# 1998 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal music in the year 1998.

## Newly formed bands

* 8 Foot Sativa
* 40 Below Summer
* Aarni
* Abdullah
* All That Remains
* Antagonist
* Arma Angelus
* Ásmegin
* At Vance
* Atreyu
* Axenstar
* Azarath
* Baptism
* Benighted
* Betzefer
* Black Label Society
* Blood Red Throne
* Bloodbath
* Bullet for My Valentine (as Jeff Killed John)
* Calico System
* Cataract
* Chimaira
* Circle of Dead Children
* CKY
* Clandestine Blaze
* Cog
* Crucified Barbara
* Cult of Luna
* Dalriada
* Darkane
* Deathspell Omega
* Demons & Wizards
* Edenbridge
* Ephel Duath
* Every Time I Die
* Fair to Midland
* Fairyland
* Fantômas
* Firewind
* Freedom Call
* From Zero
* Full Scale (as Full Scale Deflection)
* Gordian Knot
* High on Fire
* Hopesfall
* Horse the Band
* Ill Niño
* Leviathan
* Lock Up
* Lunatica
* Maximum the Hormone
* The Meads of Asphodel
* Mnemic
* Noumena
* Odd Crew (as Kaskadiori)
* Peccatum
* Pressure 4-5
* Ram-Zet
* Rebaelliun
* Reveille
* Ritual Carnage
* Rob Zombie
* Shape of Despair
* Skindred
* Stormwarrior
* Sunn O)))
* Susperia
* The Project MCMXCIX
* Thy Catafalque
* Twilightning
* Týr
* Underoath
* Unearth
* Unida
* Vision Divine
* Watain
* Weakling
* Winds
* Wormed
* Wyrd
* Zyklon

## Reformed bands

* Metal Church

## Albums

* Agathodaimon – Blacken The Angel
* Alabama Thunderpussy – Rise Again
* Altar – Provoke
* Amon Amarth – Once Sent from the Golden Hall
* Arghoslent – Galloping Through The Battle Ruins
* Anathema – Alternative 4
* Angelcorpse – Exterminate
* Angra – Fireworks
* Anthrax – Volume 8: The Threat Is Real
* Apocalyptica – Inquisition Symphony
* Arch Enemy – Stigmata
* Atreyu – Visions (EP)
* Ayreon – Into the Electric Castle
* Sebastian Bach – Bring em Bach Alive
* Backyard Babies – Total 13
* Behemoth – Pandemonic Incantations
* Benediction – Grind Bastard
* Bestial Warlust – Satan's Fist
* Black Label Society – Sonic Brew
* Black Sabbath – Reunion (live)
* Blind Guardian – Nightfall in Middle-Earth
* Bolt Thrower – Mercenary
* Borknagar – The Archaic Course
* Botch – American Nervoso
* Bruce Dickinson – The Chemical Wedding
* Cannibal Corpse – Gallery of Suicide
* Jerry Cantrell – Boggy Depot
* Candlemass – Dactylis Glomerata
* Cathedral – Caravan Beyond Redemption
* Catch 22 – Keasbey Nights
* Children of Bodom – Something Wild (Worldwide release)
* Clutch – The Elephant Riders
* Cold – Cold
* Converge – When Forever Comes Crashing
* Covenant – Nexus Polaris
* Cradle of Filth – Cruelty and the Beast
* Crowbar – Odd Fellows Rest
* Cryptopsy – Whisper Supremacy
* Dark Funeral – Vobiscum Satanas
* Dawn – Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)
* Death – The Sound of Perseverance
* Deep Purple – Abandon
* Destruction – The Least Successful Human Cannonball
* Devin Townsend – Christeen + 4 Demos (EP)
* Devin Townsend – Infinity
* Diecast – Undo the Wicked
* The Dillinger Escape Plan – Under the Running Board (EP)
* Dimmu Borgir – Godless Savage Garden (compilation)
* Dream Theater – Once in a LIVEtime (live)
* Dying Fetus – Killing on Adrenaline
* Earth Crisis – Breed the Killers
* Edguy – Vain Glory Opera
* Enslaved – Blodhemn
* Eldritch – El Niño
* Exhumed – Gore Metal
* Fall of the Leafe – Evanescent, Everfading
* Far – Water & Solutions
* Fear Factory – Obsolete
* Firehouse – Category 5
* Freak Kitchen – Freak Kitchen
* The Gathering – How to Measure a Planet?
* Genitorturers – Sin City
* Godsmack – Godsmack
* Gorgoroth – Destroyer – or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer
* Gorguts – Obscura
* Grave Digger – Knights of the Cross
* HammerFall – Legacy of Kings
* Helloween – Better Than Raw
* Iced Earth – Something Wicked This Way Comes
* Incantation – Diabolical Conquest
* Inquisition - Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult
* Iron Maiden – Virtual XI
* Jag Panzer – The Age of Mastery
* Kamelot – Siége Perilous
* Kataklysm – Victims of this Fallen World
* Katatonia – Discouraged Ones
* Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause
* King Diamond – Voodoo
* KISS – Psycho Circus
* Korn – Follow the Leader
* Krabathor – Orthodox
* Krisiun – Apocalyptic Revelation
* L.A. Guns – Wasted
* Leprosy – Llora Chiapas
* Madball – Look My Way
* Malevolent Creation – The Fine Art of Murder
* Yngwie Malmsteen – Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Em, Opus 1
* Yngwie Malmsteen – Double Live! (live)
* Marduk – Nightwing
* Mercenary – First Breath
* Mercyful Fate – Dead Again
* Meshuggah – Chaosphere
* Metal Church – Live (live)
* Metallica – Garage Inc. (compilation)
* Mindrot – Soul
* Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals
* Monster Magnet – Powertrip
* Moonspell – Sin/Pecado
* Morbid Angel – Formulas Fatal to the Flesh
* Mortician – Zombie Apocalypse (EP)
* Mortification – Triumph of Mercy
* Mötley Crüe – Greatest Hits (compilation)
* Motörhead – Snake Bite Love
* My Dying Bride – 34.788%... Complete
* Napalm Death – Words from the Exit Wound
* Nembrionic – Incomplete
* Nightwish – Oceanborn
* Night in Gales – Thunderbeast
* Nile – Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
* Nothingface – An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity
* Old Man's Child – Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion
* One Minute Silence – Available in All Colours
* Oomph! – Unrein
* Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse
* Orange Goblin – Time Travelling Blues
* Orgy – Candyass
* Pig Destroyer – Explosions in Ward 6
* Pitchshifter – www.pitchshifter.com
* Pretty Boy Floyd – A Tale of Sex, Designer Drugs and The Death of Rock N Roll
* Primal Fear – Primal Fear
* Pro-Pain – Pro-Pain
* Queens of the Stone Age – Queens of the Stone Age
* Rage – XIII
* RAMP - Evolution, Devolution, Revolution
* Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come
* Rhapsody – Symphony of Enchanted Lands
* Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe
* David Lee Roth – DLR Band
* Rotting – Crushed
* Running Wild – The Rivalry
* Rush – Different Stages (live)
* Samael – Exodus (EP)
* Savatage – The Wake of Magellan (in United States)
* Sentenced – Frozen
* Septicflesh – A Fallen Temple
* Sepultura – Against
* Sinister – Aggressive Measures
* Skepticism – Lead and Aether
* Skid Row – 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row (compilation)
* Slayer – Diabolus in Musica
* Soilent Green – A String of Lies (EP)
* Soilent Green – Sewn Mouth Secrets
* Soilwork – Steelbath Suicide
* Soulburn – Feeding on Angels
* Soulfly – Soulfly
* Strapping Young Lad – No Sleep 'till Bedtime: Live in Australia (live)
* Stratovarius – Visions of Europe (live)
* Stratovarius – Destiny
* Stuck Mojo – Rising
* Dan Swanö – Moontower
* Symphony X – Twilight in Olympus
* System of a Down – System of a Down
* Tankard – Disco Destroyer
* The Sins of Thy Beloved – Lake of Sorrow
* Theatre of Tragedy – Aégis
* Therapy? – Semi-Detached
* Therion – Vovin
* Trail of Tears – Disclosure in Red
* Tristania – Widow's Weeds
* Turbonegro – Apocalypse Dudes
* 2wo – Voyeurs
* Umbra et Imago – Machina Mundi
* Union – Union
* Ugly Kid Joe – The Very Best-As Ugly As It Gets
* Unsane – Occupational Hazard
* Vader – Kingdom (EP)
* Van Halen – Van Halen III
* Vintersorg – Hedniskhjärtad (EP)
* Vintersorg – Till fjälls
* Virgin Black – Trance (EP)
* Virgin Steele – Invictus
* Vision of Disorder – Imprint

## Disbandments

* 24-7 Spyz
* Destruction (reformed in 1999)
* Faith No More (reformed in 2009)
* Handsome
* Helmet (reformed in 2004)
* Snot (reformed in 2008)
* Vulcain

## Events

* Aerosmith becomes the first rock band to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
* Mustis joins Dimmu Borgir on keyboards.
* Rob Halford of Judas Priest announces his homosexuality in an MTV interview.
* Hideto "hide" Matsumoto, guitarist of the Japanese band X Japan, commits suicide at the age of 33.
* Poison singer Bret Michaels directs and stars in the film A Letter from Death Row.
| Preceded by1997 | Heavy Metal Timeline 1998 | Succeeded by1999 |