2011 in heavy metal music
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This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2011.


Bands disbanded

*
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'' * ...
* Dawn of Retribution * Devian *
Dismember Dismemberment is the act of cutting, ripping, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise disconnecting the limbs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with ...
* Elexorien *
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 in ...
* Five Star Prison Cell *
God Dethroned God Dethroned is a Dutch extreme metal band from Beilen, originally formed in 1990. Biography God Dethroned was formed in 1990 by singer and guitar player Henri Sattler, with Hans Leegstra (guitar) and Ard de Weerd. Sattler and Leegstra had p ...
* Haste the Day *
Hell Within Hell Within was an American metalcore band formed in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1998. After recording two albums as Twytch, the band changed their name to Hell Within and released '' Asylum of the Human Predator'' through Lifeforce Records in 2 ...
* Jag Panzer *
Lifelover Lifelover was a Swedish music group, formed in 2005 by Jonas Bergqvist and Kim Carlsson in Stockholm. Following six years of activity the group split up in September 2011 after the death of Bergqvist, as he was the lead composer and one of Life ...
*
Ludicra Ludicra is an American heavy metal band from San Francisco. They originally formed in 1998 as a quartet and later expanded to five members. In 2011, the band announced on their official website that they had disbanded,Machine Men * Metalium *
Oceans of Sadness Oceans of Sadness was a progressive metal band from Belgium. History Oceans of Sadness were featured in 1996 with a ''Demo of the Month'' in the Dutch metal magazine '' Aardschok'' . They released their first album, ''For We Are'', in 2000. On ...
* Symphorce


Bands reformed

*
At the Gates At the Gates is a Swedish death metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. The band was a major progenitor of Gothenburg-style melodic death metal alongside In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Prior to their first disbandment in 1996, At the Gat ...
*
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...
*
Coal Chamber Coal Chamber is an American nu metal band formed by Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón in Los Angeles, California in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, the two had also created the band She's in Pain, in 1992. The original lineup also consisted of bassist ...
*
I Killed the Prom Queen I Killed the Prom Queen were an Australian metalcore band from Adelaide, formed in 2000. They were prominent in the Australian live music scene and toured the US, Japan and parts of Europe several times. They issued three studio albums: '' When ...
* Ministry * Morgion * Nocte Obducta *
Still Remains Still Remains is an American metalcore band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. They formed out of previous local bands Shades of Amber and Unition. They released three studio albums, ''Of Love and Lunacy'', '' The Serpent'' and '' Ceasing to Breathe' ...
*
System of a Down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...


Events

*
Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...
played one of their first reunion shows at this year's edition of Hellfest, which took place June 17–19, 2011 in Clisson,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. *
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
embarked on
Epitaph World Tour The Epitaph World Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, at the time intended to be the band's farewell tour. The tour commenced in June 2011 and concluded in May 2012. The tour was named after the 6th track from the ...
. Despite this, the band insist that they are not going to break up. However, founding member
K. K. Downing Kenneth Keith Downing Jr. (born 27 October 1951) is an English guitarist and a former member of the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and career Downing was born in West Bromwich, West Midlands. In the late 1960s, he developed a pa ...
later retires from the band. Judas Priest also stated "Having thought long and hard about how to proceed, Rob, Glenn, Ian and Scott unanimously agreed that they should go ahead with the tour and not let the fans down around the world". Thirty-one-year-old British guitar player Richie Faulkner was announced as the replacement, but the press release did not state if it is on a permanent basis. *
Morgoth Morgoth Bauglir (; originally Melkor ) is a character, one of the godlike Valar, from Tolkien's legendarium. He is the main antagonist of ''The Silmarillion'', '' The Children of Húrin'', ''Beren and Lúthien'' and ''The Fall of Gondolin''. ...
embarkinged on a festival tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1991 album, '' Cursed''. * Slipknot toured again. This was their first tour without bassist Paul Gray, who died in May 2010. * Acid Reign released their remasters of ''
Moshkinstein 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 ...
'', '' The Fear'' and ''Obnoxious'' on January 17, 2011 on CD and digital download. All remastered by the Bill Metoyer. * Former
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out o ...
drummer
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 ...
formed an as-yet-unnamed project with
Steve Morse Steve J. Morse (born July 28, 1954) is an American guitarist, best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the lead guitarist of Deep Purple from 1994 to 2022. Morse has also enjoyed a successful solo career and was briefly a member of ...
(
Dixie Dregs The Dixie Dregs is an American rock band from Augusta, Georgia. Formed in 1970, the band's performance consists entirely of instrumentals that fuse elements of diverse genres such as rock, classical music, country, jazz and bluegrass into an e ...
,
Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
,
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 and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
),
Neal Morse Neal Morse (born August 2, 1960) is an American singer, musician and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1992, he formed the progressive rock band Spock's Beard with his brother Alan and released an album which was moderately successful. ...
(
Spock's Beard Spock's Beard is an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles. The band was formed in 1992 by brothers Neal (lead vocals, keyboards) and Alan Morse (vocals, guitars), John Ballard (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums). Ballard was r ...
),
Casey McPherson Casey McPherson (born September 15, 1978) is a singer and songwriter based in Austin, Texas where he lives with his two daughters. He is currently the frontman of the bands Alpha Rev and Flying Colors, as well as his own Casey McPherson. He ha ...
( Alpha Rev, Endochine) and
Dave LaRue Dave LaRue is an American bassist who has performed with the Dixie Dregs since 1988 and with the Steve Morse Band since 1989. He also has worked with Dream Theater's John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Jordan Rudess. He plays Music ...
(Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs). Portnoy is also touring with a
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
cover band called
Yellow Matter Custard Yellow Matter Custard was a Beatles tribute supergroup consisting of Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Paul Gilbert and Matt Bissonette. Kasim Sulton played bass with the band in 2011, replacing Bissonette. They take their name from a line in " I Am ...
. *
Warbringer Warbringer is an American thrash metal band formed in 2004. Century Media Records signed Warbringer after seeing them at a local show in LA. Originally, a Century Media rep was at the show to see another LA thrash metal band but decided to sign W ...
's drummer and founding member ''Nic Ritter'' leaves the band. *
Bury Your Dead Bury Your Dead is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The current lineup is guitarist Chris Towning, lead vocalist Mat Bruso, drummer Mark Castillo, and bassist Aaron Patrick. To date, they have had eight rele ...
announces the departure of Myke Terry and return of Mat Bruso. * On January 8, 2011 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner was arrested for shooting and killing six bystanders in Tucson, Arizona, and injuring 14 others. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' noted that Loughner's YouTube channel had only one clip; a fan-made music video for the controversial Drowning Pool song titled "
Bodies Bodies may refer to: * The plural of body * ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme * Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series * "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order'' * B ...
." Other members of the media also suggested that his music tastes affected his behavior, including political commentator
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...
who was quoted saying, "The guy listened to heavy metal, and some of that
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...
stuff. We're dealing with an insane individual." Drowning Pool responded to these allegations by claiming that the song was written about the camaraderie seen in mosh pits, and is in no way a violent song. * The original long-running guitarist for
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...
band Vengeance died due to a heart attack at his home in
Mierlo Mierlo is a town in the southern Netherlands, in the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo, North Brabant. Until 2004, it was a separate municipality with an area of . Mierlo is home to a few interesting buildings, for example the old Council house and ...
,
The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. *
Doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...
band
Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
have announced they will disband after releasing another album in 2012. *
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 styl ...
guitarist Jeff Hanneman contracted
necrotizing fasciitis Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease, is a bacterial infection that results in the death of parts of the body's soft tissue. It is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms usually include red or p ...
, and underwent emergency surgery on his right arm. On Saturday April 23, Jeff Hanneman made a surprise stage return in Indio, CA. He came out during the 2 song encore unannounced, and delighted a crowd of roughly 50,000. Jeff commented afterwards that, "I'm the happiest man in the world." *
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 Harr ...
wins their first
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 ...
in the category of
Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...
for the song "''
El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king ...
''" from their latest album ''
The Final Frontier ''The Final Frontier'' is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 13 August 2010 in Germany, Austria and Finland, 17 August in North America, 18 August in Japan, and 16 August worldwide. At 76&nbs ...
''. *
Nevermore Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
bassist
Jim Sheppard James Patrick Sheppard (born May 8, 1961) is an American musician. He was the bassist and founding member of the progressive metal band, Nevermore, and its predecessor, Sanctuary.Mustica, Giorgio.An Interview with Jeff Loomis: Cooling The Burn ...
went under a brain surgery to remove a "benign brain tumor". *
Blinded Colony The Blinded (formerly known as Stigmata and Blinded Colony) is a melodic death metal band from Karlshamn, Sweden, formerly known as both Stigmata and Blinded Colony. They are currently unsigned and recording the pre-preproduction of their third st ...
changed their band name once again (previously Stigmata) to '' The Blinded''. * After searching for over a year,
DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, England. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced ...
founded 23-year-old ''Marc Hudson'' as their new vocalist. * Vocalist Matt Barlow leaves
Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...
again for personal reasons. * Vocalist
Anette Olzon Anette Ingegerd Olsson (born 21 June 1971), known by the stage name Anette Olzon, is a Swedish singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish from 2007 to 2012. She is also the vocalist of Swedish class ...
of
Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka N ...
broke a couple ribs from slipping on her son's toys. *
Niclas Engelin Niclas Engelin (born 27 December 1972) is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist for Drömriket, Passenger, Engel and The Halo Effect. He previously was the lead guitarist for and Gardenian and the rhythm guitarist for In Flames and has been in an ...
, officially rejoins
In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During the ...
. *
The Red Chord The Red Chord is an American metal band from Revere, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The group comprises vocalist Guy Kozowyk, guitarist/vocalist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie, bassist Greg Weeks and drummer Jon Rice. The band gained a fanbase with its ...
once again parts ways with their drummer Michael Justian. *
Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Ston ...
has announced that Slipknot would not be recording for a while due to bassist Paul Gray's death. He said to Undercover.com.au, "I don't see it happening. And if it does, it'll be way way down the line. There is a such a huge piece missing now. A piece so huge that the fans can't even understand." Slipknot have also announced their bass guitar touring replacement is their original guitarist Donnie Steele. * Paul Di'Anno (ex -
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 Harr ...
) was charged with 8 counts of benefits fraud of £45,000 (€53,000, $72,000). He claimed to have nerve damage in his back and the
Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...
got a tip from an anonymous tipper who said he was jumping around on stage. The
Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...
gave him four and a half months in jail and took his property. He was released from jail in March 2011. *
Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * Origin (comics), ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * The Origin (Buffy comic), ''The Origin'' (Bu ...
recruited
Jason Keyser Jason Keyser is an American extreme metal vocalist. Keyser joined death metal band Skinless as their new frontman in November 2004. Jason has released one album with Skinless (''Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead'', 2006) and another album with ...
(
Skinless Skinless is an American death metal band from Glens Falls, New York. The band formed in 1992 and disbanded in 2011, but reformed in 2013. History Skinless was formed by Ryan Wade and Noah Carpenter in the town of South Glens Falls, New York. ...
) as their new vocalist. *
Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
caused a blackout in Cleveland, Ohio while performing a sound-check on March 11. A whole city block lost electricity and was not back in service for another 24 hours.
Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
had backup generators so the show was able to continue. * Keyboardist
Per Wiberg Per Jonas Wiberg (born 8 June 1968) is the former keyboardist of Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, and a member of Michael Amott's stoner metal band Spiritual Beggars. Wiberg was born in Borlänge. He toured with Opeth from the 2003 ...
parted ways with
Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/ rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mik ...
as "part of a mutual decision with the band", after finishing recording. A new keyboardist has already been found, but is waiting to be announced. *
Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...
announced their replacement for Matt Barlow as
Stu Block Stuart Block (born November 26, 1977) is a Canadian singer best known as the former lead vocalist for progressive death metal band Into Eternity and American heavy metal band Iced Earth. Before joining Into Eternity in 2005, Block began his mu ...
( Into Eternity). * Aspera were forced to change their band name to '' Above Symmetry'' due to a lawsuit over right to the name by American indie rock band Aspera. * Legion of the Damned guitarist ''Richard Ebisch'' left the band due to health issues. * Shining announced the departure of guitarist ''Fredric Gråby'', and his replacement as temporary bassist ''Christian Larsson'' who is also now announced as a full-time member. *
Nevermore Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
announced the departure of original members
Jeff Loomis Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary. In ...
and
Van Williams Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series ''Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequel ...
. * After some speculation, Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan announced his departure from the band. *
Sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see de ...
parted ways with drummer Edwin van den Eeden, guitarist Alex Paul, and bassist Joost van der Graaf. Three days later
Sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see de ...
announces Toep Duin on drums, guitarist Bastiaan Brussaard, and bassist/guitarist Dennis Hartog. *
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 Lam ...
returned to
Borknagar Borknagar is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Bergen, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines black metal and folk metal with progressive and melodic elements. Borknagar's lyrics often deal with philosophy, paganism ...
as a second vocalist. *
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out o ...
announced their replacement for
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 ...
as
Mike Mangini Michael Anthony Mangini (born April 18, 1963) is an American musician and current drummer of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He has also played for bands and artists such as Annihilator, Extreme, James LaBrie, and Steve Vai. Be ...
(ex-
Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
, ex- Extreme, ex- Annihilator). *
IWrestledABearOnce Iwrestledabearonce (often stylized in all lowercase; abbreviated as IWABO) was an American metalcore band formed in 2007 in Shreveport, Louisiana. In their nine years together, they released one EP, four full-length albums, and two remixed rele ...
changed their genre to
black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an em ...
as a joke. * Jon Levasseur rejoined
Cryptopsy Cryptopsy is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, formed in 1988. History Necrosis (1988–1992) Necrosis was formed in April 1988 by drummer Mike Atkin, guitarist Steve Thibault and vocalist Dan "Lord Worm" Greening, initially ...
for work on their upcoming record. *
Bison B.C. Bison (formerly Bison B.C.) is a heavy metal band from Vancouver, formed in 2006 by vocalist and guitarist James Farwell. The band was formerly signed to California-based Metal Blade Records. The band was released from its contract with Metal Bl ...
part ways with original drummer ''Brad McKinnon''. *
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 ...
released
Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group ...
, their first worldwide single. * On June 5, New Zealand authorities confiscated
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 ...
's T-shirts. The shirts depict a nude nun and the words "Jesus Is A Cunt". * Lead vocalist ''Keith Caputo'' of alternative metal band
Life of Agony Life of Agony is an American alternative metal band from Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 1989 by singer Mina Caputo (then known as Keith Caputo), bassist Alan Robert and guitarist Joey Z. The band has released six studio albums to date, mos ...
changed her name to ''Keith Mina Caputo'', and her gender from male to female. *
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 (dr ...
bassist ''
Necrobutcher Jørn Stubberud (born 13 April 1968) is a Norwegian musician best known as the bassist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Necrobutcher. He is one of Mayhem's founding members, along with Euronymous and Manheim. He is the band's ...
'' will appeared on Norwegian television station
NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...
, to exorcise the demon within himself. * Tarja Turunen announced her participation in a new musical group, entitled "''Harus''". * A reporter from England's ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...
'' erroneously announced that
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...
would reunite to write a new album based on an off-the-record statement made months prior by Tony Iommi. In his statement denouncing the reformation of the band, Iommi said he was just "shooting the breeze" with the reporter and the band is not reforming. *
Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in ...
has announced they have signed progressive rock outfit Rush. * Skitzo performed at the
Phoenix Theater The Phoenix Theater is an all-ages nightclub located in Petaluma, California. The club has been in existence since 1905 and has changed in both structure and purpose, mostly due to severe damage caused by several fires. History The Phoenix The ...
in
Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village na ...
, for their 30th anniversary on October 8. * After 23 years of playing,
Dismember Dismemberment is the act of cutting, ripping, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise disconnecting the limbs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with ...
decided to call it quits on October 15, 2011. * Original vocalist of
Exhorder Exhorder is an American heavy metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are considered progenitors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as Pantera, Lamb of God, White Zombie and Machine Head, and their musi ...
''Kyle Thomas'' and guitarist ''Jay Ceravolo'' quit the band. Kyle also stated "I wish all of my brothers involved well and good luck in whatever the future brings them, whether or not
Exhorder Exhorder is an American heavy metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are considered progenitors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as Pantera, Lamb of God, White Zombie and Machine Head, and their musi ...
continues." * Frontman, guitarist and founding member Helmuth Lehner (
Belphegor In Christian demonology, Belphegor (or Beelphegor, he, בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר ''Báʿal-pəʿór'' - Lord of the Gap) is a demon. In later Kabbalah Belphegor is a demon who helps people make discoveries. He seduces people by suggesting to ...
) had "a serious and difficult operation", and therefore
Belphegor In Christian demonology, Belphegor (or Beelphegor, he, בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר ''Báʿal-pəʿór'' - Lord of the Gap) is a demon. In later Kabbalah Belphegor is a demon who helps people make discoveries. He seduces people by suggesting to ...
ceased all activity until May 2012. * After 13 years with the band, guitarist
Johan Hallgren Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...
leaves
Pain of Salvation Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...
to focus on his family-life. *
Decapitated Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
survive an emergency plane landing in Warsaw. They were flying back to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
from the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, when they needed to make an emergency landing when the landing gear failed to operate. They have also cancelled all forthcoming festival dates. * The two guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold of heavy metal outfit
Chimaira Chimaira () is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in August 1998, the group was a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek my ...
announced their departure of the band. They are replaced by ''Jeremy Creamer'' ( Dååth) on bass guitar and ''Matt Szlachta'' (ex-
Dirge Within Dirge Within (known as The Bloodline from 2013 to 2017) was an American metal band from Chicago that formed in 2007. History Formation Dirge Within formed in January 2007, originally calling themselves Dirge, composed of former guitarist of the ...
) on rhythm guitar. *
Power Quest Power Quest are an English power metal band from Southampton. The line-up consists of keyboardist Steve Williams, drummer Rich Smith, vocalist Ashley Edison, guitarists Glyn Williams and George "The Kid" Karafotis, and bassist Bradley Ediso ...
announced new front-man/vocalist ''Colin Callanan''. * Drummer Paul Bostaph left Testament, and started a collaboration with ex-
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...
vocalist
Dan Nelson Dan Nelson (born June 21, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist from New York City. A solo artist, he is currently the singer, songwriter and guitarist for the band Dan Nelson and The Contention. Music career In the pas ...
. * Darkest Hour replaced their drummer ''Ryan Parrish'' with ''Timothy Java'' (ex-
Dead to Fall Dead to Fall is an American metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and ...
). *
Cannabis Corpse Cannabis Corpse is a cannabis-themed death metal band. Cannabis Corpse formed in Richmond, Virginia in 2006 under the Forcefield label. Since then, Cannabis Corpse has released six LPs and two EPs. The band features members of Municipal Waste an ...
lost their two members; vocalist ''Andy "Weedgrinder" Horn'' and guitarist ''Nick "Nikropolis" Poulos''. *
Blood Red Throne Blood Red Throne are a Norwegian death metal band. They were formed in Kristiansand, Norway, during the peak of black metal in 1998 by former Satyricon guitarist Daniel «Død» Olaisen and Emperor bassist Terje «Tchort» Schei. Inspired by ...
announced vocalist ''Yngve Bolt Christiansen'' (''Goddamn'') and bassist ''Erlend Caspersen'' (''Horizon Ablaze'') as their newest members.


Deaths

* January 7 – Phil Kennemore, bassist of Y&T, died from
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...
at the age of 57. * January 17 – Didier Bernoussi, former guitarist of Warning, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 54. * January 28 – Jan Somers, guitarist of Vengeance, died from a heart attack at the age of 46. * February 6 –
Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz fus ...
, former guitarist of
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...
, died from a heart attack while on holiday in Spain at the age of 58. * February 23 – Phil Vane, former vocalist of
Extreme Noise Terror Extreme Noise Terror (often abbreviated to ENT) are a British extreme metal band formed in Ipswich, England in 1985 and one of the earliest and most influential crust bands. Noted for one of the earliest uses of dual vocalists in hardcore,Bon ...
, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 46. * March 8 – Mike Starr, former bassist of
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 44. * March 22 – Frankie Sparcello, bassist of
Exhorder Exhorder is an American heavy metal band from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are considered progenitors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as Pantera, Lamb of God, White Zombie and Machine Head, and their musi ...
, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 40. * April 4 – Scott Columbus, former drummer of
Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 54. * April 20 – Matt LaPorte, former guitarist of
Circle II Circle Circle II Circle is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by former Savatage lead vocalist Zachary Stevens and longtime friend and band manager Dan Campbell in 2001. They play varied genres of metal including tra ...
and
Jon Oliva's Pain Jon Oliva's Pain (sometimes referred to as JOP) was the latest project of Savatage co-founder Jon Oliva. Band history Originally, the project consisted entirely of solo recordings by Oliva, but after several months of work he was joined by for ...
, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 40. * June 11 –
Seth Putnam Seth Edward Putnam (May 15, 1968 – June 11, 2011) was an American musician who was the founder, vocalist and occasional guitarist of grindcore band Anal Cunt. He was known for his high-pitched screamed vocals and lyrics that either shock, of ...
, vocalist of
Anal Cunt Anal Cunt, also known as AxCx and A.C., was an American grindcore band that formed in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1988. From its inception, the band underwent a number of line-up changes and never had a bass player. The band, known for its flippan ...
, died from a heart attack at the age of 43. * June 13 – Mario Comesanas, DJ for Liquid Metal and writer for
Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...
, died from a sudden brain hemorrhage at the age of 30. * July 9 – Michael Burston (a.k.a. Würzel), guitarist of
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...
, died from ventricular fibrillation triggered by cardiomyopathy at the age of 61. * July 17 –
Taiji Sawada , also known mononymously as Taiji, was a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former bassist of the rock band X. X rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei mov ...
, former bassist of
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 ...
and
Loudness In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...
, died from complications arising from a suicide attempt at the age of 45. * August 3 – Andrew McDermott, former vocalist of Threshold, died from kidney failure after being in a four-day coma at the age of 45. * August 11 – Jani Lane, former lead vocalist of Warrant, died from alcohol poisoning at the age of 47. * September 9 – Jonas Bergqvist (a.k.a. B), guitarist and vocalist of
Lifelover Lifelover was a Swedish music group, formed in 2005 by Jonas Bergqvist and Kim Carlsson in Stockholm. Following six years of activity the group split up in September 2011 after the death of Bergqvist, as he was the lead composer and one of Life ...
died of unknown causes at the age of 25. * September 21 – John Du Cann, former guitarist, bassist and vocalist of
Atomic Rooster Atomic Rooster are a British rock band originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member and wro ...
, died from a heart attack at the age of 65. * November 2 – Cory Smoot (a.k.a. Flattus Maximus), guitarist of
GWAR Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...
, died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease at the age of 34. * December 22 – David Gold, guitarist and vocalist of
Woods of Ypres Woods of Ypres was a Canadian doom metal band from Windsor, Ontario. The band was founded in 2002, initially consisting of three members: David Gold, Aaron Palmer and Brian McManus. Their lineup frequently changed afterward, with over 20 members ...
, died in a car accident near
Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politicall ...
, ON,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
at the age of 31.


Films

*
Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka N ...
is releasing a movie entitled ''Imaginaerum'' the same as their up-coming album. In a press release they described it as "a music fantasy – film based on the forthcoming Nightwish album of the same title and its 13 songs. The protagonist of the film is a songwriter with an otherworldly imagination. He is an old man who still thinks he's a young boy. While asleep he travels into his distant past where his dreams of old come back to him mixed to the young boy's world of fantasy and music. In his dreams the old man fights to find the memories most important to him."Nightwish – Reveal Concept For Upcoming Album
/ref>


Albums expected


January


February


March


April


May


June


July

*''
War of Angels ''War of Angels'' is the second studio album by rock band Pop Evil. The first single, " Last Man Standing", was released in September 2010. Their second song, "Save the World" was made available for download on their Facebook page on December 2 ...
'';
Pop Evil Pop Evil is an American rock band that was formed in North Muskegon, Michigan, in 2001 by Leigh Kakaty. The band's roots reside in TenFive, a group formed in the late-1990s by Kakaty and guitarist Jason Reed. Pop Evil won the Radio Contraba ...
; July 5, 2011


August


September


October


November


December


References


External links


About.com: Heavy Metal
{{Heavymetal 2010s in heavy metal music
Metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...