# 2006 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2006.

## Newly formed bands

* 1000mods
* Abandon All Ships
* Adelitas Way
* All Hail the Yeti
* Almah
* Altar of Plagues
* Amberian Dawn
* American Me
* Ancestors
* Ancient Bards
* Thy Art Is Murder
* Arven
* Asking Alexandria
* Beastwars
* Bison B.C.
* Black Breath
* Black Veil Brides
* Blood Ceremony
* Bloodsoaked
* Brymir
* Bury Tomorrow
* Cannabis Corpse
* Castevet
* Cauldron
* Cerebral Bore
* Circle of Contempt
* Coldworker
* Conan
* Daughtry
* Den Saakaldte
* Dethklok
* The Devil's Blood
* Diabulus in Musica
* Divide the Sea
* Dragged into Sunlight
* Elder
* Elysion
* Fen
* Forever Storm
* Ghost
* Graveyard
* Hail of Bullets
* Hellyeah
* I
* Ignominious Incarceration
* Nekrogoblikon
* Oceano
* Pathfinder
* Revocation
* Scars on Broadway
* Sister
* Skull Fist
* Stone Gods
* Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky
* Terror Syndrome
* UnSun
* Van Canto
* Vola
* Whitechapel
* Winterfylleth

## Reformed bands

* Alcatrazz
* Alice in Chains
* Atheist
* Carnivore
* Emperor (for a few shows)
* Extreme (for a few shows)
* Immortal
* Myrkskog (for a one-off show. they are now defunct)
* Pitchshifter
* Sir Lord Baltimore

## Disbandments

* Burning My Abigail
* Cold (reformed in 2009)
* Crashdïet
* Dissection
* Fear Factory
* Full Scale (reformed in 2009)
* Limp Bizkit (on hiatus until 2009)
* Myrkskog
* Peccatum
* System of a Down (on hiatus)
* Terrorizer

## Events

* 20 May – Lordi wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 for Finland with the song Hard Rock Hallelujah in Athens, Greece.
* Slipknot goes on hiatus until 2008 while members work on their "side projects".
* Queen, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and Kiss are the first bands inducted into the VH1 Rock Honors.
* Alice in Chains reunite with the Jar of Flies line-up and singer William DuVall replaces the late Layne Staley.
* Body Count releases their first album in nine years, Murder 4 Hire. The album features the band's new line-up: Bendrix (rhythm guitar), Vincent Price (bass), and O.T. (drums).
* Slayer releases their tenth studio album, Christ Illusion. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date. The single Eyes of the Insane won the Best Metal Performance category at the 49th Grammy Awards.
* Extreme reunite for a second time – now with their "classic" original line-up – to do a small three-show reunion tour in New England.
* System of a Down goes on a long-term hiatus.
* Jesse Pintado of Terrorizer and formerly of Napalm Death passes away.
* Opeth drummer Martin Lopez officially and permanently leaves Opeth on May 12, 2006, due to illness and is replaced by Martin Axenrot.
* Metalocalypse airs on the Adult Swim network.
* Mercenary bassist/vocalist Henrik "Kral" Andersen leaves in March and is replaced by René Pedersen.
* Visions of Atlantis keyboardist Miro Holly quits and is replaced by Martin Harb.
* Chimaira drummer Andols Herrick rejoins the band (after leaving in 2003), forcing the departure of Kevin Talley.
* Tapio Wilska was fired from Finntroll due to personal differences.
* Iggor Cavalera leaves Sepultura due to "artistic incompatibility".

## Albums released
### January

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 9 | DragonForce | Inhuman Rampage |
| 10 | Bleeding Through | The Truth |
| 10 | Kayo Dot | Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue |
| 20 | Edguy | Rocket Ride |
| 24 | Demiricous | One (Hellbound) |
| 24 | Nocturnal Rites | Grand Illusion |
| 24 | P.O.D. | Testify |
| 24 | Sworn Enemy | The Beginning of the End |
| 25 | Norther | Till Death Unites Us |
| 30 | The Devin Townsend Band | Synchestra |
| 30 | Psycroptic | Symbols of Failure |

### February

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 3 | In Flames | Come Clarity |
| 5 | Warbringer | One By One, The Wicked Fall (EP) |
| 7 | Hank Williams III | Straight to Hell |
| 7 | Akercocke | Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone |
| 7 | Decapitated | Organic Hallucinosis |
| 7 | Himsa | Hail Horror |
| 7 | Mastodon | Call of the Mastodon |
| 14 | The Sword | Age of Winters |
| 14 | Bullet for My Valentine | The Poison (USA Release) |
| 15 | Amorphis | Eclipse |
| 15 | Ensiferum | Dragonheads (EP) |
| 17 | Buckethead | The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock |
| 20 | Dismember | The God That Never Was |
| 20 | Raunchy | Death Pop Romance |
| 21 | Kataklysm | In the Arms of Devastation |
| 21 | Krisiun | AssassiNation |
| 21 | Wicked Wisdom | Wicked Wisdom |
| 22 | Kalmah | The Black Waltz |
| 27 | Caliban | The Undying Darkness |
| 27 | Darkthrone | The Cult Is Alive |
| 27 | Sadus | Out For Blood |
| 27 | Witchery | Don't Fear the Reaper |

### March

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 10 | Lordi | The Arockalypse |
| 13 | Katatonia | The Great Cold Distance |
| 13 | Sepultura | Dante XXI |
| 18 | Machinae Supremacy | Redeemer |
| 21 | Cannibal Corpse | Kill |
| 23 | Drudkh | Blood in Our Wells |
| 24 | Oomph! | GlaubeLiebeTod |
| 28 | Atreyu | A Death-Grip on Yesterday |
| 28 | Phobia | Cruel |
| 31 | Queensrÿche | Operation: Mindcrime II |
| 31 | Lacuna Coil | Karmacode |
| 31 | Summoning | Oath Bound |

### April

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 3 | The Slot | Две войны (Two wars) |
| 4 | Dead to Fall | The Phoenix Throne |
| 4 | Evergrey | Monday Morning Apocalypse |
| 4 | Sonata Arctica | For the Sake of Revenge (Live Album) |
| 19 | myGRAIN | Orbit Dance |
| 21 | OSI | Free |
| 21 | Scar Symmetry | Pitch Black Progress |
| 25 | Godsmack | IV |
| 25 | Moonspell | Memorial |
| 25 | Summoning | Oath Bound |
| 30 | Dissection | Reinkaos |

### May

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Enslaved | Ruun |
| 2 | Ministry | Rio Grande Blood |
| 2 | Place of Skulls | The Black Is Never Far |
| 2 | Silent Civilian | Rebirth of the Temple |
| 2 | Tool | 10,000 Days |
| 8 | Beyond Fear | Beyond Fear |
| 9 | Visceral Bleeding | Absorbing the Disarray |
| 12 | Sodom | Sodom |
| 16 | The Autumn Offering | Embrace the Gutter |
| 16 | Misery Index | Discordia |
| 16 | Russian Circles | Enter |
| 16 | Zyklon | Disintegrate |
| 19 | Communic | Waves of Visual Decay |
| 22 | Cataract | Kingdom |
| 22 | Necrophobic | Hrimthursum |
| 23 | Prototype | Continuum |
| 26 | Threat Signal | Under Reprisal |
| 27 | The Red Shore | Salvaging What's Left (EP) |
| 29 | Celtic Frost | Monotheist |

### June

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Eluveitie | Spirit |
| 1 | Ghoul | Splatterthrash |
| 6 | As Blood Runs Black | Allegiance |
| 6 | Red | End of Silence |
| 7 | Illdisposed | Burn Me Wicked |
| 7 | Rotten Sound | Consume to Contaminate |
| 12 | Celestiial | Desolate North |
| 12 | Disarmonia Mundi | Mind Tricks |
| 13 | The Acacia Strain | The Dead Walk |
| 13 | Satyricon | Now, Diabolical |
| 13 | Shadows Fall | Fallout from the War (Compilation) |
| 13 | Skinless | Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead |
| 13 | Three Days Grace | One-X |
| 19 | Anata | The Conductor's Departure |
| 19 | Carpathian Forest | Fuck You All!!!! Caput tuum in ano est |
| 20 | Underoath | Define the Great Line |
| 26 | SikTh | Death of a Dead Day |
| 27 | Cellador | Enter Deception |
| 27 | Metal Church | A Light in the Dark |
| 27 | Theatre of Tragedy | Storm |

### July

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 4 | Spawn of Possession | Noctambulant |
| 10 | A Band Called Pain | Broken Dreams |
| 10 | Behemoth | Demonica (Box-set) |
| 10 | 24-7 Spyz | Face the Day |
| 11 | All That Remains | The Fall of Ideals |
| 11 | Cattle Decapitation | Karma.Bloody.Karma |
| 11 | Strapping Young Lad | The New Black |
| 21 | Chrome Division | Doomsday Rock 'n Roll |
| 25 | From a Second Story Window | Delenda |
| 25 | Grave | As Rapture Comes |
| 25 | Voivod | Katorz |
| 28 | Sabaton | Attero Dominatus |

### August

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Body Count | Murder 4 Hire |
| 7 | Antagonist A.D. | These Cities, Our Graves |
| 8 | Agalloch | Ashes Against the Grain |
| 8 | All Shall Perish | The Price of Existence |
| 8 | Breaking Benjamin | Phobia |
| 8 | Daughters | Hell Songs |
| 8 | Slayer | Christ Illusion |
| 8 | Unearth | III: In the Eyes of Fire |
| 9 | Insomnium | Above the Weeping World |
| 10 | Ihsahn | The Adversary |
| 15 | Coldseed | Completion Makes the Tragedy |
| 17 | Diablo Swing Orchestra | The Butcher's Ballroom |
| 21 | Mercenary | The Hours That Remain |
| 22 | Deicide | The Stench of Redemption |
| 22 | Gorod | Leading Vision |
| 22 | The Human Abstract | Nocturne |
| 22 | Lamb of God | Sacrament |
| 22 | Misery Signals | Mirrors |
| 22 | Terrorizer | Darker Days Ahead |
| 22 | Unexpect | In a Flesh Aquarium |
| 22 | Walls of Jericho | With Devils Amongst Us All |
| 22 | The Devil Wears Prada | Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord |
| 25 | Catamenia | Location: COLD |
| 28 | Iron Maiden | A Matter of Life and Death |
| 29 | Dream Theater | Score (CD/DVD) |
| 29 | Hatebreed | Supremacy |

### September

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Blind Guardian | A Twist in the Myth |
| 5 | Alice in Chains | The Essential Alice in Chains (Compilation) |
| 5 | Heaven Shall Burn | Deaf to Our Prayers |
| 5 | Vader | Impressions in Blood |
| 11 | Mastodon | Blood Mountain |
| 12 | Black Label Society | Shot to Hell |
| 12 | Norma Jean | Redeemer |
| 15 | Buckethead | Crime Slunk Scene |
| 15 | Napalm Death | Smear Campaign |
| 18 | WarCry | La Quinta Esencia |
| 19 | Diecast | Internal Revolution |
| 19 | Dry Kill Logic | Of Vengeance and Violence |
| 19 | Light This City | Facing the Thousand |
| 19 | Mushroomhead | Savior Sorrow |
| 19 | Red Sparowes | Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun |
| 19 | Suffocation | Suffocation |
| 22 | Amon Amarth | With Oden on Our Side |
| 22 | Týr | Ragnarok |
| 25 | Into Eternity | The Scattering of Ashes |
| 25 | Rhapsody of Fire | Triumph or Agony |

### October

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 3 | Evanescence | The Open Door |
| 3 | Skillet | Comatose |
| 9 | My Dying Bride | A Line of Deathless Kings |
| 10 | Ahab | The Call of the Wretched Sea |
| 10 | Trivium | The Crusade |
| 11 | Solitude Aeturnus | Alone |
| 13 | Dream Evil | United |
| 16 | Sturmgeist | Über |
| 16 | Sylosis | Casting Shadows (EP) |
| 16 | Textures | Drawing Circles |
| 17 | Cradle of Filth | Thornography |
| 17 | It Dies Today | Sirens |
| 18 | HammerFall | Threshold |
| 18 | Solefald | Black for Death: An Icelandic Odyssey, Pt. 2 |
| 23 | Angra | Aurora Consurgens |
| 23 | Krux | II |
| 24 | Beto Vázquez Infinity | Flying Towards the New Horizon |
| 24 | Paul Stanley | Live to Win |
| 24 | Skid Row | Revolutions per Minute |
| 25 | Europe | Secret Society |
| 30 | Borknagar | Origin |
| 30 | The Haunted | The Dead Eye |
| 30 | Melechesh | Emissaries |
| 30 | Kylesa | Time Will Fuse Its Worth |
| 31 | God Dethroned | The Toxic Touch |
| 31 | ISIS | In the Absence of Truth |
| 31 | Martyr | Feeding the Abscess |

### November

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Decadence | 3rd Stage of Decay |
| 7 | Arsis | United in Regret |
| 13 | Outworld | Outworld |
| 14 | The Faceless | Akeldama |
| 17 | Rammstein | Völkerball (CD/DVD) |
| 17 | Suidakra | Caledonia |
| 21 | Killswitch Engage | As Daylight Dies |
| 22 | Sentenced | Buried Alive (Live CD) |

### December

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Oomph! | Delikatessen |
| 6 | This Ending | Inside the Machine |
| 20 | Blinded Colony | Bedtime Prayers |