• Ava Inferi
• Bang Camaro
• Beyond Fear
• Five Finger Death Punch
• Ghost Brigade
• Motionless in White
• Periphery
• Powerglove
• Pride Tiger
• We Came as Romans
• Wretched

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Dirty Diamonds
• Alice in Chains – The Essential Alice in Chains
• Arch Enemy – Doomsday Machine
• As I Lay Dying – Shadows Are Security
• Audioslave – Out of Exile US #1 UK #5
• Avenged Sevenfold – City of Evil
• Between The Buried And Me – Alaska
• Black Label Society – Mafia
• Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal
• Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls
• Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison
• Candlemass – Candlemass
• Children of Bodom – Are You Dead Yet? FIN #1
• Deftones – B-Sides & Rarities
• Disturbed – Ten Thousand Fists US #1
• Dream Theater – Octavarium
• Exodus – Shovel Headed Kill Machine
• Fear Factory – Transgression
• Gamma Ray – Majestic
• God Forbid – IV: Constitution of Treason
• Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
• Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
• Immolation – Harnessing Ruin
• Judas Priest – Angel of Retribution
• Kamelot – The Black Halo
• KoЯn – See You on the Other Side US #3
• Kreator – Enemy of God
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Unleash the Fury
• Meshuggah – Catch Thirtythree
• Mötley Crüe – Red, White & Crüe US #6
• Mournful Congregation – The Monad of Creation
• Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor
• Nightrage – Descent into Chaos
• Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked
• Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth US #1 UK #3
• Opeth – Ghost Reveries
• Origin – Echoes of Decimation
• Overkill – ReliXIV
• Primordial – The Gathering Wilderness
• Priestess – Hello Master
• Protest the Hero – Kezia
• Rammstein – Rosenrot GER #1
• Runemagick – Envenom
• Static-X – Start a War
• System of a Down – Hypnotize US #1
• System of a Down – Mezmerize US #1 UK #2
• Steve Vai – Real Illusions: Reflections
• Trivium – Ascendancy
• Volbeat – The Strength / The Sound / The Songs
• Winds of Plague – A Cold Day in Hell

Live albums

• Anthrax – Alive 2: The Music
• Death – Live in Cottbus '98
• Dio – Evil or Divine - Live in New York City Originally recorded during the [...] the Dragon tour in 2002
• Exodus – Live at the DNA 2004
• Iron Maiden – Death on the Road
• Lamb of God – Killadelphia
• Rush – R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
• Slipknot – 9.0 Live
• Testament – Live in London

Popular songs

• Avenged Sevenfold – Bat Country
• Avenged Sevenfold – M.I.A.
• Avenged Sevenfold – Seize the Day
• Dream Theater – Octavarium
• Dream Theater – The Root of All Evil
• Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast (Live) UK 3
• Iron Maiden – The Trooper 2005 (Live) UK 5
• Judas Priest – Judas Rising
• Judas Priest – Revolution
• Megadeth – The Scorpion
• Slipknot – Before I Forget
• Slipknot – The Nameless

Events

• Static-X lead guitarist Tripp Eisen was arrested in February for "lewd conduct against children."
• Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch leaves the band after becoming a born again Christian and having conflicts with the band's subject matter.
• Former Vader drummer Docent dies.
• System of a Down is the first band since the Beatles to have two albums debut at #1 in the same year.
• After Grammy Awards, #1 hits, and 3 out of 5 albums debuting at #1, System of a Down goes on an indefinite hiatus.

2006

Newly formed bands

• Black Veil Brides
• Dethklok
• The Virginmarys
• Whitechapel

Disbandments

• The 22-20s

Albums

• Amon Amarth – With Oden on Our Side
• Architects – Nightmares
• Atreyu – A Death-Grip on Yesterday US #9
• Audioslave – Revelations US #2
• Benighted – Identisick
• Black Label Society – Shot to Hell
• Budgie – You're All Living in Cuckooland
• Body Count – [...] 4 Hire
• Cannibal Corpse – Kill
• Darkthrone – The Cult Is Alive
• Decapitated – Organic Hallucinosis
• Def Leppard – Yeah!
• Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist US #10
• Dismember – The God That Never Was
• Dragonforce – Inhuman Rampage
• Evergrey – Monday Morning Apocalypse
• Glenn Tipton, John Entwistle and Cozy Powell – Edge of the World
• Godsmack – IV US #1
• Hatebreed – Supremacy
• In Flames – Come Clarity
• Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death US #9 UK #4
• Krisiun – AssassiNation
• Lamb of God – Sacrament US #8
• Mastodon – Blood Mountain
• Melvins – (A) Senile Animal
• Motörhead – Kiss of Death
• Norther – Till Death Unites Us
• Psycroptic – Symbols of Failure
• Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime II
• Rob Zombie – Educated Horses US #5
• Sadus – Out for Blood
• Joe Satriani – Super Colossal
• Sepultura – Dante XXI
• Slayer – Christ Illusion US #5
• Threat Signal – Under Reprisal
• Tool – 10,000 Days US #1 UK #4
• Trivium – The Crusade UK #7
• UFO – The Monkey Puzzle
• Underoath – Define the Great Line US #2
• Unearth – III: In the Eyes of Fire

Live albums

• Children of Bodom – Chaos Ridden Years – Stockholm Knockout Live
• Dio – Holy Diver - Live
• Dream Theater – Score
• Gigantour (The album features performances by Megadeth, Dream Theater, Anthrax, Fear Factory, Life of Agony, Nevermore, Dry Kill Logic, Symphony X and Bobaflex).
• Rainbow – Live in Munich 1977
• Rush – Grace Under Pressure Tour
• Saxon – The Eagle Has Landed – Part III

Popular songs

• Avenged Sevenfold – Beast and the Harlot
• Avenged Sevenfold – Burn It Down
• Iron Maiden – Different World UK #3
• Iron Maiden – The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
• Megadeth – Gears of War
• Slayer – Cult
• Slayer – Eyes of the Insane
• Slayer – Jihad

Events

• Alice in Chains reunite with the Jar of Flies line-up and singer William DuVall replaces the late Layne Staley.
• Adult Swim on August 6, 2006 premiered Metalocalypse a show following the fictitious metal band Dethklok.
• The Cult reunites for the second time after a five-year hiatus.
• Slipknot wins their first Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Before I Forget".

2007

Newly formed bands

• Cavalera Conspiracy
• Iwrestledabearonce
• Liquid Trio Experiment
• Kvelertak
• Skin

Disbandments

• Arcturus
• A Perfect [...]
• The Devin Townsend Band
• I Killed the Prom Queen
• Liquid Trio Experiment
• Reverend Bizarre
• Strapping Young Lad
• Send More Paramedics
• Mendeed
• Pungent Stench
• With Passion
• Nodes of Ranvier

Reformed bands

• Artillery
• Carcass
• Crashdiet
• Emperor (for a few shows)
• Extreme
• Rage Against the Machine
• Sacred Reich
• Spinal Tap
• X Japan

Albums

• 3 Inches of Blood – Fire Up the Blades
• Airbourne – Runnin' Wild
• Anaal Nathrakh – Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here
• Anvil – This Is Thirteen
• Arch Enemy – Rise of the Tyrant
• Architects – Ruin
• As I Lay Dying – An Ocean Between Us US #8
• Atreyu – Lead Sails Paper Anchor US #8
• Avenged Sevenfold – Avenged Sevenfold US #4
• Benighted – Icon
• Between The Buried And Me – Colors
• Black Sabbath – The Dio Years
• Blue Cheer – What Doesn't Kill You
• Bon Jovi – Lost Highway US #1 UK #2
• Darkthrone – F.O.A.D.
• Dethklok – The Dethalbum
• Down – Down III: Over the Under''
• Dream Theater – Systematic Chaos
• Entombed – Serpent Saints
• Exodus – The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A
• Five Finger Death Punch – The Way of the Fist
• Gamma Ray – Land of the Free II
• Godsmack – Good Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of Godsmack
• Helloween – Gambling with the Devil
• Iced Earth – Overture of the Wicked
• King Diamond – Give Me Your Soul...Please
• KoЯn – Untitled album US #2
• Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight US #1 UK #1
• Liquid Trio Experiment – Spontaneous combustion
• Machine Head – The Blackening
• Manowar – Gods of War
• Marilyn Manson – Eat Me, Drink Me US #8 UK #8
• Mayhem – Ordo ad Chao
• Megadeth – United Abominations US #8
• Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
• Nile – Ithyphallic
• Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero US #2 UK #6
• Opeth – The Roundhouse Tapes
• Overkill – Immortalis
• Ozzy Osbourne – Black Rain US #3 UK #10
• Prong – Power of the Damager
• Queensrÿche – Take Cover
• Rush – Snakes & Arrows US #3 CAN #3
• Saxon – The Inner Sanctum
• Scorpions – Humanity: Hour I GER #9
• Skeletonwitch – Beyond the Permafrost
• Static-X – Cannibal
• Ted Nugent – Love Grenade
• Vanilla Fudge – Out Through the in Door
• Velvet Revolver – Libertad US #5 UK #6
• Volbeat – Rock the Rebel / Metal the Devil DEN #1
• Within Temptation – The Heart of Everything

Live albums

• Anthrax – Caught in a Mosh: BBC Live in Concert Recorded in February and August 1987
• Black Sabbath – Live at Hammersmith Odeon Originally recorded during the New Years weekend of 1981–82
• Heart – Dreamboat Annie Live
• Manowar – Gods of War Live
• Megadeth – That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires
• Motörhead – Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith
• Queensrÿche – Mindcrime at the Moore
• UFO – Live Throughout the Years
• Vanilla Fudge – Good Good Rockin' – Live at Rockpalast

Popular songs

• Avenged Sevenfold – Afterlife
• Black Sabbath – Ear In The Wall
• Black Sabbath – Shadow Of The Wind
• Black Sabbath – The Devil Cried
• Dream Theater – Constant Motion
• Megadeth – À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)
• Megadeth – Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms
• Megadeth – Washington is Next!

Events

• Wayne Knupp, original vocalist for Devourment died on September 15.
• Pat Mason of Arsonists Get All The Girls died on the morning of November 30, his 21st birthday.
• Extreme reunite for the third time, announcing plans for a world tour next year, as well as a new studio album, which will be their first since 1995's Waiting for the Punchline.
• Led Zeppelin get back together one more time for one concert in London.
• In Sorte Diaboli (Dimmu Borgir) becomes the first extreme metal album ever to hit the #1 in a Record chart, achieving that position in Norway.
• Andreas Sydow leaves Darkane, being replaced by Jens Broman.
• Witold Kiełtyka, drummer for Decapitated, is killed in a car crash in October.
• Vocalist, Damo and manager, Andy of The Red Shore, died in December.
• Anette Olzon joins Nightwish as their new lead vocalist.
• Peter Lindgren leaves Opeth.
• Jani Liimatainen is fired from Sonata Arctica.
• Jacob Bredahl leaves Hatesphere.
• Mark St. John, guitarist of Kiss in 1984, dies in April.
• The song Final Six from Slayer won in the Best Metal Performance category at the 50th Grammy Awards.
• Meiju Enho leaves Ensiferum.
• Paul Raven, bassist for Ministry and former [...] Joke bassist, dies in October.
• Kevin DuBrow, lead singer for Quiet Riot, dies in November.
• Matt Barlow returns as lead singer of Iced Earth.
• Ramallah disbands.
• Matte Modin is fired from Dark Funeral, for disrupting their live performance schedule through deceit, according to the band. He is replaced by Nils Fjällström of Aeon, who is given the stage name "Dominator".
• Gaahl and King ov Hell part ways from Gorgoroth founding member Infernus with the intention of using the band's name and assets themselves, igniting the Gorgoroth name dispute.

2008

Newly formed bands

• Chickenfoot
• Exhorder
• Ghost
• Living Sacrifice

Disbandments

• Alabama Thunderpussy
• Beneath the Sky
• Byzantine
• Celtic Frost
• Dead to Fall
• Demigod
• The Duskfall
• From Autumn To Ashes
• Himsa
• Knorkator
• Mercyful Fate
• Ministry
• My Bitter End
• Sieges Even
• SikTh
• Spineshank in February
• Still Remains
• The Red Death
• The Agony Scene
• Remove the Veil

Reformed bands

• At the Gates (for a few shows)
• Carcass (for touring)
• Einherjer (for touring)
• Forbidden (for a few shows)
• Krokus
• Liquid Tension Experiment (for touring)
• Mercyful Fate
• Spineshank in August
• Vision of Disorder

Albums

• AC/DC – Black Ice US #1 UK #1 AUS #1
• Alice Cooper – Along Came a Spider
• Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder God
• Avantasia – ''The Scarecrow
• Bullet for My Valentine – Scream Aim Fire US #4 UK #5
• Children of Bodom – Blooddrunk FIN #1
• Cradle of Filth – Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
• Darkthrone – Dark Thrones and Black Flags
• Death Angel – [...] Season
• Def Leppard – Songs from the Sparkle Lounge US #5 UK #10
• Disturbed – Indestructible US #1
• Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
• Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy US #3 UK #2
• Heidevolk – Walhalla Wacht
• Iced Earth – The Crucible of Man
• In Flames – A Sense of Purpose
• Judas Priest – Nostradamus
• Metallica – Death Magnetic US #1 UK #1
• Melvins – [...] with Boots
• Meshuggah – obZen
• Mötley Crüe – Saints of Los Angeles US #4
• Motörhead – Motörizer
• Opeth – Watershed
• Origin – Antithesis
• Protest the Hero – Fortress CAN #1
• Psycroptic – Ob(Servant)
• Revocation (band)Empire of the Obscene
• Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone US #1 UK #2
• Testament – ''The Formation of Damnation
• Texas Hippie Coalition – Pride of Texas
• Trivium – ''Shogun
• Underoath – Lost in the Sound of Separation US #8
• Unearth – The March
• Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood DEN #1
• Warbringer – War Without End
• Whitechapel – This Is Exile
• Whitesnake – Good to Be Bad UK #5
• Yngwie Malmsteen – Perpetual Flame
• Winds of Plague – Decimate the Weak

Live albums

• Gamma Ray – Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome
• Rush – Snakes & Arrows Live CAN #8
• Vanilla Fudge – Orchestral Fudge (live)
• Vanilla Fudge – When Two Worlds Collide

Popular songs

• Dream Theater – Forsaken
• Judas Priest – Nostradamus
• Judas Priest – Prophecy
• Judas Priest – Visions
• Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone
• Slipknot – Dead Memories
• Slipknot – Psychosocial

Events

• Chris Broderick joins Megadeth.
• Iron Maiden Rerelease their 1985 Live album; Live After Death

2009

Newly formed bands

• Charred Walls of the [...]
• Huntress
• Liquid Trio Experiment 2
• Woe, Is Me

Disbandments

• After Forever
• God Seed
• Gorefest
• Liquid Trio Experiment 2
• Metal Church
• Nothingface

Albums

• Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue US #5
• Anaal Nathrakh – In the Constellation of the Black Widow
• Arch Enemy – The Root of All Evil
• Architects – Hollow Crown
• Atreyu – Congregation of the [...]
• Bon Jovi – The Circle US #1 UK #2
• Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague
• Cradle of Filth – Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
• Def Leppard – Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
• Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings US #6
• Dethklok – Deathalbum II
• Five Finger Death Punch – War Is The Answer US #7
• Iwrestledabearonce – It's All Happening
• Halestorm – Halestorm
• Halford – Halford III: Winter Songs
• Hatebreed – Hatebreed
• Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know US #8
• Liquid Trio Experiment 2 – When the Keyboard Breaks: Live in Chicago
• Kiss – Sonic Boom US #2
• Kreator – Hordes of Chaos
• Lacuna Coil – Shallow Life
• Lamb Of God – Wrath US #2
• Living Colour – The Chair in the Doorway
• Marilyn Manson – The High End of Low US #4
• Mastodon – Crack the Skye
• Megadeth – Endgame US #9
• Napalm Death – Time Waits for No Slave
• Nile – Those Whom the Gods Detest
• Queensrÿche – American Soldier
• Rammstein – Liebe ist fur alle da GER #1
• Saxon – Into the Labyrinth
• Skeletonwitch – Breathing the Fire
• Slapshock – Carino Brutal
• Slayer – World Painted Blood
• Static-X – Cult of Static
• Steel Panther – Feel the Steel
• Threat Signal – Vigilance
• Tim "Ripper" Owens – Play My Game
• UFO – The Visitor
• Warbringer – Waking into Nightmares
• We Came as Romans – To Plant a Seed
• Winds of Plague – The Great Stone War
• Wolf – Ravenous
• Yngwie Malmsteen – High Impact

Live albums

• Death Angel – Sonic German Beatdown - Live in Germany
• Iron Maiden – Flight 666
• Judas Priest – A Touch of Evil: Live
• Metallica – Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México
• Testament – Live at Eindhoven '87 Was originally recorded in 1987 during the tour for their debut album "The Legacy"

Popular songs

• Dream Theater – A Rite of Passage
• Dream Theater – Wither
• Megadeth – 1,320'
• Megadeth – The Hardest Part of Letting Go... Sealed With a Kiss
• Megadeth – Head Crusher
• Slayer – Hate Worldwide
• Slayer – Psychopathy Red
• Slipknot – Snuff
• Slipknot – Sulfur

Events

• Metallica's 2008 album, Death Magnetic is nominated for four Grammy categories, winning Best Recording Package and Best Metal Performance for "My Apocalypse".
• Metallica is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4.
• Evile bassist Mike Alexander fell ill and died at the age of 32 on October 5 in Luleå, Sweden.
• Ronnie James Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer on November 25, and is treated at the Mayo Clinic.
• James "The Rev" Sullivan, the drummer of Avenged Sevenfold, dies from an accidental [...] overdose on December 28.
• Bon Jovi releases The Circle which debuts at number 1 on the Billboard 200.

2010

Newly formed bands

• Black Country Communion
• Butcher Babies
• Sarah Jezebel Deva (solo)
• Wayne Static (solo)

Disbandments

• Dio
• Heaven & Hell
• The Number Twelve Looks Like You
• Revolution Renaissance
• Static-X
• Type O Negative

Reformed bands

• Accept

Albums

• AC/DC – Iron Man 2 (soundtrack) US #4 UK #1 AUS #2
• Accept – Blood of the Nations GER #4
• Airbourne – No Guts. No Glory.
• All That Remains – For We Are Many US #10
• As I Lay Dying – The Powerless Rise US #10
• Avantasia – ''The Wicked Symphony
• Avantasia – ''Angel of Babylon
• Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare US #1 UK #5
• Bad City – Welcome to the Wasteland
• Battlecross – Push Pull Destroy
• Black Label Society – Order of the Black US #4
• Bring Me the Horizon – There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret. AUS #1
• Bullet for My Valentine – ''Fever US #3 UK #5
• CRASHDÏET – Generation Wild
• Danzig – Deth Red Sabaoth
• Darkthrone – Circle the Wagons
• Death Angel – Relentless Retribution
• Dimmu Borgir – Abrahadabra
• Disturbed – Asylum US #1 UK #7
• Deftones – Diamond Eyes US #6
• Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition
• Gamma Ray – To the Metal!
• Godsmack – The Oracle US #1
• Grave Digger – The Clans Will Rise Again
• Halford – Halford IV: Made of Metal
• Heart – Red Velvet Car
• Heidevolk – Uit oude grond
• Helloween – 7 Sinners
• Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier US #4 UK #1
• Keel – Streets of Rock & Roll
• KoЯn – Korn III: Remember Who You Are US #2
• Krokus – ''Hoodoo (album)
• Manowar – Battle Hymns MMXI
• Melvins – The Bride Screamed [...]
• Motionless in White – Fearless
• Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns US #1 UK #2
• Motörhead – The Wörld Is Yours
• Mr. Big – What If...
• Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy
• Ozzy Osbourne – Scream US #4
• Overkill – Ironbound
• Ratt – Infestation
• Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe 2 US #8
• Scorpions – Sting in the Tail GER #2
• Slash – Slash US #3
• Texas Hippie Coalition – Rollin
• Volbeat – Beyond Hell/Above Heaven DEN #1
• Whitechapel – A New Era of Corruption

Live albums

• The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria featuring Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer
• Dio – Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 both shows were recorded in their respective years
• Down – Diary of a Mad Band: Europe in the Year of VI
• Halford – Live in Anaheim (Original Soundtrack) Originally recorded in 2003
• Megadeth – Rust in Peace Live
• Meshuggah – Alive
• Judas Priest – British Steel - 30th Anniversary - Live

Popular songs

• Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare (song)
• Avenged Sevenfold – Save Me
• Avenged Sevenfold – So Far Away
• Iron Maiden – Coming Home
• Iron Maiden – El Dorado
• Iron Maiden – Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
• Iron Maiden – The Talisman
• Megadeth – Dialectic Chaos/This Day We Fight!
• Megadeth – The Right to Go Insane
• Megadeth – Sudden Death
• Rush – Caravan
• Scorpions – Lorelei
• Scorpions – The Best Is Yet to Come
• Scorpions – The Good Die Young
• Scorpions – SLY
• Slayer – World Painted Blood

Events

• Soundgarden reunites on New Year's Day.
• Bassist and lead singer of Type O Negative, Peter Steele age 48 dies of heart failure on April 14, 2010.
• Ronnie James Dio dies of stomach cancer at the age of 67 on May 16, 2010.
• On June 16, "The Big Four of Thrash Metal", Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica, play together for the first time at the Sonisphere Festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland.
• Judas Priest wins the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance of "Dissident Aggressor."
• Iron Maiden's The Final Frontier reaches No. 1 in the U.K for the first time since 1992's Fear of the Dark. This album also marked Iron Maiden's highest ever chart position in the United States, debuting at No. 4. Overall the release peaked at No. 1 in 28 countries.
• Original Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson rejoins the band after departing in 2002.
• After 25 years, Mike Portnoy leaves Dream Theater on September 8, 2010.
• Scorpions announce that they will retire after touring in support of final album Sting in the Tail.
• AC/DC headline Download festival, marking their return to Donington for the first time in 19 years, since 1991's Monsters of Rock. Also Rage Against the Machine and Aerosmith to headline.
• Paul Gray of Slipknot dies on May 24, 2010 of an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl.
• Michael Kiske formed the rock band Unisonic and began touring again after 17 years.

2011

Newly formed bands

• Adrenaline Mob
• Thrown into Exile

Disbandments

• Anal [...] (Due to Seth Putnam's death)
• Atreyu (On Hiatus)
• Disturbed (On Hiatus)
• Mercyful Fate (On Hiatus)
• Nevermore (On Hiatus)
• Rage Against the Machine (On Hiatus)
• Iron Butterfly (after the death of Original Member Lee Dorman.)

Reformed bands

• Black Sabbath
• Mercyful Fate
• System of a Down

Albums

• Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare UK #7
• Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising
• Anaal Nathrakh – Passion
• Anthrax – Worship Music US #12
• Anvil – Juggernaut of Justice
• Arch Enemy – Khaos Legions
• Asking Alexandria – Reckless & Relentless US #9
• Battlecross – Pursuit of Honor
• Black Label Society – The Song Remains Not the Same
• Black Veil Brides – Set the World on Fire
• Bonfire – Branded
• Children of Bodom – Relentless Reckless Forever FIN #1
• Disturbed – The Lost Children
• Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events US #8
• Five Finger Death Punch – American Capitalist US #3
• Ghost – Opus Eponymous
• Graveyard – Hisingen Blues
• Iced Earth – Dystopia
• Iwrestledabearonce – Ruining It for Everybody
• Inquisition – Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm
• KoЯn – The Path of Totality US #10
• Limp Bizkit – Gold Cobra
• Machine Head – Unto the Locust
• Mastodon – The Hunter US #10
• Megadeth – Thirteen US #11
• The Misfits – The Devil's Rain
• Opeth – Heritage
• Origin – Entity
• Protest The Hero – Scurrilous CAN #8
• Powerwolf – Blood of the Saints
• Queensrÿche – Dedicated to Chaos
• Riot – Immortal Soul
• Saxon – Call to Arms
• Scorpions – Comeblack
• Skeletonwitch – Forever Abomination
• Steel Panther – Balls Out
• Stratovarius – Elysium FIN #1
• [...] Silence – The Black Crown
• Trivium – In Waves
• Uriah Heep – Into the Wild
• Wayne Static – Pighammer
• Whitesnake – Forevermore

Live albums

• Avantasia – ''The Flying Opera Recorded in the 2008 Wacken Open Air and Masters of Rock Festival
• Mastodon – Live at the Aragon
• Rush – Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland
• Scorpions – Live 2011: Get Your Sting & Blackout

Popular songs

• Anthrax – The Devil You Know
• Anthrax – Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't
• Dream Theater – On the Backs of Angels
• Megadeth – Never Dead
• Megadeth – Public Enemy No. 1
• Powerwolf – We Drink Your Blood
• Powerwolf – Night of the Werewolves
• Powerwolf – [...] at Midnight

Events

• Helloween founder Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray joins ex-Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske in his new band Unisonic.

2012

Newly formed bands

• Device
• Seven Deadly

Reformed bands

• Static-X Wayne Static and his solo band got rights to the name and converted the solo band to Static-X

Albums

• Accept – Stalingrad GER #6
• Adrenaline Mob – Omertà
• Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas
• As I Lay Dying – Awakened
• Baroness – Yellow & Green
• Becoming the Archetype – I Am
• Between the Buried and Me – The Parallax II: Future Sequence
• Cannibal Corpse – Torture
• Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity
• Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind
• Death – Vivus!
• Deftones – Koi No Yokan
• The Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud
• Dethklok – Dethalbum III
• Dokken – Broken Bones
• Dying Fetus – Reign Supreme
• Enslaved – RIITIIR
• The Faceless – Autotheism
• Goatwhore – Blood for the Master
• Gojira – L'Enfant Sauvage
• Halestorm – The Strange Case Of...
• Heart – Fanatic
• Heidevolk – Batavi
• High on Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
• Huntress – Spell Eater
• Job for a Cowboy – Demonocracy
• Kamelot – Silverthorn
• Katatonia – Dead End Kings
• Kiss – Monster US #3
• Kreator – Phantom Antichrist GER #5
• Lamb of God – Resolution US #3
• Linkin Park – Living Things US #1 UK #1
• Manowar – The Lord of Steel
• Marilyn Manson – Born Villain US #10
• Melvins – Freak Puke
• Meshuggah – Koloss
• Motionless in White – Infamous
• Neurosis – Honor Found in Decay
• Nile – At the Gate of Sethu
• Overkill – The Electric Age
• Periphery – Periphery II: This Time It's Personal
• Pig Destroyer – Book Burner
• Prong – Carved Into Stone
• Psycroptic – The Inherited Repression
• Revocation – Teratogenesis
• Rush – Clockwork Angels US #2 CAN #1
• Sabaton – Carolus Rex
• Slash – Apocalyptic Love US #4
• Soundgarden – King Animal US #5
• The Sword – Apocryphon
• Sylosis – Monolith
• Testament – Dark Roots of Earth
• Texas Hippie Coalition – Peacemaker
• Torche – Harmonicraft
• UFO – Seven Deadly
• Unisonic – Unisonic
• Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth US #2 UK #6
• Whitechapel – Whitechapel

Live albums

• AC/DC – Live at River Plate
• Death – Vivus!
• Gamma Ray – Skeletons & Majesties Live
• Godsmack – Live & Inspired
• Iron Maiden – En Vivo!
• Saxon – Heavy Metal Thunder - Live: Eagles Over Wacken
• Slipknot – (sic)nesses – Live at Download Festival 2009 The Video was released in 2009 while the album on CD was released as a Special Edition Disc 2 of the Antennas to Hell compilation album

Popular songs

• Accept – Shadow Soldiers
• Accept – Stalingrad
• Accept – Twist of Fate
• Anthrax – I'm Alive
• Avenged Sevenfold – Carry On
• Dream Theater – Build Me Up, Break Me Down
• Iron Maiden – Blood Brothers (live)
• Megadeth – Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)

Events

• Following the firing of Geoff Tate from Queensrÿche, Tate formed a band consisting of musicians from his solo career and titled it "Queensrÿche", despite Queensrÿche already existing with Todd La Torre as the singer. Tate believed he still owned the legal rights to the name "Queensrÿche", and following a preliminary court hearing, both band's are temporarily allowed to use the name "Queensrÿche" until the next court hearing in November 2013. Both versions of Queensrÿche have since released new albums and are touring under the same name as of April 2013.
• Tony Iommi Lead Guitarist of the band Black Sabbath was diagnosed with the early stages of Lymphoma on January 9.
• Drummer Dan Zimmermann of Gamma Ray leaves the band after fifteen year stable lineup. New drummer Michael Ehré.

2013

Disbandments

• Static X

Albums

• Airbourne – Black Dog Barking
• Alice in Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here US #2
• Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods
• Amorphis – Circle
• Anvil – Hope in Hell
• Asking Alexandria – From Death to Destiny US #5
• August Burns Red – Rescue & Restore US #9
• Avantasia – The Mystery of Time GER #2
• Avenged Sevenfold – Hail to the King US #1 UK #1
• Battlecross – War of Will
• The Black Dahlia [...] – Everblack
• Black Sabbath – 13 US #1 UK #1
• Black Veil Brides – Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones US #7
• Bring Me the Horizon – Sempiternal UK #3 AUS #1
• Bullet for My Valentine – Temper Temper
• Butcher Babies – Goliath US #107
• Carcass – Surgical Steel
• Children of Bodom – Halo of Blood
• Christopher Lee – Charlemagne: The Omens of Death
• A Day to Remember – Common Courtesy
• Darkthrone – The Underground Resistance
• Death Angel – The Dream Calls for Blood
• Deafheaven – Sunbather
• Deep Purple – Now What?!
• Device – Device
• DevilDriver – Winter Kills
• The Devil Wears Prada 8:18
• Dream Theater – Dream Theater US #7
• Eyes Set to Kill – Masks
• Finntroll – Blodsvept
• Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 US #2
• Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 US #2
• Ghost – Infestissumam US #28
• Gwar – Battle Maximus
• Hatebreed – The Divinity of Purpose
• Helloween – Straight Out of Hell GER #4
• Huntress – Starbound Beast
• Iwrestledabearonce – Late For Nothing
• Inquisition – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
• Killswitch Engage – Disarm the Descent US #7
• Korn – The Paradigm Shift US #8
• Love and Death – Between Here & Lost
• Megadeth – Super Collider US #6
• Monster Magnet – Last Patrol
• Motörhead – Aftershock
• Newsted – Heavy Metal Music
• Newsted – Metal (EP)
• Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks US #3 UK #2
• Norma Jean – Wrongdoers
• Powerwolf – Preachers of the Night
• Protest the Hero – Volition CAN #7
• Queensrÿche with Geoff Tate – Frequency Unknown
• Queensrÿche with Todd La Torre – Queensrÿche
• Rob Zombie – Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor US #7
• Saxon – Sacrifice
• Sepultura – The Mediator Between the Head and Hands Must Be the Heart
• Soilwork – The Living Infinite
• Soulfly – Savages
• Stratovarius – Nemesis
• Trivium – Vengeance Falls
• Volbeat – Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies US #9 CAN #1 DEN #1
• We Came as Romans – Tracing Back Roots US #8

Live albums

• Black Label Society – Unblackened
• Black Sabbath – Live... Gathered in Their Masses
• Deep Purple – The Now What?! Live Tapes
• Dream Theater – Live at Luna Park
• Iced Earth – Live in Ancient Kourion
• Judas Priest – Epitaph
• Kreator – Dying Alive
• Mastodon – Live At Brixton
• Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction: Live
• Rainbow – Black Masquerade
• Rush – Clockwork Angels Tour
• Scorpions – MTV Unplugged - Live in Athens
• Testament – Dark Roots of Thrash

Popular songs

• Avenged Sevenfold – Hail to the King
• Black Sabbath – End of the Beginning
• Black Sabbath – God Is Dead?
• Black Sabbath – Loner
• Black Veil Brides – In The End
• Bullet for My Valentine – Riot
• Device – Vilify
• Five Finger Death Punch – Lift Me Up (feat. Rob Halford)
• Ghost – Secular Haze
• Helloween – Burning Sun
• Helloween – Hold Me in Your Arms
• Helloween – Nabatea
• Helloween – Waiting for the Thunder
• Killswitch Engage – In Due Time
• Korn – Love & [...]
• Korn – Never Never
• Megadeth – Super Collider
• Powerwolf – Sacred & Wild
• Powerwolf – In the Name of God
• Saxon – Night of the Wolf
• Saxon – Warriors of the Road
• Sevendust – Decay
• Volbeat – Room 24 (feat. King Diamond)

Events

• After his car crash in 2008, original Deftones bassist Chi Cheng went into a coma. In April 2013 he died in hospital.

• As part of the 2013 legs of their Maiden England World Tour, Iron Maiden will perform at their record breaking fifth Download Festival, their third performance at the Rock in Rio festival, as well as their very first show in Paraguay.

• Black Sabbath's new album 13 became the first and only album by Black Sabbath to reach number 1 in America after 45 years of recording. Originally the closest they ever got to the number 1 spot in America was with their album Master of Reality which peaked at number 3.

• Due to legal reasons, Ghost in the United States was forced to change their name to Ghost B.C.

• Due to Tony Campos owning 50% name rights to the band, Wayne Static was forced to split up Static X again.

• Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr passed away peacefully at his home due to complications of multiple sclerosis.

• Iron Maiden re-released their 1989 live concert VHS/live album Maiden England under the new title Maiden England '88 on DVD, CD, and LP formats.

• Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe was acquitted of his [...] charges and was released.

• Rob Caggiano departed from Anthrax to pursue a different musical direction. A couple of weeks later, it was announced that he had joined Volbeat whom he recently helped with production on their most recent album.

• Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo was dismissed from the band prior to the Australian Soundwave Festival and was temporarily replaced by former drummer Jon Dette. Former drummer Paul Bostaph later returned to fill-in on drums full-time.

• Slayer guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure on May 2, 2013, in a local Los Angeles hospital near his home in Southern California's Inland Empire. On May 9, 2013, the official cause of death was announced as alcohol-related cirrhosis.

• Hammer Studios in Hamburg, Germany burned down on 18 November. No-one was hurt but a lot of valuable equipment was destroyed. Gamma Ray's upcoming album along with Deep Purple's new live album are expected to be delayed.

2014

Newly formed bands

• Grimace

Reformed bands

• Atreyu

Albums

• Adrenaline Mob – Men of Honor''
• Arch Enemy – War Eternal
• Alestorm – Sunset Of The Golden Age
• Behemoth – The Satanist FIN #7 GER #11 POL #1
• Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican US #5
• Body Count – [...]
• Caleb Johnson – Testify
• Carnifex – Die Without Hope
• Chevelle – La Gárgola
• Demon Hunter – Extremist
• Edguy – Space Police: Defenders of the Crown
• Emmure – Eternal Enemies
• Epica – The Quantum Enigma
• Falconer – Black Moon Rising
• Flyleaf – Between the Stars
• Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead FIN #12
• Iced Earth – Plagues of Babylon
• Iron Savior – Rise of the Hero
• Judas Priest – Redeemer of Souls US #6
• Lacuna Coil – Broken Crown Halo
• Linkin Park – The Hunting Party US #3 UK #2
• Manowar – Kings of Metal MMXIV
• Mastodon – Once More 'Round the Sun US #6 UK #10
• Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
• Overkill – White Devil Armory
• Prong – Ruining Lives
• Sabaton – Heroes
• Sixx:A.M. – Modern Vintage
• Slash – World On Fire
• Steel Panther – All You Can Eat
• Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
• Vanden Plas – Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld (Path 1)
• Whitechapel – Our Endless War US #10
• Within Temptation – Hydra UK #6

Live albums

• Prong – Unleashed In The West: Live in Berlin

Popular songs

• Black Label Society – My Dying Time
• Five Finger Death Punch – House of the Rising Sun
• Judas Priest – Redeemer of Souls
• Slipknot – The Negative One

Events

• Angela Gossow leaves Arch Enemy but remains as the band's manager. She is replaced by Alissa White-Gluz, former vocalist of The Agonist. On the same day, The Agonist have announced they have parted ways with Alissa and that Vicky Psarakis had taken over as their new vocalist.
• Bassist Greg Christian leaves Testament. He is replaced by former bassist, Steve DiGiorgio who played on the albums The Gathering and First Strike Still Deadly
• Malcolm Young of ACDC has taken break from the band due to his illness. The Band posted a message to the fans that they will continue to make music again.
• Gwar frontman Dave Brockie dies of an accidental [...] overdose on March 23, 2014. The band formed the Dave Brockie Foundation