This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2009.

Reformed bands

Accept Accept may refer to: * Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc. * Accept (band), a German heavy metal band ** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979 * ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970 * ACCEPT (or ...

* Arcturus *

Ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...

Autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

* Beherit *

Beneath the Sky Beneath the Sky was an American metalcore band from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio.Victory Records Arti ...

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

* Decapitated *

Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...

* Gorguts * Saint Vitus (few shows only) *

Steel Attack Steel Attack is a Swedish power metal band from Sala ,formed in 1995. Biography Stefan Westerberg and Dennis Vestman formed Mayer's Eve in 1995. The band changed their name to Steel Attack in 1997 due to many coming and going members. The ...

* To/Die/For *

Unanimated Unanimated are a Swedish melodic death metal band. History The band formed in Stockholm and dissolved in 1996. They have 7 current complete members. Largely inspired by Dismember, they made two melodic death metal albums. In 1993, '' In the Fo ...

Year of Desolation Year of Desolation is an American Heavy metal music, metal band formed in Indiana in 2001. They are influenced by classic rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal,''Neo-Zine'', April 2006 and have year and years of touring under their belts. The ...

Disbandments

* After Forever *

Angelcorpse Angelcorpse was a blackened death metal band formed after the demise of Pete Helmkamp's previous band, Order from Chaos. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, they relocated to Tampa, Florida. History They formed in 1995, ...

Animosity Animosity may refer to: * ''Animosity'' (comic), an American comic book series published by AfterShock Comics * Animosity (band), an American death metal band formed in 2000 * ''Animosity'' (Corrosion of Conformity album), 1985 * ''Animosity'' (Se ...

* Battle of Mice * Burnt by the Sun *

Burst Burst may refer to: *Burst mode (disambiguation), a mode of operation where events occur in rapid succession **Burst transmission, a term in telecommunications **Burst switching, a feature of some packet-switched networks ** Bursting, a signaling m ...

Divinity Destroyed Divinity Destroyed was a progressive metal band, formed in 1999 and based in central New Jersey. The band's music incorporating everything from Japanese folk to progressive rock to videogame scores. Divinity Destroyed released a number of indepe ...

* Falchion * God Seed * Gorefest *

Grief Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...

* Lock Up *

Lord Belial Lord Belial is a Swedish black metal band. History The band formed in 1992 and released their debut album in 1995; placing them among the pioneers of Swedish black metal. Their sound has been compared with bands such as Dissection. In January ...

* Metal Church * Nothingface *

The Old Dead Tree The Old Dead Tree was a progressive death metal band from the city of Paris, France active between 1997 and 2019. Musical style Their musical style is a mixture of death metal elements, such as double bass drumming and heavy guitar riffing, and ...

Opiate for the Masses Opiate for the Masses was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California in 1999. History Opiate for the Masses was founded in 1999 by singer Ron Underwood, drummer Elias Mallin, guitarist/keyboardist Jim Kaufman, and guitarist Dustin Lyon. ...

* Running Wild * Subzero * To/Die/For *

Twilightning Twilightning was a power metal band from Imatra, Finland, which formed in 1998. They disbanded in June 2009. Biography Twilightning formed in 1998, consisting of guitarists Tommi Sartanen and Ville Wallenius, bassist Jussi Kainulainen, and drumm ...

* xDEATHSTARx

Events

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

complete their globe-trotting Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, playing 90 shows in 38 countries. *

become first heavy metal band to win a Brit Award, winning the Best Live Act at the awards ceremony. * Former

Arsis Arsis is an American heavy metal band from Virginia Beach, Virginia, formed in 2000. The band is currently signed to Nuclear Blast. History Demos and Willowtip era (2000–2006) Arsis was started by James Malone and Michael "Mike" Van D ...

guitarist Ryan Knight joins The Black Dahlia Murder in late January, replacing John Kempainen, who had left the band in early December 2008. * Guitarist Doug Weber leaves Terror in January, and is replaced by former No Warning guitarist Jordan Posner. *

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

is inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

on 4 April,. *

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...

wins "Greatest Death Metal Song" with "Hammer Smashed Face" in a poll on the Metal Hammer website. Arch Enemy came second with "We Will Rise",

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

third with "Crystal Mountain" *

's 2008 album, ''

Death Magnetic ''Death Magnetic'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, marking the band's first album since '' ...And Justice for Al ...

'' is nominated for four

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

categories, winning

Best Recording Package The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer(s), unless the performer is also the art dire ...

and Best Metal Performance for " My Apocalypse". * Finnish metal band

Norther Norther was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo formed in 1996 and broke up in 2012. History Norther formed under the name Requiem (Lindroos, Korpas, Hallio) in 1996 after various early stage band formations. The band's debut effort w ...

parts ways with longtime singer/guitarist

Petri Lindroos Petri Lindroos (born 10 January 1980 in Espoo, Finland) is a melodic death/folk metal guitarist and vocalist. He is currently the lead vocalist in Ensiferum. Previously, he was a founding member and lead vocalist for Norther. Biography At 14 yea ...

has also announced Aleksi Sihvonen (Medicated, ex-Imperanon) as their replacement vocalist. *

Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian writer and retired musician best known for his early black metal albums and later crimes. His first five records, issued under the name Bur ...

is released from prison after 16 years of incarceration for the murder of Øystein Aarseth (aka

Euronymous Øystein Aarseth (; 22 March 1968 – 10 August 1993), better known by his stage name Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician and a founder of and central figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was a co-founder and guitarist of the N ...

), guitarist of

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

and owner of

Deathlike Silence Productions Deathlike Silence Productions (DSP) was a Norwegian independent record label founded in Oslo in 1987 (initially as Posercorpse Music) that focused on black metal. DSP supported the black metal revival in the early 1990s. Helvete was the headqu ...

record label that

Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...

was signed to. Varg was also convicted for setting fire to three churches. * The

Gorgoroth name dispute The Gorgoroth name dispute refers to a legal dispute between musicians from Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth over who had ownership of the band's name, which was derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The parties to the dispute were band ...

is concluded with a court verdict recognising Gorgoroth founding member Infernus as the legitimate user of the band name. Contestants

Gaahl Kristian Eivind Espedal (born 7 August 1975), better known by his stage name Gaahl, is a Norwegian vocalist and painter. He is best known as the former frontman of Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. He is also the founder and lead vocalist of ...

and King ov Hell form God Seed, but Gaahl retires from metal within a few months and King forms Ov Hell with Shagrath. *

Susperia Susperia is a Norwegian black/thrash metal band formed in October 1998 by Tjodalv and Cyrus. The band was originally named Seven Sins, but since there was another band with that name they changed it to the title of the horror film '' Suspiria' ...

vocalist Athera suffered a heart attack. He has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder and is to undergo a triple heart bypass. On Monday, 16 March 2009 at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway, Athera successfully underwent open heart surgery. Surgeons also discovered further problems which resulted in the vocalist also having a main artery – which previously ran to his lungs – connected directly to his heart. *

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

's Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski ranked No. 1 drummer in Poland's "Top Drummer" magazine. *

Shadows Fall Shadows Fall is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1996. Although Shadows Fall has experienced several line-up changes, for most of its recording career, Shadows Fall has been composed of Jon Donais (lead guitar, b ...

have announced the formation of their own label in conjunction with

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

's Independent Label Group and

Ferret Music Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded in 1996. The label is owned by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and based in West Windsor, New Jersey. Ferret recently started an imprint called N ...

. *

Sonic Syndicate Sonic Syndicate is a Swedish metalcore band from Falkenberg. They were formerly influenced by Swedish melodic death metal bands such as In Flames and Soilwork and American metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains. The band w ...

clean vocalist Roland Johansson quits the band. * Original

drummer Michael VanDyne returns to the band full-time. *

God Forbid God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996. History Early career (1999-2004) Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...

has confirmed that rhythm guitarist

Dallas Coyle God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996. History Early career (1999-2004) Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God For ...

has left the band. They also announced that former Darkest Hour guitarist

Kris Norris Kris Norris is the former lead guitarist for the heavy metal bands Scar the Martyr, Darkest Hour and the Canadian metalcore band Threat Signal. He is also known for his stints as touring guitarist for God Forbid and Straight Line Stitch. Kris ...

will be his replacement. *

Sentenced Sentenced was a Finnish gothic metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989 in the town of Muhos and broke up in 2005. History Early years (1988–1991) Sentenced started in 1988 as Deformity and c ...

's former lead guitarist

Miika Tenkula Miika Tenkula (6 March 1974 – 18 February 2009)Satyricon bassist Victor Brandt quits the band in April. *

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

drummer Antton leaves the band to focus on his other musical projects. *

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

and

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

to co-headline "Canadian Carnage" with

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...

and Suicide Silence. *

Alexi Laiho Alexi Laiho ( IE-ho born Markku Uula Aleksi Laiho; 8 April 1979 – 29 December 2020) was a Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist. He was best known as the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of the melodic death metal band C ...

from

Children of Bodom Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Sep ...

breaks arm on tour. * Rigor Mortis guitarist Mike Scaccia to undergo emergency neck surgery. The MRI scan noticed Scaccia has a Cervical Herniated Disc in his lower neck, which could make him paralyzed without immediate surgery. * Dead to Fall announces farewell show. * Carpathian Forest guitarist/bassist

Tchort Terje Vik Schei (born 7 July 1974), better known by his stage name Tchort, is a Norwegian musician. He is known for his time spent playing bass for the black metal band Emperor and for leading the progressive metal band Green Carnation. He has ...

leaves the band in May. *

Kataklysm Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. They have released fourteen studio albums, one EP and two DVDs as of 2020. Kataklysm won their first Juno Award (Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for best album of the year in the "heavy metal" categ ...

guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais detained by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

. He was arrested and detained for over 5 hours under the presumption of being on the

international most wanted list, which he was falsely accused. * Every Time I Die parts ways with drummer Mike "Ratboy" Novak, who has been with the band for 11 years. *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

are issued a fine in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

for "illegally" playing their own songs in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

in October 2008. * Brainstorm sign to AFM Records. *On 8 July 2009, founding member and original

Crimson Glory Crimson Glory was an American heavy metal band that formed in 1983 in Sarasota, Florida. They started in 1979 under the monikers 'Pierced Arrow', then 'Beowulf', before settling on Crimson Glory. The classic line-up consisted of vocalist Midnig ...

frontman Midnight died. * Jørn Lande returns to Masterplan. *

frontman

Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...

undergoes neck surgery. * The Bled signs to Rise Records. *

announces new vocalist, ''Nathan James Biggs''. *

ICS Vortex Simen Hestnæs (born 4 March 1974), better known by his stage name ICS Vortex or simply Vortex, is a Norwegian musician. He is the vocalist of the similarly named band ICS Vortex, the avant-garde metal band Arcturus and the doom metal band Lamen ...

and

Mustis Mustis is the pseudonym of Øyvind Johan Mustaparta (born 10 September 1979),https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Mustis/9297 a Norwegian keyboardist best known for his work in the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, as well as the black ...

leaves

. *

Destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...

guitarist Mike Sifringer breaks his ring finger in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. * Former

3 Inches of Blood 3 Inches of Blood was a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 1999 in Victoria, British Columbia, last consisting of Cam Pipes, Justin Hagberg, Shane Clark, and Ash Pearson, none of whom were original members of the band. Their music was strongl ...

bassist Brian Redman died on Saturday 27 September, in a car crash near his home in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

. * Evile bassist Mike Alexander fell ill and died at the age of 32 on 5 October, in Luleå, Sweden. *In a partnership between

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by rel ...

and RapidShare, the Irish thrash metal band

Gama Bomb Gama Bomb are a thrash metal band based in Northern Ireland. The band's 2009 album ''Tales from the Grave in Space'' was one of the first albums released as a free download by a band signed to a record label. History Beginnings (2002–200 ...

made its third studio album, ''

Tales from the Grave in Space ''Tales from the Grave in Space'' is the third studio album by Irish thrash metal band Gama Bomb, and one of the first albums ever to be released as a free download by a signed band. In a partnership between the band and record label Earache Rec ...

'', available for free download on 5 November 2009. *

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

is laid off from

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

on 14 November 2009. The lay-off was due to multiple factors, being redundancies in the singing-songwriting division, and rising rehab fees that have cost the group millions. *

Mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

parts ways with drummer Mike Park, vocalist Mikke Sandager and keyboard player Morten Sandager. *

and

Control Denied Control Denied was a progressive metal band formed by death metal musician and Death founder Chuck Schuldiner. History The band started in 1996 as Schuldiner wanted to create a more melodic style than was possible with Death. The project was in ...

's former guitarist

Shannon Hamm Shannon Hamm is a death metal music, death metal guitarist who played in Death (metal band), Death from 1996 until their break-up in 2001. He then joined Chuck Schuldiner's second band Control Denied, which ended with the death of Schuldiner in 20 ...

suffers a heart attack at home on 1 October,. *

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...

is diagnosed with

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

, and is being treated at the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

. *On 28 December,

The Rev James Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009), also known by his stage name the Rev (shortened version of ''the Reverend Tholomew Plague''), was an American musician, best known as a member of the heavy metal music, heavy metal ...

, the drummer of

Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...

, was found dead at his home in Huntington Beach.

Books

*ECW Press will release a book looking at the work of producer Rick Rubin, entitled ''Rick Rubin: In the Studio'', written by biographer Jake Brown on 11 August,. * Former Stratovarius member

Timo Tolkki Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing ...

is to publish his autobiography, ''Hymn to Life – Entr'acte'' on 2 November, through Goldenworks Ltd./Blacksmith Ltd. * ''At the End of the Day'', a book charting the career of Blaze Bayley is to be released on 25 September,. * ''All That Matters'', a

biography written by Paul Stenning is to be released in October via Plexus Publishing. * ''Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times: A Visual Biography'', a book examining the public and private lives of the members of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, is to be released on 1 October, via Abrams Publishing. * Rock photographer Neil Zlozower releases ''

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

: A Visual History, 1983–2005'' via Chronicle Books. * A limited-edition book, ''Vintage Kiss Photos: 1974–1981'' compiled by Marc Scallatino, is releaded, charting

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

's early days. *

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

frontman Dani Filth and Gavin Baddeley are to release ''The Gospel of Filth'', a book exploring the history of the band and more general topics of the dark side of humanity, on

31 October Events Pre-1600 * 475 – Romulus Augustulus is proclaimed Western Roman Emperor. * 683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down. * 802 – Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Conspir ...

,. *New book announced on the history of metal titled ''Louder Than Hell: The Unflinching Oral History of Metal''. *

Rudolf Schenker Rudolf Schenker (born 31 August 1948) is a German guitarist and founder of the hard rock band Scorpions. He is the rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and longest-serving original member of the band. He is also the CEO/owner-manager of the Sco ...

of the Scorpions will release his autobiography, entitled ''Rock Your Life'' in Germany on 14 October,. * Heavy metal magazine ''

Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whose levels differ by one decibel have a po ...

'' will release ''Precious Metal: The Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces'' in July. The book pays tribute to the 25 most influential extreme metal albums of all time. Some of the albums listed include:

's ''

Reign in Blood ''Reign in Blood'' is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 7, 1986, by Def Jam Recordings."Touring Blood", ''Decibel Magazine'', April 2008, p. 57. The album was the band's first collaboration with pro ...

'',

's ''

Tomb of the Mutilated ''Tomb of the Mutilated'' is the third studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released in 1992 through Metal Blade Records and is the last record with the band's original lineup, as founding guitarist Bob Rusay was fire ...

'', Converge's ''

Jane Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...

'' and Meshuggah's ''

Destroy Erase Improve ''Destroy Erase Improve'' is the second studio album by Swedish metal band Meshuggah. It was released on 12 May 1995 by Nuclear Blast. This is the first studio album to feature rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström and the final to feature bassist P ...

''. * ''All Pens Blazing'', a heavy metal writer's handbook containing interviews and a history of heavy metal publications, is released on 16 August,. *

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

is to release his autobiography, "I Am Ozzy" on 1 October,. * Bazillion Points Books are to release ''Only Death is Real: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and Early Celtic Frost'', a book exploring the bands Hellhammer and

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich. They are known for their strong influence on the development of extreme metalBukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal''. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2003. p.43 and avant-ga ...

written by band members Tom Fischer and Martin Eric Ain, in November 2009. * Two books came from author Joel McIver, the first called ''The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists'' with a foreword by Glen Benton of

Deicide Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected. Etymology The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from m ...

and the second titled ''To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton'', with a foreword by Kirk Hammett.

Films

On 8 December,

Bill Zebub Bill Zebub is the manager of Bill Zebub Productions. His production company publishes a quarterly magazine titled ''The Grimoire of Exalted Deeds'', mainly about death metal music and independent movies. He has made an array of low-budget films, ...

will release ''Pagan Metal: A Documentary'', the first documentary about

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

and

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

References

External links

About.com: Heavy Metal
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009 in Heavy Metal Music 2000s in heavy metal music

Metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...