This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2010.

Bands disbanded

Acheron The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...

The Autumn Offering The Autumn Offering was an American metalcore band that formed in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1999. After achieving some degree of local success, the band was signed to Stillborn Records, founded by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, in 2003. The ban ...

Despised Icon Despised Icon is a Canadian deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 2002, the band is noted for the talent of its drummer, Alex Pelletier, who makes frequent use of the blasting technique, as well as for its dual lead vocalists; Alex E ...

Destroy the Runner Destroy the Runner is an American heavy metal band from San Diego, California, United States. Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying managed them for their album '' Saints'', and did so again with Jason Rudolph for their second album '' I, Lucifer''. ...

* Detente * Dio * Fear My Thoughts *

Fellsilent Fellsilent (also typeset as FELLSILENT) were a British heavy metal band from Milton Keynes. They possessed a technical, polyrhythmic style, similar to bands such as Meshuggah and Sikth. The band also focused on some melodic elements. They rel ...

Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

* Gwen Stacy * Heaven & Hell *

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

Luna Mortis Luna Mortis, formerly The Ottoman Empire, was an American heavy metal band based in Madison, Wisconsin. The band was formed in late 2001 in Monroe, Wisconsin as The Ottoman Empire. In 2006, the band self-released their debut studio album, '' Wa ...

Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been Adaptations of The Chron ...

* The Number Twelve Looks Like You *

Red Harvest ''Red Harvest'' (1929) is a novel by Dashiell Hammett. The story is narrated by the Continental Op, a frequent character in Hammett's fiction, much of which is drawn from his own experiences as an operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency (fic ...

Revolution Renaissance Revolution Renaissance was a multinational power metal band founded by guitarist Timo Tolkki after he left Stratovarius in 2008. The band released three studio albums before disbanding in 2010. History ''New Era'' The studio lineup for the '' N ...

* Salt the Wound *

Theatre of Tragedy Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which influenced the gothic metal genre. History Formation (1993) Theatre of Tragedy was founded on 2 October 19 ...

Wrench in the Works Wrench in the Works was an American Christian mathcore/metalcore band originating from Hartford, Connecticut. In addition to recording music and touring, Wrench in the Works had been featured on TVU and TVU's metalcore show, Battery for the vid ...

Xasthur Xasthur () is the project of American musician Scott "Malefic" Conner. Conner formed Xasthur in 1995 and released eight studio albums of black metal by 2010, when he announced the end of the project. However, he began using the name once again i ...

Zyklon Zyklon was a Norwegian blackened death metal band formed in 1998 by Samoth and Trym of Emperor, along with members of Myrkskog. Their style has been described as modern death metal with black and industrial undertones. After more than a two- ...

Bands reformed

Abruptum Abruptum is a Swedish black metal and dark ambient solo side-project band. It is run by Evil (Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson) of Marduk, but the band was formed in 1989 by IT (a.k.a. Tony Särkkä). All (a.k.a. Jim Berger), Ext and Evil joined ...

* Autopsy *

Battleaxe A battle axe (also battle-axe, battle ax, or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-ha ...

* Coroner * Empyrium * Exhumed *

Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Gre ...

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 ...

* Lock Up * Morgoth *

Murderdolls Murderdolls was an American rock band founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consisted of the late Joey Jordison, Wednesday 13 , Acey Slade, Eric Griffin, Tripp Eisen and the late Ben Graves. The band released two al ...

* Nightfall *

Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though th ...

* Salt the Wound *

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...

Tokyo Blade Tokyo Blade are an English heavy metal band, active since 1982. Tokyo Blade is one of the many acts considered part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, which lasted from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Tokyo Blade hav ...

* Voivod * Wastefall

Bands formed

Deafheaven Deafheaven is an American post-metal band formed in 2010. Originally based in San Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who recorded and self-released a demo album together. Following i ...

Esprit D'Air Esprit D'Air ("Spirit of Air" in French) is a British-Japanese alternative metal band formed in London in 2010 with members from Japan and England. In 2013, the band increased in popularity as their single 'Shizuku' became the first playable s ...

Books

Cult of Luna Cult of Luna is a Swedish heavy metal band from Umeå founded in 1998. They are known for post-metal music similar to the contemporary bands Neurosis and Isis. The band was signed to Earache Records in the early 2000s and released five albums, i ...

released a book explaining the full story behind their ''

Eternal Kingdom ''Eternal Kingdom'' is the fifth full-length album from the Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna. It was released in 2008 on Earache Records like the band's previous three albums. The album was recorded at Tonteknik Studios in Umeå where the band ...

'' album. The book is written in Swedish and translated into English, and the hardcover includes an audiobook.

Events

* Slayer frontman/bassist

Tom Araya Tomás Enrique Araya Díaz (; born June 6, 1961) is a Chilean American musician, best known as the vocalist and bassist of American thrash metal band Slayer. Araya is ranked 58th by ''Hit Parader'' on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocali ...

to undergo back surgery. *

Emperor Magus Caligula Emperor Magus Caligula (born Magnus "Masse" Broberg, 23 May 1973)Masse ...

, B-Force and Dominator all Quit

Dark Funeral Dark Funeral is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They emerged during the second wave of black metal. Their lyrical themes have traditionally pertained to Satanism and anti-C ...

. * Rush inducted into

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (''Panthéon des Auteurs et Compositeurs canadiens'') is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categori ...

2010. * Mayhem Festival 2010 will tour through North America from July through August. The third annual tour will be co-headlined by Korn and Rob Zombie. * Guitarist Jani Stefanovic quits Solution .45. *

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

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 Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, ...

. Also

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...

and Aerosmith to headline. * In Flames founding member

Jesper Strömblad Clas Håkan Jesper Strömblad (born 28 November 1972) is a Swedish musician who is the guitarist of the bands The Halo Effect, Dimension Zero and Cyhra, and formerly of In Flames and The Resistance. He is best known as the founder and former ...

quits the band after 17 years due to personal problems in February. * Original Megadeth bassist

Dave Ellefson David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist for thrash metal band Megadeth. Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leadi ...

rejoins the band after departing in 2002. *

Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure ...

of Dream Theater joins

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 ...

after the death of

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 band Avenged Seven ...

, to record their fifth studio album '' Nightmare''. The results of The Rev's toxicology reports were released in June 2010, which revealed the cause of death as an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. *

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

is banned from Belarus by the ''Council for Morality'' due to their "violence, masochism, homosexuality and other abnormalities". * US death metal band

The Famine The Famine was an American death metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 2007. They were signed to Solid State Records. History Formation and three-song EP The band initially formed with three of the original members of Embodyment ...

's studio burnt down, along with their gear and recorded material for their upcoming 2010 release. * Behemoth frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski came to court over the Bible ripping incident in 2007, and was found not guilty on the basis that "The defendant's behaviour wasn’t recognised as a crime" * Textures parts ways with their keyboardist Richard Rietdijk to pursue other musical interests. * On April 14,

Type O Negative Type O Negative were an American gothic metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989 by Peter Steele (bass, lead vocals), Kenny Hickey (guitar, co-lead vocals), Josh Silver (keyboards, backing vocals), and Sal Abruscato (drums, percu ...

front-man

Peter Steele Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk (January 4, 1962 – April 14, 2010), known professionally as Peter Steele, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and composer of the gothic metal band Type O N ...

death at age 48. * The Human Abstract replace former lead singer Nathan Ells with Travis Richter ( The Color of Violence, ex-

From First to Last From First to Last is an American post-hardcore band based in the Los Angeles Area and Tampa, Florida. Formed by Matt Good, Scott Oord, and Parker Nelms in November 1999, the current line-up consists of Matt Good (lead guitar, vocals), Sonny M ...

) and founding guitarist A.J. Minette returns. * Judas Priest won the 2010

Grammy Award 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 pr ...

for Best Metal Performance of "Dissident Aggressor." *

Debauchery Debauchery may refer to: * Corruption *Libertinism *Lust * Binge drinking * Currency debasement *Debauchery (band), a German death metal band See also *''Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery'', a 1684 closet drama. *LGBT rights in Kuwait ...

frontman Thomas "The Bloodbeast" Gurrath was fired from his job as a philosophy trainee teacher at a high school in Stuttgart, Germany for being in a death metal band." * Anthrax reunite with former singer

Joey Belladonna Joey Belladonna (born Joseph Bellardini; October 13, 1960) is an American singer, best known as the vocalist for thrash metal band Anthrax. He is also the vocalist and drummer of the cover band Chief Big Way. Belladonna has six Grammy Award no ...

after his previous departure in 2007. *The first ever Sri Lankan metal documentary ''Arise - The Sri Lankan Metal Music Documentary'' was officially screened on 15 May 2010 at Alliance Française de Colombo, Sri Lanka. * Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer at the age of 67 on May 16, 2010. *Bay Area Metal legend Debbie Abono died of cancer at age 80, also on May 16, 2010. *

Ozzfest Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...

returns with bands such as

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 ...

, Mötley Crüe, Rob Halford and

DevilDriver DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer, drummer Davier Pérez, bassist Jon Miller and rhythm guitarist Alex Lee. The band was ...

on the bill. *

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 ...

re-joined by former bassist Noah Martin. *

Westboro Baptist Church The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. Labeled a hate group, WBC is known for engaging in homophobic and anti-American pickets, ...

plans to picket the Ronnie James Dio Memorial Service at The Hall of Liberty in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. * On May 25, Slipknot bassist Paul Gray dies at age 38. *

Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...

were forced to cancel their European tour due to Stephen Pearcy to undergo emergency hernia surgery. * On June 16, "The Big Four of Thrash Metal", Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica, played together for the first time at the Sonisphere Festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland. * The second event of Heavy MTL will be held in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

July 24 and 25, with bands such as Slayer, Testament, Megadeth, Halford,

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

, and

. * Early Graves vocalist Makh Daniels died in an automobile accident on August 1, 2010.

The Funeral Pyre The Funeral Pyre was an American blackened death metal band from La Habra, California. The band released four studio albums and various shorter works before playing their last advertised show in 2012. History The band was formed in La Habra, Cal ...

guitarist Justin Garcia fell asleep behind the wheel, and was taken with guitarist Tyler Jensen to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. *

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...

members narrowly avoid bus fire. The cause of the fire was the rear-wheel catching fire, but luckily their trailer was left unscathed. * Death of Desire vocalist Dawn Desirée was kidnapped by unknown members of a promotion agency, and guitarist Morbid was assaulted. * Reunited

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

return without Tony Rohrbough, and introduce Brian Henderson as their new lead-guitarist. * Behemoth frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski is hospitalized due to advanced stage leukemia. Behemoth subsequently cancels all remaining summer festivals, and their Russian, Baltic States, and US tour. Adam "Nergal" Darski underwent a bone marrow transplant surgery, and is currently recovering. *

Acid Reign Acid Reign are an English thrash metal band, originally active from 1985 to 1991. The band rebooted in 2015 with just H remaining from the original line up. Along with Onslaught, Sabbat and Xentrix, Acid Reign are considered to be one of the ...

announce they will be re-mastering and re-issuing their albums, by legendary producer Bill Metoyer who has worked with such bands as Slayer,

Dirty Rotten Imbeciles Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (often abbreviated and referred to as D.R.I.) is an American crossover thrash band that formed in Houston, Texas in 1982. The band is currently composed of two of its founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist S ...

Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (also known as COC) is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina, formed in 1982. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with guitarist Woody Weatherman as the sole const ...

and Sacred Reich. *

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

are planning a North American tour after both Otakon and Lollapalooza, visiting Canada and the United States. * After 25 years,

leaves Dream Theater on September 8, 2010. * Ari Nissilä, Toni Kansanoja, Kari Vähäkuopus, and Mikko Nevanlahti all leave Catamenia on October 4, 2010. * Sweet Savage founding guitarist Trevor Fleming died on October 2. * Gotthard singer Steve Lee dies on October 5, 2010. *

parts ways with guitarist Tommy Church on November 1, 2010. *

Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...

survive a bomb attack in Iraq while playing to the American troops. * Armando Acosta, the ex-drummer of

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical ...

died on November 25. *

King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto ...

underwent a successful triple-bypass surgery on November 29. *

parts ways with former Dream Theater drummer

Films

* MVD Visual and Sexy Intellectual will release a documentary DVD about

on February 23. The film is titled ''Revolution in the Head: Rage Against the Machine and the Art of Protest''. * Industrial metal act Ministry will release their film ''Fix: The Ministry Movie'' in 2010. * Mathawaada Chithrapata will release the first Sri Lankan metal music documentary titled Arise – The Sri Lankan Metal Music Documentary showcasing the lives and the reasons behind the Sri Lankan metal music scene. * Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth will release The Big 4 DVD Box Set on November 2, featuring footage of all the bands' live sets from the Big 4 tour.

Albums released

All releases are studio albums unless otherwise noted. The most successful metal album released in 2010 was

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 ...

's '' The Final Frontier'', topping the charts in 28 countries. It was also No. 1 in

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

's list of '50 Greatest albums of 2010'.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

References

External links

About.com: Heavy Metal
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 In Heavy Metal Music 2010s 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 ...