# 2020 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2020.

## Bands formed

* Act of Denial
* Bodom After Midnight
* Ov Sulfur

## Bands disbanded

* Abnormality
* Absu
* All Shall Perish
* Anathema (hiatus)
* Dream On, Dreamer
* Falconer
* Lynch Mob
* Morgoth
* Nachtmystium
* Obey the Brave
* SHVPES
* Slapshock
* Stone Sour (hiatus)
* Unlocking the Truth
* Van Halen

## Bands reformed

* Affiance
* The Amenta
* Attack Attack!
* Dark the Suns
* Darkwoods My Betrothed
* Forced Entry
* Genghis Tron
* I, the Breather
* To/Die/For
* Trail of Tears
* Vektor

## Deaths

* January 4 – Nick Blagona, recording engineer of multiple Deep Purple, Ian Gillan, and Rainbow albums, died from multiple organ failure at the age of 74.
* January 7 – Neil Peart, drummer of Rush, died from brain cancer at the age of 67.
* January 24 – Joe Payne, former bassist of Nile and Divine Heresy, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 35.
* January 24 – Sean Reinert, former drummer of Cynic and Death, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 48.
* January 26 – Santtu Lonka, former drummer of To/Die/For, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 41.
* January 27 – Reed Mullin, drummer of Corrosion of Conformity, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 53.
* January 31 – Josh Pappe, former bassist of D.R.I. and Gang Green, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 53.
* February 6 – Diego Farias, former guitarist of Volumes, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 27.
* February 24 – Justin Frear, former guitarist of Ultimatum, died from a heart attack at the age of 47.
* March 7 – Mikro Virdis, former drummer of Trick or Treat, died from a car crash at the age of 38.
* March 9 – Keith Olsen, former producer of numerous artists, including Bruce Dickinson, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, and Whitesnake, died from cardiac arrest at the age of 74.
* March 16 – Jason Rainey, former guitarist of Sacred Reich, died from a heart attack at the age of 53.
* March 24 – Bill Rieflin, former drummer of Ministry, KMFDM, and Revolting Cocks, died from cancer at the age of 59.
* March 28 – Lou A. Kouvaris, former guitarist of Riot, died from COVID-19 at the age of 66.
* April 21 – Derek Jones, guitarist of Falling in Reverse, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 35.
* April 26 – McKenzie Bell, former guitarist of He Is Legend, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 35.
* April 28 – Bob Fouts, former drummer of the Gates of Slumber and Burn It Down, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 45.
* May 13 – Derek Lawrence, former producer of Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash, and Quiet Riot, died from cancer at the age of 78.
* May 28 – Bob Kulick, former session guitarist of Kiss and W.A.S.P., died from heart disease at the age of 70.
* June 1 – Joey Image, former drummer of Misfits, died from liver cancer at the age of 63.
* June 9 – Paul Chapman, former guitarist of UFO and Waysted, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 66.
* June 16 – Yuji "You" Adachi, guitarist of Dead End, died from sepsis at the age of 56.
* July 16 – Jamie Oldaker, former drummer of Frehley's Comet, died from cancer at the age of 68.
* August 4 – Tony Costanza, former drummer of Machine Head and Crowbar, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 52.
* August 7 – Alan Peters, former bassist of Agnostic Front, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 55.
* August 9 – Martin Birch, producer and engineer for albums by Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 71.
* August 14 – Pete Way, former bassist of UFO, Michael Schenker Group, Fastway and Waysted, died from life-threatening injuries at the age of 69.
* August 18 – Jack Sherman, former guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 64.
* August 20 – Frankie Banali, drummer of Quiet Riot and former drummer of W.A.S.P., died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 68.
* August 24 – Riley Gale, vocalist of Power Trip, died from fentanyl overdose at the age of 34.
* August 25 – Enrique Maseda, vocalist of NJ Bloodline, died from undisclosed reasons.
* August 31 – Jay White, bassist of the Agony Scene, died from undisclosed reasons.
* September 5 – Greg Messick, guitarist of Intruder, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 55.
* September 19 – Lee Kerslake, former drummer of Ozzy Osbourne and Uriah Heep, died from prostate cancer at the age of 73.
* September 25 – Brent Young, former bassist of Trivium, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 37.
* September 26 – Mark Stone, former bassist of Van Halen, died from cancer.
* September 28 – Donny Hillier, vocalist of Trauma, died from undisclosed reasons.
* October 6 – Eddie Van Halen, guitarist of Van Halen, died from throat cancer at the age of 65.
* October 12 – Timo Ketola, also known as Davthvs, illustrator and cover artist for numerous metal bands, including Asphyx, Deathspell Omega, Dissection, Funeral Mist, Grave, Marduk, Opeth, Therion, and Watain, died from leukemia at the age of 45.
* October 21 – Marc Evans, former guitarist of Hecate Enthroned, died by suicide at the age of 48.
* November 4 – Ken Hensley, former keyboardist of Uriah Heep, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 75.
* November 25 – Aaron Melzer, former vocalist of Secrets, died from undisclosed reasons.
* November 26 – Jamir Garcia, vocalist of Slapshock, died from committing suicide by hanging at the age of 42.
* December 9 – Sean Malone, bassist of Cynic, died from committing suicide at the age of 50.
* December 22 – Leslie West, vocalist and guitarist of Mountain, died from cardiac arrest at the age of 75.
* December 29 – Alexi Laiho, vocalist and guitarist of Children of Bodom and Bodom After Midnight, died from alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver at the age of 41.

## Albums released
### January

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 3 | Stabbing Westward | Dead & Gone (EP) |
| 10 | Apocalyptica | Cell-0 |
| 10 | Haunt | Mind Freeze |
| 10 | Mystic Prophecy | Metal Division |
| 10 | Poppy | I Disagree |
| 10 | Rage | Wings of Rage |
| 17 | Antagonist A.D. | Through Fire (EP) |
| 17 | Bleed the Sky | This Way Lies Madness |
| 17 | British Lion | The Burning |
| 17 | Kaoteon | Kaoteon |
| 17 | Mark Morton | Ether (EP) |
| 17 | Odious Mortem | Synesthesia |
| 17 | Sons of Apollo | MMXX |
| 20 | Impiety | Versus All Gods |
| 24 | Annihilator | Ballistic, Sadistic |
| 24 | Breaking Benjamin | Aurora |
| 24 | Davey Suicide | Rock Ain't Dead |
| 24 | Dawn of Solace | Waves |
| 24 | Higher Power | 27 Miles Underwater |
| 24 | Jorn | Heavy Rock Radio II – Executing the Classics (covers album) |
| 24 | Kirk Windstein | Dream in Motion |
| 24 | Marko Hietala | Pyre of the Black Heart |
| 24 | Nero di Marte | Immoto |
| 24 | Novelists | Cèst La Vie |
| 24 | Pyogenesis | A Silent Soul Screams Loud |
| 24 | Temperance | Viridian |
| 24 | Thy Catafalque | Naiv |
| 29 | Lovebites | Electric Pentagram |
| 31 | Amberian Dawn | Looking for You |
| 31 | Clint Lowery | God Bless the Renegades |
| 31 | Gnaw | Barking Orders (EP) |
| 31 | Lordi | Killection |
| 31 | Lorna Shore | Immortal |
| 31 | Serenity | The Last Knight |
| 31 | Theory of a Deadman | Say Nothing |

### February

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 7 | Delain | Apocalypse & Chill |
| 7 | God Dethroned | Illuminati |
| 7 | Loathe | I Let It in and It Took Everything |
| 7 | Napalm Death | Logic Ravaged by Brute Force (EP) |
| 7 | Sepultura | Quadra |
| 7 | Stone Temple Pilots | Perdida |
| 7 | Sylosis | Cycle of Suffering |
| 14 | Anvil | Legal at Last |
| 14 | Diabulus in Musica | Euphonic Entropy |
| 14 | Hollywood Undead | New Empire, Vol. 1 |
| 14 | Ihsahn | Telemark (EP) |
| 14 | Kreator | London Apocalypticon – Live at the Roundhouse (DVD) |
| 14 | Kvelertak | Splid |
| 14 | Necrowretch | The Ones from Hell |
| 14 | Psychotic Waltz | The God-Shaped Void |
| 14 | Suicide Silence | Become the Hunter |
| 20 | Reflections | Willow |
| 21 | The Amity Affliction | Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them |
| 21 | Biff Byford | School of Hard Knocks |
| 21 | Demons & Wizards | III |
| 21 | H.E.A.T | H.E.A.T II |
| 21 | Lost Society | No Absolution |
| 21 | Mondo Generator | Fuck It |
| 21 | On Thorns I Lay | Threnos |
| 21 | Ozzy Osbourne | Ordinary Man |
| 21 | Polaris | The Death of Me |
| 21 | The Word Alive | Monomania |
| 28 | Beneath the Massacre | Fearmonger |
| 28 | Dark Fortress | Spectres from the Old World |
| 28 | Five Finger Death Punch | F8 |
| 28 | Intronaut | Fluid Existential Inversions |
| 28 | John Dolmayan | These Grey Men (covers album) |
| 28 | Neaera | Neaera |
| 28 | Nils Patrik Johansson | The Great Conspiracy |
| 28 | Shakra | Mad World |
| 28 | Today Is the Day | No Good to Anyone |
| 28 | Tombs | Monarchy of Shadows (EP) |

### March

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 6 | Allen/Olzon | Worlds Apart |
| 6 | Body Count | Carnivore |
| 6 | Crematory | Unbroken |
| 6 | Harem Scarem | Change the World |
| 6 | My Dying Bride | The Ghost of Orion |
| 6 | Ross the Boss | Born of Fire |
| 6 | Semblant | Obscura |
| 6 | Trauma | Ominous Black |
| 12 | Ded | Mannequin Eyes (EP) |
| 13 | Burzum | Thulêan Mysteries |
| 13 | Code Orange | Underneath |
| 13 | Conny Bloom | Game! Set! Bloom! |
| 13 | Gotthard | #13 |
| 13 | Haggard Cat | Common Sense Holiday |
| 13 | Invent Animate | Greyview |
| 13 | Stitched Up Heart | Darkness |
| 13 | Vulcano | Eye in Hell |
| 13 | Wolf | Feeding the Machine |
| 18 | Lynch | Ultima |
| 20 | Heaven Shall Burn | Of Truth and Sacrifice |
| 20 | Lucifer | Lucifer III |
| 20 | Myrkur | Folkesange |
| 20 | Thanatos | Violent Death Rituals |
| 20 | VV | Gothica Fennica, Vol. 1 (EP) |
| 23 | Old Man Gloom | Seminar IX: Darkness of Being |
| 26 | Nine Inch Nails | Ghosts V: Together |
| 26 | Nine Inch Nails | Ghosts VI: Locusts |
| 27 | Ayreon | Electric Castle Live and Other Tales (live album) |
| 27 | Candlemass | The Pendulum (EP) |
| 27 | Deranged | Deeds of Ruthless Violence |
| 27 | Disbelief | The Ground Collapses |
| 27 | Igorrr | Spirituality and Distortion |
| 27 | In This Moment | Mother |
| 27 | Mamaleek | Come & See |
| 27 | Parkway Drive | Viva the Underdogs (live album) |

### April

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Necrodeath | Neraka (EP) |
| 3 | Ad Infinitum | Chapter I: Monarchy |
| 3 | August Burns Red | Guardians |
| 3 | Blaze Bayley | Live in Czech (live album) |
| 3 | Bonfire | Fistful of Fire |
| 3 | Conception | State of Deception |
| 3 | Dynazty | The Dark Delight |
| 3 | Red | Declaration |
| 3 | Testament | Titans of Creation |
| 3 | WVRM | Colony Collapse |
| 10 | Archgoat | Black Mass XXX (live album) |
| 10 | Azusa | Loop of Yesterdays |
| 10 | Benighted | Obscene Repressed |
| 10 | Dream On, Dreamer | What If I Told You It Doesn't Get Better |
| 10 | Metal Church | From the Vault (compilation album) |
| 10 | Nightwish | Human. :II: Nature. |
| 15 | Outrage | Run Riot |
| 17 | Aborted | La Grande Mascarade (EP) |
| 17 | Abysmal Dawn | Phylogenesis |
| 17 | The Black Dahlia Murder | Verminous |
| 17 | Cadaver | D.G.A.F. (EP) |
| 17 | Khemmis | Doomed Heavy Metal (EP) |
| 17 | Myrath | Live in Carthage (live album) |
| 17 | Oranssi Pazuzu | Mestarin Kynsi |
| 17 | Turmion Kätilöt | Global Warning |
| 22 | Matenrou Opera | Chronos (EP) |
| 24 | Axel Rudi Pell | Sign of the Times |
| 24 | Cirith Ungol | Forever Black |
| 24 | Danzig | Danzig Sings Elvis (covers album) |
| 24 | Elder | Omens |
| 24 | Katatonia | City Burials |
| 24 | Mantric | False Negative |
| 24 | Trick or Treat | The Legend of the XII Saints |
| 24 | Trivium | What the Dead Men Say |
| 24 | Ulcerate | Stare into Death and Be Still |
| 24 | Warbringer | Weapons of Tomorrow |

### May

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Havok | V |
| 1 | Killswitch Engage | Atonement II: B-Sides for Charity (EP) |
| 1 | Orange Goblin | Rough & Ready, Live & Loud (live album) |
| 1 | Vader | Solitude in Madness |
| 1 | Witchcraft | Black Metal |
| 8 | ...And Oceans | Cosmic World Mother |
| 8 | Brant Bjork | Brant Bjork |
| 8 | Destruction | Born to Thrash – Live in Germany (live album) |
| 8 | Forgotten Tomb | Nihilistic Estrangement |
| 8 | Green Carnation | Leaves of Yesteryear |
| 8 | Mekong Delta | Tales of a Future Past |
| 8 | Naglfar | Cerecloth |
| 8 | Oathbreaker | Ease Me & 4 Interpretations (EP) |
| 8 | Secrets of the Moon | Black House |
| 8 | Winterfylleth | The Reckoning Dawn |
| 15 | Abramelin | Never Enough Snuff |
| 15 | AC×DC | Satan Is King |
| 15 | Asking Alexandria | Like a House on Fire |
| 15 | Binary Code | Memento Mori |
| 15 | Firewind | Firewind |
| 15 | Paradise Lost | Obsidian |
| 15 | Ravenscry | 100 |
| 15 | Tokyo Blade | Dark Revolution |
| 15 | Triptykon | Requiem (Live at Roadburn 2019) (live album) |
| 15 | Voodoo Gods | The Divinity of Blood |
| 22 | Caligula's Horse | Rise Radiant |
| 22 | Crossfaith | Species (EP) |
| 22 | Fairyland | Osyrhianta |
| 22 | Killitorous | The Afterparty |
| 22 | Old Man Gloom | Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning |
| 22 | Oz | Forced Commandments |
| 22 | Revenge | Strike.Smother.Dehumanize |
| 22 | Sinister | Deformation of the Holy Realm |
| 22 | Soulfly | Live Ritual NYC MMXIX (EP) |
| 27 | Novelbright | Wonderland |
| 29 | Acârash | Descend to Purity |
| 29 | Alestorm | Curse of the Crystal Coconut |
| 29 | Behemoth | A Forest (EP) |
| 29 | Bleed from Within | Fracture |
| 29 | Centinex | Death in Pieces |
| 29 | Def Leppard | London to Vegas (live album) |
| 29 | Grave Digger | Fields of Blood |
| 29 | Sorcerer | Lamenting of the Innocent |
| 29 | Xibalba | Años en Infierno |

### June

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 5 | 16 | Dream Squasher |
| 5 | The Ghost Inside | The Ghost Inside |
| 11 | Power Trip | Live in Seattle – 05.28.2018 (live album) |
| 12 | Anonymus | La Bestia |
| 12 | Behold... The Arctopus | Hapeleptic Overtrove |
| 12 | BPMD | American Made (covers album) |
| 12 | Clint Lowery | Grief & Distance (EP) |
| 12 | Lord | Chaos Raining (EP) |
| 12 | Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall | We Are the Night |
| 12 | Michael Angelo Batio | More Machine Than Man |
| 17 | SiM | Thank God, There Are Hundreds of Ways to Kill Enemies |
| 18 | Protest the Hero | Palimpsest |
| 19 | Alarum | Circle's End |
| 19 | Beyond the Black | Hørizøns |
| 19 | Cro-Mags | In the Beginning |
| 19 | Eisregen | Leblos |
| 19 | Lamb of God | Lamb of God |
| 19 | Make Them Suffer | How to Survive a Funeral |
| 19 | Mushroomhead | A Wonderful Life |
| 19 | Rise of the Northstar | Live in Paris (EP) |
| 19 | Spirit Adrift | Angel & Abyss Redux EP (EP) |
| 19 | The Sword | Chronology 2006–2018 (compilation album) |
| 19 | The Sword | Conquest of Kingdoms (compilation album) |
| 19 | Trapt | Shadow Work |
| 19 | Trash Talk | Squalor (EP) |
| 22 | Al-Namrood | Wala'at |
| 25 | Thomas Giles | Feel Better (EP) |
| 26 | Ahab | Live Prey (live album) |
| 26 | Carach Angren | Franckensteina Strataemontanus |
| 26 | Emmure | Hindsight |
| 26 | Falconer | From a Dying Ember |
| 26 | Ice Nine Kills | Undead & Unplugged: Live from the Overlook Hotel (EP) |
| 26 | Long Distance Calling | How Do We Want to Live? |
| 26 | Mantar | Grungetown Hooligans II (covers album) |
| 26 | Mike Lepond's Silent Assassins | Whore of Babylon |
| 26 | Paysage d'Hiver | Im Wald |
| 26 | Pyrrhon | Abscess Time |
| 26 | Wino | Forever Gone |

### July

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 3 | Boris | NO |
| 3 | Bury Tomorrow | Cannibal |
| 3 | Haunt | Flashback |
| 3 | Henry Derek Elis | All the Pretty Little Horses (EP) |
| 3 | Jesu | Never (EP) |
| 3 | Khemmis | More Songs About Death, Vol. 1 (EP) |
| 3 | Poltergeist | Feather of Truth |
| 3 | Powerwolf | Best of the Blessed (compilation album) |
| 10 | Crown the Empire | 07102010 |
| 10 | Ensiferum | Thalassic |
| 10 | Enuff Z'Nuff | Brainwashed Generation |
| 10 | Kiko Loureiro | Open Source |
| 10 | Static-X | Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 |
| 10 | Voivod | The End of Dormancy (EP) |
| 17 | Dark Sarah | Grim |
| 17 | U.D.O. | We Are One |
| 24 | The Acacia Strain | Slow Decay |
| 24 | Angband | IV |
| 24 | Defeated Sanity | The Sanguinary Impetus |
| 24 | Haken | Virus |
| 24 | Judicator | Let There Be Nothing |
| 24 | Primal Fear | Metal Commando |
| 24 | Valkyrie | Fear |
| 31 | Alcatrazz | Born Innocent |
| 31 | Anneke van Giersbergen | Let the Light In (live album) |
| 31 | Dee Snider | For the Love of Metal Live! (live album) |
| 31 | Disavowed | Revocation of the Fallen |
| 31 | Imperial Triumphant | Alphaville |
| 31 | Katalepsy | Terra Mortuus Est |
| 31 | Lionheart | The Reality of Miracles |
| 31 | Septicflesh | Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX (live album) |
| 31 | Upon a Burning Body | Built from War (EP) |

### August

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 5 | Crystal Lake | The Voyages |
| 7 | Avatar | Hunter Gatherer |
| 7 | Batushka | Раскол/Raskol (EP) |
| 7 | Black Crown Initiate | Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape |
| 7 | Blue Öyster Cult | 45th Anniversary – Live in London (live album) |
| 7 | Deep Purple | Whoosh! |
| 7 | In Hearts Wake | Kaliyuga |
| 7 | Krallice | Mass Cathexis |
| 7 | Lord of the Lost | Swan Songs III |
| 7 | Messiah | Fatal Grotesque Symbols – Darken Universe (EP) |
| 7 | Misery Signals | Ultraviolet |
| 7 | Onslaught | Generation Antichrist |
| 7 | Steve Von Till | No Wilderness Deep Enough |
| 14 | Halestorm | Reimagined (EP) |
| 14 | Ingested | Where Only Gods May Tread |
| 14 | Kamelot | I Am the Empire – Live from the 013 (live album) |
| 14 | Primitive Man | Immersion |
| 21 | Buried Alive | Death Will Find You (EP) |
| 21 | Hed PE | Class of 2020 |
| 21 | Incantation | Sect of Vile Divinities |
| 21 | Mad Max | Stormchild Rising |
| 21 | The Obsessed | Live at Big Dipper (live album) |
| 21 | Unleash the Archers | Abyss |
| 21 | Vicious Rumors | Celebration Decay |
| 28 | Dokken | The Lost Songs: 1978–1981 (compilation album) |
| 28 | John Petrucci | Terminal Velocity |
| 28 | Metallica | S&M2 (live album) |
| 28 | Pain of Salvation | Panther |
| 28 | Pig Destroyer | The Octagonal Stairway (EP) |
| 28 | Powerman 5000 | The Noble Rot |
| 28 | Seether | Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum |
| 28 | Shattered Sun | Bled for You |
| 28 | Ulver | Flowers of Evil |
| 28 | Venom | Sons of Satan (compilation album) |
| 28 | Venomous Concept | Politics Versus the Erection |

### September

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 4 | Cloudkicker | Solitude |
| 4 | Code Orange | Under the Skin (live album) |
| 4 | Oceans of Slumber | Oceans of Slumber |
| 4 | Stryper | Even the Devil Believes |
| 11 | Epica | The Quantum Enigma B-Sides (compilation album) |
| 11 | Ihsahn | Pharos (EP) |
| 11 | Marilyn Manson | We Are Chaos |
| 11 | Mastodon | Medium Rarities (compilation album) |
| 11 | Messiah | Fracmont |
| 11 | Uniform | Shame |
| 18 | Ace Frehley | Origins Vol. 2 (covers album) |
| 18 | Derek Sherinian | The Phoenix |
| 18 | Finntroll | Vredesvävd |
| 18 | Fit for a King | The Path |
| 18 | Heathen | Empire of the Blind |
| 18 | Napalm Death | Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism |
| 18 | Raven | Metal City |
| 18 | StillWell | Supernatural Miracle |
| 23 | Ewigkeit | 23 (EP) |
| 25 | Alpha Wolf | A Quiet Place to Die |
| 25 | Ayreon | Transitus |
| 25 | Cristian Machado | Hollywood Y Sycamore |
| 25 | Deftones | Ohms |
| 25 | Hittman | Destroy All Humans |
| 25 | Kat | The Last Convoy |
| 25 | Kataklysm | Unconquered |
| 25 | Obsidian Kingdom | Meat Machine |
| 25 | The Ocean | Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic |
| 25 | Svalbard | When I Die, Will I Get Better? |

### October

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Greg Puciato | Child Soldier: Creator of God |
| 2 | Amaranthe | Manifest |
| 2 | Anaal Nathrakh | Endarkenment |
| 2 | Corey Taylor | CMFT |
| 2 | DevilDriver | Dealing with Demons I |
| 2 | Enslaved | Utgard |
| 2 | Gotthard | Steve Lee – The Eyes of a Tiger: In Memory of Our Unforgotten Friend |
| 2 | Iron Angel | Emerald Eyes |
| 2 | Nachtblut | Vanitas |
| 2 | Silentium | Motiva |
| 2 | Six Feet Under | Nightmares of the Decomposed |
| 2 | Sumac | May You Be Held |
| 9 | Blue Öyster Cult | The Symbol Remains |
| 9 | Death Angel | Under Pressure (EP) |
| 9 | Five Finger Death Punch | A Decade of Destruction, Volume 2 (compilation album) |
| 9 | King Parrot | Holed Up in the Lair (EP) |
| 9 | Necrophobic | Dawn of the Damned |
| 9 | The Unguided | Father Shadow |
| 9 | Venom Prison | Primeval |
| 9 | Wolves at the Gate | Dawn (EP) |
| 16 | Benediction | Scriptures |
| 16 | Skálmöld | 10 Year Anniversary: Live in Reykjavík (live album) |
| 16 | Sons of Otis | Isolation |
| 16 | Spirit Adrift | Enlightened in Eternity |
| 16 | Tommy Lee | Andro |
| 21 | Marty Friedman | Tokyo Jukebox 3 |
| 21 | Mors Principium Est | Seven |
| 23 | Armored Saint | Punching the Sky |
| 23 | Earth Groans | Waste (EP) |
| 23 | Fever 333 | Wrong Generation (EP) |
| 23 | HammerFall | Live! Against the World (live album) |
| 23 | Leaves' Eyes | The Last Viking |
| 23 | Pallbearer | Forgotten Days |
| 23 | Raging Speedhorn | Hard to Kill |
| 23 | Rusty Eye | Dissecting Shadows |
| 23 | Saul | Rise as Equals |
| 23 | Sevendust | Blood & Stone |
| 23 | Zeal & Ardor | Wake of a Nation (EP) |
| 24 | Infectious Grooves | Take U on a Ride (EP) |
| 30 | Autopsy | Live in Chicago (live album) |
| 30 | Black Stone Cherry | The Human Condition |
| 30 | Botanist | Photosynthesis |
| 30 | Bring Me the Horizon | Post Human: Survival Horror (EP) |
| 30 | Carcass | Despicable (EP) |
| 30 | Convulse | Deathstar |
| 30 | Draconian | Under a Godless Veil |
| 30 | Evildead | United $tate$ of Anarchy |
| 30 | I Prevail | Post Traumatic (live album) |
| 30 | Ice Nine Kills | I Heard They KILL Live!! (live album) |
| 30 | Like Moths to Flames | No Eternity in Gold |
| 30 | Mr. Bungle | The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo |
| 30 | Stabbing Westward | Hallowed Hymns (EP) |
| 30 | Tom Morello | Comandante (EP) |
| 30 | Visions of Atlantis | A Symphonic Journey to Remember (live album) |
| 30 | Wytch Hazel | III: Pentecost |

### November

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 6 | Black Tusk | Years in Black (compilation album) |
| 6 | Celebrity Sex Scandal | The Fundamental |
| 6 | Fates Warning | Long Day Good Night |
| 6 | Jeff Scott Soto | Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) |
| 6 | Lionheart | Live at Summer Breeze (live album) |
| 6 | Lords of Black | Alchemy of Souls – Part I |
| 6 | Loudblast | Manifesto |
| 6 | Sólstafir | Endless Twilight of Codependent Love |
| 7 | Jucifer | نظم |
| 12 | Mina Caputo | The Mones |
| 13 | Intervals | Circadian |
| 13 | Jesu | Terminus |
| 13 | Katatonia | Dead Air (live album) |
| 13 | King 810 | AK Concerto No. 47, 11th Movement in G Major |
| 13 | L.A. Guns | Renegades |
| 13 | Macabre | Carnival of Killers |
| 13 | Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons | We're the Bastards |
| 13 | Pyramaze | Epitaph |
| 13 | Soulburn | Noa's D'ark |
| 20 | Communic | Hiding from the World |
| 20 | Contrarian | Only Time Will Tell |
| 20 | Dark Tranquillity | Moment |
| 20 | Ellefson | No Cover (covers album) |
| 20 | Fuck the Facts | Pleine Noirceur |
| 20 | Inquisition | Black Mass for a Mass Grave |
| 20 | Iron Maiden | Nights of the Dead, Legacy of the Beast: Live in Mexico City (live album) |
| 20 | Jinjer | Alive in Melbourne (live album) |
| 20 | Killer Be Killed | Reluctant Hero |
| 20 | Liturgy | Origin of the Alimonies |
| 20 | My Dying Bride | Macabre Cabaret (EP) |
| 20 | Nader Sadek | The Serapeum (EP) |
| 20 | Thrown into Exile | Illusion of Control |
| 20 | Tombs | Under Sullen Skies |
| 27 | Azarath | Saint Desecration |
| 27 | Cadaver | Edder & Bile |
| 27 | Defiance | Checkmate: The Demo Collection (compilation album) |
| 27 | Dream Theater | Distant Memories – Live in London (live album) |
| 27 | Hatebreed | Weight of the False Self |
| 27 | Horse the Band | Your Fault (EP) |
| 27 | Morgan Rose | Controlled Chaos (EP) |
| 27 | Psycroptic | The Watcher of All (EP) |
| 27 | Scour | Black (EP) |
| 27 | Sodom | Genesis XIX |
| 27 | Within the Ruins | Black Heart |

### December

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 4 | Deafheaven | 10 Years Gone (live album) |
| 4 | Gama Bomb | Sea Savage |
| 4 | Hollywood Undead | New Empire, Vol. 2 |
| 4 | Iron Mask | Master of Masters |
| 4 | Iron Savior | Skycrest |
| 4 | Persuader | Necromancy |
| 4 | Soilwork | A Whisp of the Atlantic (EP) |
| 9 | Wes Borland | The Astral Hand |
| 11 | Chris Cornell | No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1 (covers album) |
| 11 | Cro-Mags | 2020 (EP) |
| 11 | Deeds of Flesh | Nucleus |
| 16 | Nocturnal Bloodlust | The Wasteland (EP) |
| 18 | A Sound of Thunder | Parallel Eternity |
| 18 | Ashes of Ares | Throne of Iniquity (EP) |
| 18 | Grayceon | Mothers Weavers Vultures |
| 24 | Batushka | Black Liturgy (live album) |
| 24 | Papa Roach | 20/20 (EP) |
| 25 | Hate Forest | Hour of the Centaur |