2026 in heavy metal music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2026.
Bands disbanded
Bands formed
Bands reformed
Events
- On February 9, former Manowar guitarist Ross the Boss announced that he was diagnosed with ALS;[21] he died of the disease less than two months later.[22]
- On February 26 and 27, Children of Bodom played their first shows in seven years at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki, titled "A Celebration of Music". Both shows were held as a tribute to their original vocalist and guitarist Alexi Laiho, who died in 2020, with Samy Elbanna of Lost Society filling in for him.[23][24]
- On April 10, Triumph began their first major tour in 38 years at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida.[25] Originally planned to feature all three original members (Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore), Levine was absent from the tour due to health issues.[26]
- On April 13, Iron Maiden were announced among the 2026 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[27]
- On April 23, Megadeth performed the first show of what has been announced as the band's farewell tour in Lima, Peru, which is projected to span approximately three to five years.[28]
- On May 1, Solitude Aeturnus announced that they have parted ways with longtime vocalist Robert Lowe, who fronted the band from 1988 to 2011 and again from 2023 to 2026.[29]
- On June 7, Rush played their first show in eleven years as part of their "Fifty Something" reunion tour at the Kia Forum, with drummer Anika Nilles filling in for Neil Peart, who died from brain cancer in 2020.[30]
- On July 24, King Diamond announced they had parted ways with original and longtime guitarist Andy LaRocque, and revealed Gus G of Firewind and formerly of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band as his replacement.[31]
- On August 12, original Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore performed with the band for the first time in 33 years at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, joining them for "Smoke on the Water" during the encore.[32][33]
- On October 9, Judas Priest announced that longtime bassist Ian Hill (who had been in the band since 1970) had retired from the band due to ongoing arthritis in his shoulders, knees and right hand, and revealed Uriah Heep bassist Dave Rimmer as his replacement.[34]
- On October 15, Nightwish announced they had parted ways with lead vocalist Floor Jansen.[35]
- On November 7, Sepultura will play their final show at the Suhai Music Hall in São Paulo, concluding their year-long "Celebrating Life Through Death" farewell tour.[36][37]
- Iron Maiden is scheduled to conclude their ongoing "Run for Your Lives World Tour" this year.[38]
- Twisted Sister had previously announced their first major tour in a decade to mark the band's 50th anniversary, titled "Twisted Forever, Forever Twisted", to begin this year. However, lead singer Dee Snider retired from the band in February after a series of health issues, leading to the tour's cancellation and the band's future unknown.[39][40] On March 3, it was announced the band would play select shows later in the year with Sebastian Bach (formerly of Skid Row) as the vocalist.[41]
Deaths
- January 5 – Michael "M-Bro" Embro, former drummer of Razor, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 63.[42]
- January 22 – Francis Buchholz, former bassist of Scorpions and Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, died from cancer at the age of 71.[43]
- January 31 – Jimmy Iversen, former guitarist of Jorn, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 66.[44]
- February 8 – Andrzej "Quack" Kułakowski, former guitarist of Hate, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 54.[45]
- February 9 – Ernesto Colon, former guitarist of Merauder, died from undisclosed reasons.[46]
- February 15 – Mark Sawickis, former guitarist of Impetigo, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 58.[47]
- March 13 – Phil Campbell, guitarist of Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons and former guitarist of Motörhead, died from complications from surgery at the age of 64.[48]
- March 26 – Ross the Boss, former guitarist of Manowar, died from ALS at the age of 72.[49]
- April 2 – Bo Lueders, guitarist of Harm's Way, died from suicide at the age of 38.[50][51]
- May 8 – Bartholomäus "Barth" Resch, former bassist of Belphegor and Our Survival Depends on Us, died in a car accident.[52]
- May 11 – Jack Douglas, producer and mixer of numerous bands including Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Blue Öyster Cult, Montrose, Rough Cutt and Zebra, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 80.[53][54]
- May 21 – Federico Benini, bassist of Akercocke, died from drowning at the age of 37.[55]
- June 2 – Rick Johnson, former drummer of Grief, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 55.[56]
- June 28 – David Black, guitarist of Seduce and former guitarist of Crud, died from cancer.[57]
- July 1 – Shaun Glass, former guitarist of Soil and Dirge Within, and former bassist of Broken Hope, died of complications from a stroke at the age of 57.[58]
- July 4 – Roger "B. War" Svensson, former bassist of Marduk and Devils Whorehouse, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 60.[59]
- July 6 – Kevin Chown, bassist who performed with numerous bands and artists, including Tarja, Steelheart, and Artension, died from cancer at the age of 56.[60]
- July 13 – Mike Browning, drummer of Nocturnus AD, former drummer and vocalist of Morbid Angel, and former drummer of Acheron, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 62.[61][62]
- July 18 – Jennifer Finch, bassist and vocalist of L7, died from brain cancer at the age of 59.[63]
- July 26 – Ken Elkinton, former vocalist of Defiance, died from complications of pneumonia, sepsis and heart issues at the age of 66.[64]
- July 30 – Danny Lomeli, drummer and former guitarist of Elysia, died from undisclosed reasons.[65]
- July 31 – John Brenner, vocalist and guitarist of Revelation, died from stomach cancer at the age of 59.[66]
- August 8 – Mike Milford, vocalist of Scars of Tomorrow, died from cancer.[67]
- September 5 – Andy Williams, guitarist for Every Time I Die, died after collapsing during a professional wrestling match at the age of 48.[68]
- September 9 – Mikko Karmila, producer and engineer of numerous bands including Nightwish, Children of Bodom, Stratovarius, Amorphis, and Sonata Arctica, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 62.[69]
- September 15 – Marcus Andersson, drummer of Disfear, died from glioblastoma.[70]
- September 20 – Chad Gilbert, former bassist of Morning Again and former lead vocalist of Shai Hulud, died from adrenocortical carcinoma at the age of 45.[71]
- September 25 – Chuck Varga, former occasional vocalist and backing vocalist of Gwar, died from cancer.[72]
- October 1 – Conrad "Cronos" Lant, vocalist and bassist of Venom, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 63.[73]
Albums expected
January
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Paleface Swiss | The Wilted EP (EP)[74] |
| 7 | Nanowar of Steel | The Genghis Khan EP to End All Genghis Khan EPs (EP)[75] |
| 9 | Alter Bridge | Alter Bridge[76] |
| Beyond the Black | Break the Silence[77] | |
| Bullet | Kickstarter[78] | |
| For My Pain... | Buried Blue[79] | |
| The Ruins of Beverast | Tempelschlaf[80] | |
| Uuhai | Human Herds[81] | |
| 16 | Edenbridge | Set the Dark on Fire[82] |
| The Eternal | Celestial (EP)[83] | |
| Holy Dragons | Guardians of Time – Part I[84] | |
| Kreator | Krushers of the World[85] | |
| My Ruin | Declaration of Resistance[86] | |
| Ov Sulfur | Endless[87] | |
| Soen | Reliance[88] | |
| 23 | Coronatus | Dreadful Waters[89] |
| Crystal Lake | The Weight of Sound[90] | |
| Helix | Scrap Metal[91] | |
| Megadeth | Megadeth[92] | |
| Melissa Bonny | Cherry Red Apocalypse[93] | |
| Pelican | Ascending (EP)[94] | |
| Poppy | Empty Hands[95] | |
| Textures | Genotype[96] | |
| 28 | Hanabie. | Hot Topic (EP)[97] |
| 30 | Hällas | Panorama[98] |
| Møl | Dreamcrush[99] | |
| Our Mirage | Fractured Minds[100] | |
| Therion | Con Orquesta (live album)[101] |
February
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Stephen Brodsky | Cut to the Core Vol. 2 (covers album)[102] |
| 5 | Paganizer | As Mankind Rots[103] |
| 6 | Demonic Resurrection | Apocalyptic Dawn (EP)[104] |
| Karnivool | In Verses[105] | |
| KMFDM | Enemy[106] | |
| Mayhem | Liturgy of Death[107] | |
| Tailgunner | Midnight Blitz[108] | |
| Wolverine | Anomalies[109] | |
| 13 | Converge | Love Is Not Enough[110] |
| Powerwolf | Wildlive (Live at Olympiahalle) (live album)[111] | |
| Saille | Forebode[112] | |
| 18 | Lovebites | Outstanding Power[113] |
| 20 | Clawfinger | Before We All Die[114] |
| Exhumed | Red Asphalt[115] | |
| Michael Monroe | Outerstellar[116] | |
| Stam1na | Apnea[117] | |
| Sylosis | The New Flesh[118] | |
| Worm Shepherd | Dawn of the Iconoclast (EP)[119] | |
| 27 | Cryptic Shift | Overspace & Supertime[120] |
| Rob Zombie | The Great Satan[121] | |
| Ruoska | Kade[122] | |
| Varials | Where the Light Leaves[123] |
March
April
May
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -(16)- | Forgeries (72–84) (covers album)[202] |
| Cognizance | In Light, No Shape[203] | |
| Godsmack | Live at Mohegan Sun (live album)[204] | |
| Haste the Day | Dissenter[205] | |
| Sevendust | One[206] | |
| Venom | Into Oblivion[207] | |
| 3 | Geoff Tate | Operation: Mindcrime III[208] |
| 5 | Darko US | Oni 2[209] |
| 8 | Black Veil Brides | Vindicate[210] |
| Crashdïet | Art of Chaos[211] | |
| Darkthrone | Pre-Historic Metal[212] | |
| Draconian | In Somnolent Ruin[213] | |
| Frozen Soul | No Place of Warmth[214] | |
| Ingested | Denigration[215] | |
| Panopticon | Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet[216] | |
| The Quill | Master of the Skies[217] | |
| Rexoria | Fallen Dimension[218] | |
| 15 | Acid Reign | Daze of the Week[219] |
| Angellore | Nocturnes[220] | |
| Artillery | Made in Hell (EP)[221] | |
| Jungle Rot | Cruel Face of War[222] | |
| Periphery | A Pale White Dot[223] | |
| Primus | A Handful of Nuggs (EP)[224] | |
| Pro-Pain | Stone Cold Anger[225] | |
| 22 | Armored Saint | Emotion Factory Reset[226] |
| Ayreon | 30th Anniversary – An Amazing Flight Through Time (live album)[227] | |
| Dimmu Borgir | Grand Serpent Rising[228] | |
| Elvenking | Rites of Disclosure (EP)[229] | |
| Erik Grönwall | Bad Bones[230] | |
| Moonlight Haze | Interstellar Madness (EP)[231] | |
| Varg | Live at Wolfszeit Festival 2024 (live album)[232] | |
| Vision Divine | A Clockwork Reverie (EP)[233] | |
| 29 | Devin Townsend | The Moth[234] |
| Hecate Enthroned | The Corpse of a Titan, a Lament Long Buried[235] | |
| Lynch Mob | The Final Ride (Live) (live album)[236] | |
| Narnia | X[237] | |
| Shinedown | Ei8ht[238] |
June
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iselder | The 38th Division[239] |
| 5 | 100 Demons | Embrace the Black Light[240] |
| August Burns Red | Season of Surrender[241] | |
| Converge | Hum of Hurt[242] | |
| Cyhra | Requiem for a Pipe Dream[243] | |
| Evanescence | Sanctuary[244] | |
| Evergrey | Architects of a New Weave[245] | |
| Shane Embury | Bridge to Resolution[246] | |
| Üga Büga | Valley of the Wolf[247] | |
| Voivod | Symphonique (live album)[248] | |
| 9 | Iron Reagan | Demonetization (EP)[249] |
| 10 | Black Tusk | Systems of Solitude (EP)[250] |
| 11 | Devourment | Pious Impiety (EP)[251] |
| 12 | Big Brave | In Grief or in Hope[252] |
| Bolan | Gargoyle of the Garden State[253] | |
| Edu Falaschi | Mi'raj[254] | |
| Fleshcrawl | Epitome of Carnage[255] | |
| Genghis Tron | Signal Fire[256] | |
| Gideon | 4×4 (EP)[257] | |
| Khemmis | Khemmis[258] | |
| Sleeping with Sirens | An Ending in Itself[259] | |
| Soulburn | Quantifying Cosmic Doom[260] | |
| Spread Eagle | The Brutal Divine[261] | |
| Still Remains | Spirit Breaker (EP)[262] | |
| Stitched Up Heart | Medusa[263] | |
| Tarja | Frisson Noir[264] | |
| Vanden Plas | AcCult II[265] | |
| 19 | Einherjer | Lifeblood[266] |
| Judas Priest | The Best of Judas Priest (compilation album)[267] | |
| Warning | Rituals of Shame[268] | |
| 26 | Amberian Dawn | Temptation's Gates[269] |
| Junius | Sotera[270] | |
| Masterplan | Metalmorphosis[271] | |
| Nargaroth | Apocalyptic Steel[272] | |
| Savatage | Madness Reigns from the Gutter (1990) (live album)[273] | |
| Siamese | Dissolution[274] | |
| Zao | Pillars (EP)[275] |
July
August
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Cancer Bats | Give Me Dirt[309] |
| Electric Callboy | Tanzneid[310] | |
| John Carpenter | Cathedral[311] | |
| Xandria | Eclipse[312] | |
| 10 | Darko US | Cuckoo (EP)[313] |
| 14 | Marilyn Manson | One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2[314] |
| Racetraitor | Nobody, Son of Nobody (EP)[315] | |
| Raunchy | Prisoner[316] | |
| Saliva | Breaking Through[317] | |
| 21 | Chelsea Wolfe | The Dark[318] |
| Dark Funeral | A Beast to Praise (live album)[319] | |
| Fen | Elemental Part One: Mourning Earth[320] | |
| Mob Rules | Stories from the Verdant Vale[321] | |
| Ocean Sleeper | Peace When I'm Dead[322] | |
| Tokyo Blade | Hoist the Colours High[323] | |
| 28 | Beartooth | Pure Ecstasy[324] |
| Exumer | Death Mask Messiah[325] | |
| Flotsam and Jetsam | Rats in the Temple[326] | |
| Gorod | The Ember Gone[327] | |
| In This Moment | Witch[328] | |
| Kamelot | Dark Asylum[329] | |
| Ladrones | Arriba La L[330] | |
| Mastodon | Marrow Deep[331] | |
| Russian Circles | Nine[332] | |
| Triosphere | Oceans Above, Stars Below[333] |
September
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sleep | Hempispheres[334] |
| 4 | 156/Silence | From a Distance[335] |
| Accept | Teutonic Titans 1976–2026 (compilation album)[336] | |
| Airbourne | Airbourne[337] | |
| Behemoth | I, Scvlptor[338] | |
| Chat Pile | Who Loves the Sun[339] | |
| Devil Master | Bloody Dreams[340] | |
| Green Carnation | A Dark Poem, Pt. III: The Messiah Complex[341] | |
| Judiciary | Stalagmite Angels (EP)[342] | |
| Mad Max | Stories of Destiny[343] | |
| A Night in Texas | The Darkest Side of Humanity[344] | |
| President | Blood of Your Empire[345] | |
| Showing Teeth | A Fate Worse Than Loneliness (EP)[346] | |
| Sigh | Goh-ka[347] | |
| 11 | Archgoat | Nightbringer, Lightbringer[348] |
| Drown in Sulphur | Strix (EP)[349] | |
| Green Lung | Necropolitan[350] | |
| Mother of Millions | T[351] | |
| Texas Hippie Coalition | Band of Outlaws[352] | |
| Stoned Cowboys[352] | ||
| Tygers of Pan Tang | Electrifyed[353] | |
| 18 | Anthrax | Cursum Perficio[354] |
| The Eternal | Obscured Horizons[355] | |
| Gary John Barden | Empowered Emotions[356] | |
| Hansen | Born with a Hammer[357] | |
| Krallice | Scour Order[358] | |
| Nonpoint | The Last Word[359] | |
| Runemagick | After Chaos: Nocturnal Vigil[360] | |
| Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats | Shapes of Midnight[361] | |
| 25 | Brotality | Jaws of the Earth[362] |
| Cloven Hoof | Never a Prophet in Your Own Land[363] | |
| Coldrain | Optimize = Optdemise[364] | |
| Crown Magnetar | The Hollowing of Godflesh[365] | |
| Europe | Come This Madness[366] | |
| Girlschool | Nothin' to Lose in Reading 1981 (live album)[367] | |
| Godflesh | Decay[368] | |
| Lacrimas Profundere | Lay Me Down O Silent Fear[369] | |
| Metalite | Discovery[370] | |
| Noctule | Extinguish Thy Flame[371] | |
| The Ocean | Solaris[372] | |
| Sicksense | Funerals (EP)[373] | |
| Stryper | Throne of Thorns[374] | |
| Tom Morello | Everyone Gets Everything They Want[375] | |
| Wednesday 13 | Un-Alive at Pol'and'Rock 2025 (live album)[376] |
October
November
December
Artists with material in production
- Abysmal Dawn[465]
- Adema – Cruel Machine[466]
- Alcatrazz[467]
- Annotations of an Autopsy[468]
- Atheist[469]
- Breaking Benjamin[470]
- Cold[471]
- Conception[472]
- Cyco Miko[473]
- Dangerous Toys[474]
- Death Angel[475]
- Decapitated[476]
- Die Krupps[477]
- Disturbed[478]
- Drowning Pool[479]
- Eternal Champion[132]
- Excel[480]
- Extreme[481]
- Fear Factory[482]
- Gojira[483]
- Gorguts[484]
- Hacktivist[485]
- Havok[486]
- Hirax[487]
- Infant Annihilator[488]
- Infected Rain[489]
- Jeffrey Nothing – 202Sick[490]
- John Norum[491]
- Kerry King[492]
- Lita Ford[493]
- Meliah Rage – Slaves in the Afterlife[494]
- Metal Allegiance[495]
- Michael Schenker[496]
- Michale Graves[497]
- Murphy's Law[498]
- Ne Obliviscaris[499]
- Obliveon[500]
- Papa Roach[501]
- Paul Di'Anno (live album)[502]
- Pestilence – Portals[503]
- Quartz[504]
- Ring of Fire[505]
- Running Wild[506]
- Samael[507]
- Savatage – Curtain Call[508]
- Sirenia – Amanita Messis[509]
- Skinless[510]
- Soilwork[511]
- Spineshank[512]
- Stephen Pearcy – The Dogg Mob[513]
- Stratovarius[514]
- Suicidal Tendencies[515]
- Tankard[516]
- Trouble[517]
- Venom Inc.[518]
- Victory[519]
- Vinnie Vincent Invasion – Judgment Day Guitarmageddon[520]
- Vio-lence[521]
- Warrior Soul – Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em[522]