This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2024.

Contents

• Bands disbanded
• Bands reformed
• Events
• Deaths
• Albums released
• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December
• References

Bands disbanded

• Amen ^[1]
• Botch ^[2]
• Destrage ^[3]
• Issues ^[4]
• Jane's Addiction (indefinite hiatus) ^[5]
• Misery Signals ^[6]
• Monuments (indefinite hiatus) ^[7]
• Mr. Big ^[8]
• Otep
• Rage Against the Machine ^[9]
• Solution .45 ^[10]
• Twelve Foot Ninja ^[11]
• UFO ^[12]
• Veil of Maya (hiatus) ^[13]

Bands reformed

• Absu ^[14]
• Acid Bath ^[15]
• All Shall Perish ^[16]
• Coalesce (one-off) ^[17]
• Crossfade ^[18]
• Gordi ^[19]
• Horse the Band ^[20]
• Kylesa ^[21]
• Linkin Park ^[22]
• Mnemic ^[23]
• Nachtmystium ^[24]
• Nailbomb ^[25]
• Nevermore ^[26]
• Slayer ^[27]
• The 3rd and the Mortal
• The Sword ^[28]
• Xerath ^[29]

Events

• On January 5, Grave announced the departure of long-time members bassist Tobias Cristiansson and guitarist Mika Lagrén, putting the band's 2024 live activities on hold. ^[30]
• On January 13, 3 Inches of Blood performed their first show in nine years at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. ^[31]
• On January 16, Mercyful Fate announced the band was parting ways with bassist Joey Vera. ^[32] He was replaced by Becky Baldwin, who had previously filled in for Vera during the band's 2022 tour. ^[33]
• On January 17, Immortal Disfigurement announced that their debut studio album would be delayed due to mixing and mastering issues. ^[34] A day later, guitarist and chief songwriter Harry Tadayon announced his departure from the band due to him feeling that he wasn't getting enough credit for his work. Drummer Leo McClain would also leave the band shortly after that due to him wishing to avoid legal issues. ^[35]
• In January, Issues embarked on a six-show farewell tour after a three-year hiatus without vocalist Tyler Carter, who was fired from the band for multiple accusations of grooming and sexual misconduct. ^{[4] [36]}
• On February 1, Lynch Mob began what was announced as a year-and-a-half long farewell tour, titled The Final Ride, in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. ^[37]
• On February 5, founding member Phil Demmel announced his departure from Vio-lence. ^[38]
• On February 5, after years of rumors and speculation since Slayer's split, Kerry King unveiled details about his solo project. ^[39]
• On February 11, Kingdom Come announced they were parting ways with frontman Keith St. John and replacing him with Ezekiel "Zeke" Kaplan. The band also revealed that Matt Muckle would be replacing original drummer James Kottak, who had died the month before. ^[40]
• On March 1, Sepultura began what was announced as a year-and-a-half long farewell tour in celebration of their 40th anniversary, titled "Celebrating Life Through Death", at the Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte. ^{[41] [42]} Three days before the tour started, it was announced that longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande had abruptly quit the band as early as February 6, being replaced by Suicidal Tendencies' Greyson Nekrutman. ^[43]
• On March 27, Skid Row announced the band was parting ways with vocalist Erik Grönwall, due to his health issues. Lzzy Hale of Halestorm filled in for him for four shows. ^[44]
• On April 2, Misery Signals announced the band will break-up after a final tour, titled "The Blood Is Forever, Love Is Forever Farewell Tour", which will feature the band's current and former vocalists. ^[6]
• On April 21, Ozzy Osbourne was officially announced among the 2024 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ^[45]
• On April 30, after months of speculation, Slipknot officially confirmed Eloy Casagrande (formerly of Sepultura) as their new drummer. ^[46]
• On June 6, Power Trip played their first show since original frontman Riley Gale's death in 2020 at The Glass House in Pomona, California, with Seth Gilmore taking over on vocals. ^[47]
• On July 19, Chimaira performed at the 2024 Inkcarceration Fest, their first festival concert in 14 years. ^{[48] [49]}
• On July 20, the Klash of the Ruhrpott festival took place at the Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. For the first time, the "Big Teutonic Four" — Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard — performed on the same stage. However, Kreator, who were the headlining act, had their set cut short after 10 songs due to a severe weather warning, which was followed by a thunderstorm. ^{[50] [51]}
• On August 18, longtime Dimmu Borgir guitarist Galder announced his departure from the band so he could focus more on his own band, Old Man's Child. ^[52]
• On September 3, longtime DevilDriver guitarist Mike Spreitzer announced his departure from the band. ^[53]
• On September 5, after a seven-year hiatus, Linkin Park announced a new album, new lineup and plans to tour this year, with vocalist Emily Armstrong replacing the late Chester Bennington and drummer Colin Brittain replacing Rob Bourdon. ^[22]
• On September 13, Jane's Addiction had a major onstage incident during their concert at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston as part of the 2024 North American tour with the reunited original line-up. Lead singer Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro engaged in an altercation after Farrell shoved and punched Navarro, that had to be broken up by the crew, leading to an abrupt end to the show. The band subsequently issued a public apology, cancelled the remainder of the tour and went on an indefinite hiatus. ^[54]
• Following the release of their tenth studio album on September 20, Nightwish went on a touring hiatus, scheduled to last for two to three years. ^{[55] [56]}
• On September 20, Corrosion of Conformity founding member, bassist and vocalist Mike Dean announced his departure from the band. ^[57]
• On September 22, Slayer played their first show since disbanding in 2019 at Riot Fest. ^{[27] [58]}
• On October 18, As I Lay Dying bassist and clean vocalist Ryan Neff announced his departure from the band, citing a need to benefit his "personal and professional journey". ^[59] Just six days later, guitarist Ken Susi and drummer Nick Pierce also announced their departures from the band, stating that their "personal morals have been tested to a breaking point" and needing to preserve "personal health and integrity". ^{[60] [61]} In conjunction with Pierce and Susi, the band's touring manager resigned as well, effectively cancelling the planned European tour for their upcoming album, Through Storms Ahead . ^[62] On October 30, longtime guitarist Phil Sgrosso announced his departure from the band, adding that the band "no longer offers a healthy or safe environment for anyone involved" and that he could not "enable further actions that could negatively affect anyone working within this space", leaving lead vocalist Tim Lambesis the sole remaining member of the band. ^[63] Lambesis addressed the situation on November 4, agreeing with what was said and supporting his bandmates' decisions to leave. He also stated his intention to keep the band alive with a more positive and collaborative environment. ^[64]
• On December 7, longtime Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain announced his retirement from touring with the band. A day later, Simon Dawson of British Lion was announced as his replacement. ^[65]
• On December 9, longtime Within Temptation keyboardist and composer Martijn Spierenburg announced his departure from the band. ^[66]
• Cirith Ungol retired from performing live at the end of this year. ^[67]

Deaths

• January 4 – Jan Němec, engineer and producer of numerous metal bands including Celtic Frost, Grave Digger, Helloween, and Running Wild, died from lung disease. ^[68]
• January 9 – James Kottak, former drummer of Scorpions, Kingdom Come, and Warrant, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 61. ^[69]
• January 17 – Martin Lacroix, former vocalist of Cryptopsy, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[70]
• February 2 – Craig Simmons, former drummer of Famous Last Words, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[71]
• February 16 – Greg "Fritz" Hinz, drummer of Helix, died from cancer at the age of 68. ^[72]
• February 20 – Vitalij Kuprij, keyboardist of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Artension, and Ring of Fire, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 49. ^[73]
• March 6 – Tarmizi "Miji" Mokhtar, former drummer of Cromok, died from liver cancer at the age of 58. ^[74]
• March 10 – Blake Harrison, bassist of Hatebeak and former sampler of Pig Destroyer, died from heart failure at the age of 48. ^{[75] [76]}
• March 10 – T. M. Stevens, former bassist for Steve Vai, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 72. ^[77]
• April 2 – Jerry Abbott, father of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul and producer of Pantera's first four studio albums, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 80. ^[78]
• April 5 – C. J. Snare, vocalist of FireHouse, died from cardiac arrest at the age of 64. ^{[79] [80]}
• April 15 – Reita, bassist of The Gazette, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 42. ^[81]
• April 19 – Eddie Sutton, vocalist of Leeway, died from cancer at the age of 59. ^[82]
• April 26 – Robin George, former guitarist of Thin Lizzy and musician, engineer, and producer of numerous artists, including Robert Plant, David Byron, Quartz, Witchfinder General, and Glenn Hughes, died after a long illness at the age of 68. ^[83]
• May 8 – Tommy Viator, former drummer of Disincarnate and former keyboardist of Acid Bath, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[84]
• May 18 – Jon Wysocki, former drummer of Staind and Soil, died from liver issues at the age of 56. ^[85]
• May 29 – Brad Raub, bassist of Eternal Champion, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 36. ^[86]
• June 4 – Simone "Yorga S.M." Amicucci, former vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of Aborym, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[87]
• June 24 – Shifty Shellshock, vocalist of Crazy Town, died from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 49. ^{[88] [89]}
• June 30 – Peter Collins, engineer and producer of numerous artists including Rush, Queensrÿche, Suicidal Tendencies, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, and Gary Moore, died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 73. ^[90]
• July 17 – Ciriaco "Pinche Peach" Quezada, sampler and vocalist of Brujeria, died from severe heart complications at the age of 57. ^[91]
• July 24 – Bill Crook, former bassist of Spiritbox, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[92]
• July 26 – Tomáš "Monster" Vendl, former bassist of Master's Hammer, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 52. ^[93]
• August 1 – Pieter Verpaalen, former vocalist of Textures, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[94]
• August 7 – Jack Russell, former vocalist of Great White, died from Lewy body dementia at the age of 63. ^[95]
• August 9 – Dave Sweetapple, bassist of Witch, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 58. ^[96]
• August 16 – Tore Ylvisaker, keyboardist of Ulver, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 54. ^[97]
• August 19 – Erik Barrett, bassist of 100 Demons, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[98]
• August 26 – Sean Blosl, former guitarist of Sanctuary, died from complications after a vehicle accident at the age of 58. ^[99]
• September 2 – Peter "P.K." Kubik, guitarist and bassist of Abigor, died by suicide at the age of 49. ^{[100] [101]}
• September 18 – John "Juan Brujo" Lepe, vocalist of Brujeria, died from a heart attack at the age of 61. ^[102]
• September 19 – Andreas "Samson" Samonil, former drummer of Vendetta, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[103]
• September 20 – Fernando Ponce de León, former flutist of Mägo de Oz, died from multiple organ failure at the age of 59. ^[104]
• September 27 – Pedro "Pit" Passarell, bassist and former vocalist of Viper, died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. ^[105]
• September 30 – Dave Allison, former guitarist and backing vocalist of Anvil, died from cancer at the age of 68. ^[106]
• October 7 – Curtis Beeson, former drummer of Nasty Savage and Massacre, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 60. ^[107]
• October 14 – Karl Näslund, former guitarist of In Flames, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 51. ^[108]
• October 21 – Paul Di'Anno, former vocalist of Iron Maiden and Gogmagog, died from heart disease at the age of 66. ^{[109] [110]}
• October 27 – Hayden Lamb, former drummer of Red, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[111]
• November 4 – Mykola "Amorth" Sostin, former drummer and keyboardist of Drudkh, was killed in action during the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the age of 39. ^[112]
• November 13 – Edgard Brito, keyboardist of Tuatha de Danann, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 50. ^[113]
• December 5 – Mick Moore, former bassist of Avenger and Blitzkrieg, died from undisclosed reasons. ^[114]
• December 20 – Casey Chaos, vocalist of Amen, died from a heart attack at the age of 59. ^{[1] [115]}
• December 21 – John Sykes, former guitarist of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Blue Murder, died from cancer at the age of 65. ^[116]
• December 29 – Eric "Sickie Wifebeater" Carlson, guitarist of Mentors, died from cancer at the age of 66. ^[117]

Albums released

References