This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2010.
Bands formed Æther Realm A Breach of Silence Blood Revolt Deafheaven Esprit D'Air Rifftera The Soulless Sulphur Aeon
Bands disbanded Abscess Acheron The Autumn Offering Despised Icon Destroy the Runner Detente Dio Fear My Thoughts Fellsilent Finch Gwen Stacy Heaven & Hell Ignominious Incarceration Isis Luna Mortis Narnia The Number Twelve Looks Like You Red Harvest Revolution Renaissance Salt the Wound Theatre of Tragedy We Were Gentlemen Wrench in the Works Xasthur Zyklon
Bands reformed Abruptum Acheron Autopsy Battleaxe Coroner Empyrium Exhumed Godflesh Lord Belial Lock Up Morgoth Murderdolls Nightfall Quiet Riot Salt the Wound Sanctuary Soundgarden Tokyo Blade Voivod Wastefall
Books Cult of Luna released a book explaining the full story behind their Eternal Kingdom album. The book is written in Swedish and translated into English, and the hardcover includes an audiobook.
Events Slayer front-man/bassist Tom Araya underwent back surgery. Emperor Magus Caligula, B-Force and Dominator all quit Dark Funeral. Rush was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Mayhem Festival 2010 toured through North America from July through August. The third annual tour was co-headlined by Korn and Rob Zombie. Guitarist Jani Stefanovic quit Solution .45. Scorpions announced that they will retire after touring in support of final album Sting in the Tail. AC/DC headlined Download Festival, marking their return to Donington for the first time in 19 years, since 1991's Monsters of Rock. Rage Against the Machine and Aerosmith also headlined. In Flames founding member Jesper Strömblad quit the band in February after 17 years due to personal problems. Original Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson rejoined the band after departing in 2002. Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater joined Avenged Sevenfold after the death of The Rev 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 from prescription drugs. Belarusian officials banned Rammstein from the country due to their "violence, masochism, homosexuality and other abnormalities". US death metal band The Famine's studio burnt down, along with their gear and recorded material for what would be their 2011 album, The Architects of Guilt. Behemoth front-man Adam "Nergal" Darski went to court over a Bible ripping incident in 2007, and was found not guilty on the basis that "the defendant's behaviour wasn't recognised as a crime." Richard Rietdijk, a keyboardist for the band Textures, left the band as he wanted to pursue other musical interests. Type O Negative front-man Peter Steele died at age 48 on April 14, 2010. The Human Abstract replaced former lead singer Nathan Ells with Travis Richter (The Color of Violence, ex-From First to Last) and founding guitarist A. J. Minette returned. Judas Priest won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance of "Dissident Aggressor." Debauchery front-man 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 reunited with former singer Joey Belladonna 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 returned with bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Rob Halford and DevilDriver on the bill. Former bassist Noah Martin rejoined Arsis. The Westboro Baptist Church planned to picket the Ronnie James Dio Memorial Service at The Hall of Liberty in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Slipknot bassist Paul Gray died at age 38 on May, 25, 2010. Ratt were forced to cancel their European tour due to Stephen Pearcy having 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 was held in Montreal on July 24 and 25, with bands such as Slayer, Testament, Megadeth, Halford, Alice Cooper, and Avenged Sevenfold. Early Graves vocalist Makh Daniels died in an automobile accident on August 1, 2010. The Funeral Pyre 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 members narrowly avoided a bus fire caused by the rear-wheel catching fire. 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 returned without Tony Rohrbough, and introduced Brian Henderson as their new lead-guitarist. Behemoth front-man Adam "Nergal" Darski was hospitalized due to advanced stage leukemia. Behemoth subsequently cancelled all remaining summer festivals, and their Russian, Baltic States, and US tour. Adam "Nergal" Darski underwent a bone marrow transplant surgery. Acid Reign announced that producer Bill Metoyer will be re-mastering and re-issuing their albums. X Japan planned a North American tour after both Otakon and Lollapalooza, visiting Canada and the United States. After 25 years, Mike Portnoy leaves Dream Theater on September 8, 2010. Ari Nissilä, Toni Kansanoja, Kari Vähäkuopus, and Mikko Nevanlahti all leave Catamenia on October 4, 2010. 2000s supergroup Murderdolls re-formed and release their 2nd and final studio album Women and Children Last. Sweet Savage founding guitarist Trevor Fleming died on October 2, 2010. Gotthard singer Steve Lee died on October 5, 2010. Guitarist Tommy Church left The Autumn Offering on November 1, 2010. Queensrÿche survived a bomb attack in Iraq while playing to the American troops. Armando Acosta, the ex-drummer of Saint Vitus, died on November 25, 2010. King Diamond underwent a successful triple-bypass surgery on November 29, 2010. Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy left Avenged Sevenfold.
Films MVD Visual and Sexy Intellectual released a documentary DVD about Rage Against the Machine on February 23. The film is titled Revolution in the Head: Rage Against the Machine and the Art of Protest. Industrial metal act Ministry released their film Fix: The Ministry Movie in 2010. Mathawaada Chithrapata released 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.http://www.arisethemetaldoc.com/ "ARISE", The Sri Lankan Metal Music Documentary Official Site Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth released 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's The Final Frontier, topping the charts in 28 countries. It was also No. 1 in Metal Hammer's list of '50 Greatest albums of 2010'.
January Day Artist Album 4 Textures Extracts 2004–2009 (compilation) 5 Marc Rizzo Legionnaire 14 Aborted Coronary Reconstruction 15 Dark Sanctuary Dark Sanctuary Demonic Resurrection The Return to Darkness Exodus Shovel Headed Tour Machine: Live at Wacken & Other Assorted Atrocities (live DVD/CD) Ace Frehley Behind the Player (DVD) Mnemic Sons of the System 18 Abigor Time Is The Sulphur in the Veins of theSaint Shining Blackjazz Valkyrja Contamination 19 Six Feet Under Graveyard Classics 3 Sigh Scenes from Hell Sons of Azrael Scouting the Boneyard 20 Royal Hunt X 21 Tokyo Blade Live in Germany (DVD) 22 Dark Fortress Ylem Node In the End Everything Is a Gag Orden Ogan Easton Hope 24 Primordial All Empires Fall (DVD) 25 Deathbound Non Compos Mentis Dream Evil In the Night Ihsahn After In Mourning Monolith Myrath Desert Call Orphaned Land The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR 26 Apocalyptica MAG: S.V.E.R. (soundtrack) Fozzy Chasing the Grail Greeley Estates No Rain, No Rainbow Living Sacrifice The Infinite Order Suicidal Tendencies Live at the Olympic Auditorium (DVD) 27 Troll Neo-Satanic Supremacy 29 Bruce Kulick BK3 Crematory Infinity Excalion High Time Freedom Call Legend of the Shadowking Gamma Ray To the Metal! Nydvind Sworn to the Elders Keel Streets of Rock & Roll Overkill Ironbound
February Day Artist Album 1 Blaze Bayley Promise and Terror 2 Charred Walls of the Damned Charred Walls of the Damned Nostradameus Illusion's Parade Rob Zombie Hellbilly Deluxe 2 Through the Eyes of the Dead Skepsis 5 Arsis Starve for the Devil Meshuggah Alive (live CD/DVD) Necrodeath Old Skull (cover album) Rage Strings to a Web 6 Buckethead Shadows Between the Sky 8 Ov Hell The Underworld Regime 9 Fear Factory Mechanize Icarus Witch Draw Down the Moon Killing Time Three Steps Back Look What I Did Atlas Drugged 15 Sarah Jezebel Deva A Sign of Sublime Rotting Christ Aealo Six Magics Behind the Sorrow 16 Carnifex Hell Chose Me Chelsea Grin Desolation of Eden 17 Finntroll Nifelvind 19 Eluveitie Everything Remains (As It Never Was) Fuck the Facts Unnamed (EP) Jon Oliva's Pain Festival Throes of Dawn The Great Fleet of Echoes 20 Stam1na Viimeinen Atlantis Voltax Fugitive State Of Mind 22 Abscess Dawn of Inhumanity At the Gates The Flames of the End (DVD set) Borknagar Universal 23 High on Fire Snakes for the Divine Mutiny Within Mutiny Within 24 Dark Tranquillity We Are the Void Kalmah 12 Gauge Reflexion Edge 26 Catamenia Cavalcade
March Day Artist Album 1 Mortemia Misere Mortem 2 Derdian New Era Pt. 3 – The Apocalypse 3 Ludicra The Tenant Metsatöll Äio 5 Soulgrind The Tuoni Pathway 8 Burzum Belus White Wizzard Over the Top 9 The Bled Heat Fetish Daughters Daughters Demon Hunter The World Is a Thorn Immolation Majesty and Decay Of Mice & Men Of Mice & Men 12 Theatre of Tragedy Addenda (EP) 15 Katatonia The Longest Year (EP) Killing Addiction Fall of the Archetypes Christopher Lee Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross 16 Armored Saint La Raza Fireball Ministry Fireball Ministry Landmine Marathon Sovereign Descent Serj Tankian Elect the Dead Symphony (live DVD/CD) Wrench in the Works Decrease / Increase 19 Sadist Season in Silence Scorpions Sting in the Tail Unleashed As Yggdrasil Trembles 22 Enthroned Pentagrammaton Poisonblack Of Rust and Bones Ragnarok Collectors of the King Triptykon Eparistera Daimones 23 Diabolic Excisions of Exorcisms The Dillinger Escape Plan Option Paralysis Down Diary of a Mad Band: Europe in the Year of VI (live DVD/CD) 24 Svartsot Mulmets Viser 26 Cathedral The Guessing Game Heidevolk Uit oude Grond Negură Bunget Vîrstele Pamîntului Wuthering Heights Salt Xasthur Portal of Sorrow 29 Alcest Écailles de Lune 30 Pantera 1990–2000: A Decade of Dominance(compilation) Rotten Sound Napalm (EP) 31 Kiuas Lustdriven
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