# 2011 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2011.

## Bands disbanded

* Ark
* Dawn of Retribution
* Devian
* Dismember
* Elexorien
* The Famine
* Five Star Prison Cell
* God Dethroned
* Haste the Day
* Hell Within
* Jag Panzer
* Lifelover
* Ludicra
* Machine Men
* Metalium
* Oceans of Sadness
* Symphorce

## Bands reformed

* At the Gates
* Black Sabbath
* Coal Chamber
* I Killed the Prom Queen
* Ministry
* Morgion
* Nocte Obducta
* Still Remains
* System of a Down

## Events

* April – Keyboardist Per Wiberg leaves Opeth as "part of a mutual decision with the band", after finishing recording.
* 5 June – New Zealand authorities confiscate Cradle of Filth's T-shirts which depict a nude nun and the words "Jesus Is A Cunt".
* 17 June –Coroner played one of their first reunion shows during Hellfest, June 17–19, 2011 in Clisson, France.
* Judas Priest begin their Epitaph World Tour. Despite this, the band insist that they are not going to break up. However, founding member K. K. Downing later retires from the band. Judas Priest also stated "Having thought long and hard about how to proceed, Rob, Glenn, Ian and Scott unanimously agreed that they should go ahead with the tour and not let the fans down around the world". Thirty-one-year-old British guitar player Richie Faulkner was announced as the replacement, but the press release did not state if it is on a permanent basis.
* Morgoth begin a festival tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1991 album, Cursed.
* Slipknot launch their first tour without bassist Paul Gray, who died in May 2010. This
* Acid Reign release their remasters of Moshkinstein, The Fear and Obnoxious on January 17, 2011 on CD and digital download. All remastered by the Bill Metoyer.
* Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy forms an as-yet-unnamed project with Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, Deep Purple), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev, Endochine) and Dave LaRue (Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs). Portnoy is also touring with a Beatles cover band called Yellow Matter Custard.
* Warbringer's drummer and founding member Nic Ritter leaves the band.
* Bury Your Dead announces the departure of Myke Terry and return of Mat Bruso.
* On January 8, 2011 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner was arrested for shooting and killing six bystanders in Tucson, Arizona, and injuring 14 others. The Washington Post noted that Loughner's YouTube channel had only one clip; a fan-made music video for the controversial Drowning Pool song titled "Bodies." Other members of the media also suggested that his music tastes affected his behavior, including political commentator Rush Limbaugh who was quoted saying, "The guy listened to heavy metal, and some of that anarchist stuff. We're dealing with an insane individual." Drowning Pool responded to these allegations by claiming that the song was written about the camaraderie seen in mosh pits, and is in no way a violent song.
* The original long-running guitarist for Dutch metal band Vengeance died due to a heart attack at his home in Mierlo, The Netherlands.
* Doom metal band Cathedral have announced they will disband after releasing another album in 2012.
* Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis, and underwent emergency surgery on his right arm. On Saturday April 23, Jeff Hanneman made a surprise stage return in Indio, CA. He came out during the 2 song encore unannounced, and delighted a crowd of roughly 50,000. Jeff commented afterwards that, "I'm the happiest man in the world."
* Iron Maiden wins their first Grammy award in the category of Best Metal Performance for the song "El Dorado" from their latest album The Final Frontier.
* Nevermore bassist Jim Sheppard went under a brain surgery to remove a "benign brain tumor".
* Blinded Colony changed their band name once again (previously Stigmata) to The Blinded.
* After searching for over a year, DragonForce founded 23-year-old Marc Hudson as their new vocalist.
* Vocalist Matt Barlow leaves Iced Earth again for personal reasons.
* Vocalist Anette Olzon of Nightwish broke a couple ribs from slipping on her son's toys.
* Niclas Engelin, officially rejoins In Flames.
* The Red Chord once again parts ways with their drummer Michael Justian.
* Corey Taylor has announced that Slipknot would not be recording for a while due to bassist Paul Gray's death. He said to Undercover.com.au, "I don't see it happening. And if it does, it'll be way way down the line. There is a such a huge piece missing now. A piece so huge that the fans can't even understand." Slipknot have also announced their bass guitar touring replacement is their original guitarist Donnie Steele.
* Paul Di'Anno (ex -Iron Maiden) was charged with 8 counts of benefits fraud of £45,000 (€53,000, $72,000). He claimed to have nerve damage in his back and the Department for Work and Pensions got a tip from an anonymous tipper who said he was jumping around on stage. The Department for Work and Pensions gave him four and a half months in jail and took his property. He was released from jail in March 2011.
* Origin recruited Jason Keyser (Skinless) as their new vocalist.
* Manowar cause a blackout in Cleveland, Ohio, United States while performing a sound-check on March 11. A whole city block lost electricity and was not back in service for another 24 hours. Manowar had backup generators so the show was able to continue.
* Iced Earth announced their replacement for Matt Barlow as Stu Block (Into Eternity).
* Aspera were forced to change their band name to Above Symmetry due to a lawsuit over right to the name by American indie rock band Aspera.
* Legion of the Damned guitarist Richard Ebisch left the band due to health issues.
* Shining announced the departure of guitarist Fredric Gråby, and his replacement as temporary bassist Christian Larsson who is also now announced as a full-time member.
* Nevermore announced the departure of original members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams.
* After some speculation, Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan announced his departure from the band.
* Sinister parted ways with drummer Edwin van den Eeden, guitarist Alex Paul, and bassist Joost van der Graaf. Three days later Sinister announces Toep Duin on drums, guitarist Bastiaan Brussaard, and bassist/guitarist Dennis Hartog.
* ICS Vortex returned to Borknagar as a second vocalist.
* Dream Theater announced their replacement for Mike Portnoy as Mike Mangini (ex-Steve Vai, ex-Extreme, ex-Annihilator).
* IWrestledABearOnce changed their genre to black metal as a joke.
* Jon Levasseur rejoined Cryptopsy for work on their upcoming record.
* Bison B.C. part ways with original drummer Brad McKinnon.
* X Japan released Jade, their first worldwide single.
* Lead vocalist Keith Caputo of alternative metal band Life of Agony changed her name to Keith Mina Caputo, and her gender from male to female.
* Mayhem bassist Necrobutcher appeared on Norwegian television station NRK, to exorcise the demon within himself.
* Tarja Turunen announced her participation in a new musical group, entitled "Harus".
* A reporter from England's Birmingham Mail erroneously announced that Black Sabbath would reunite to write a new album based on an off-the-record statement made months prior by Tony Iommi. In his statement denouncing the reformation of the band, Iommi said he was just "shooting the breeze" with the reporter and the band is not reforming.
* Roadrunner Records has announced they have signed progressive rock outfit Rush.
* Skitzo performed at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California, for their 30th anniversary on October 8.
* After 23 years of playing, Dismember decided to call it quits on October 15, 2011.
* Original vocalist of Exhorder Kyle Thomas and guitarist Jay Ceravolo quit the band. Kyle also stated "I wish all of my brothers involved well and good luck in whatever the future brings them, whether or not Exhorder continues."
* Frontman, guitarist and founding member Helmuth Lehner (Belphegor) had "a serious and difficult operation", and therefore Belphegor ceased all activity until May 2012.
* After 13 years with the band, guitarist Johan Hallgren leaves Pain of Salvation to focus on his family-life.
* Decapitated survive an emergency plane landing in Warsaw. They were flying back to Poland from the United States, when they needed to make an emergency landing when the landing gear failed to operate. They have also cancelled all forthcoming festival dates.
* The two guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold of heavy metal outfit Chimaira announced their departure of the band. They are replaced by Jeremy Creamer (Dååth) on bass guitar and Matt Szlachta (ex-Dirge Within) on rhythm guitar.
* Power Quest announced new front-man/vocalist Colin Callanan.
* Drummer Paul Bostaph left Testament, and started a collaboration with ex-Anthrax vocalist Dan Nelson.
* Darkest Hour replaced their drummer Ryan Parrish with Timothy Java (ex-Dead to Fall).
* Cannabis Corpse lost their two members; vocalist Andy "Weedgrinder" Horn and guitarist Nick "Nikropolis" Poulos.
* Blood Red Throne announced vocalist Yngve Bolt Christiansen (Goddamn) and bassist Erlend Caspersen (Horizon Ablaze) as their newest members.

## Deaths

* January 7 – Phil Kennemore, bassist of Y&T, died from lung cancer at the age of 57.
* January 13 – Dirk "Strahli" Strahlmeier, former guitarist of Sodom, died of complications from a drug overdose.
* January 17 – Didier Bernoussi, former guitarist of Warning, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 54.
* January 28 – Jan Somers, guitarist of Vengeance, died from a heart attack at the age of 46.
* February 6 – Gary Moore, former guitarist of Thin Lizzy, died from a heart attack while on holiday in Spain at the age of 58.
* February 17 – Phil Vane, former vocalist of Extreme Noise Terror and Napalm Death, died from a stroke at the age of 46.
* March 8 – Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr, former bassist of Alice in Chains, died from a prescription drug overdose at the age of 44.
* March 22 – Frankie Sparcello, bassist of Exhorder, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 40.
* April 4 – Scott Columbus, former drummer of Manowar, died by suicide at the age of 54.
* April 20 – Matt LaPorte, former guitarist of Circle II Circle and Jon Oliva's Pain, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 40.
* June 11 – Seth Putnam, vocalist of Anal Cunt, died from a heart attack at the age of 43.
* June 13 – Mario Comesanas, DJ for Liquid Metal and writer for Revolver, died from a sudden brain hemorrhage at the age of 30.
* July 9 – Michael Burston (a.k.a. Würzel), guitarist of Motörhead, died from ventricular fibrillation triggered by cardiomyopathy at the age of 61.
* July 17 – Taiji Sawada, former bassist of X Japan and Loudness, died from complications arising from a suicide attempt at the age of 45.
* August 3 – Andrew McDermott, former vocalist of Threshold, died from kidney failure after being in a four-day coma at the age of 45.
* August 11 – Jani Lane, former lead vocalist of Warrant, died from alcohol poisoning at the age of 47.
* September 9 – Jonas Bergqvist (a.k.a. B), guitarist and vocalist of Lifelover died of unknown causes at the age of 25.
* September 21 – John Du Cann, former guitarist, bassist and vocalist of Atomic Rooster, died from a heart attack at the age of 65.
* November 2 – Cory Smoot (a.k.a. Flattus Maximus), guitarist of GWAR, died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease at the age of 34.
* December 22 – David Gold, guitarist and vocalist of Woods of Ypres, died in a car accident near Barrie, ON, Canada at the age of 31.

## Films

* Nightwish is releasing a movie entitled Imaginaerum the same as their up-coming album. In a press release they described it as "a music fantasy – film based on the forthcoming Nightwish album of the same title and its 13 songs. The protagonist of the film is a songwriter with an otherworldly imagination. He is an old man who still thinks he's a young boy. While asleep he travels into his distant past where his dreams of old come back to him mixed to the young boy's world of fantasy and music. In his dreams the old man fights to find the memories most important to him."

## Albums released
### January

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Universum | Mortuus Machina |
| 7 | Axenstar | Aftermath |
| 7 | Legion of the Damned | Descent Into Chaos |
| 11 | Anal Cunt | Fuckin' A |
| 11 | Kryoburn | Three Years Eclipsed |
| 11 | Megasus | Menace Of The Universe |
| 12 | myGRAIN | myGRAIN |
| 12 | Stratovarius | Elysium |
| 14 | Belphegor | Blood Magick Necromance |
| 17 | Desultory | Counting Our Scars |
| 17 | Silent Stream of Godless Elegy | Návaz |
| 18 | Times of Grace | The Hymn of a Broken Man |
| 21 | Sirenia | The Enigma of Life |
| 21 | Mr. Big | What If... |
| 24 | Allfader | Black Blood Flux |
| 24 | Architects | The Here and Now |
| 25 | The Bronx Casket Co. | Antihero |
| 25 | Ulcerate | The Destroyers of All |
| 26 | Battlelore | Doombound |
| 26 | Hibria | Blind Ride |
| 26 | Power Quest | Blood Alliance |
| 28 | Onslaught | Sounds Of Violence |
| 31 | Macabre | Grim Scary Tales |
| 31 | Six Feet Under | Wake The Night! Live in Germany (DVD) |

### February

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Abysmal Dawn | Leveling The Plane of Existence |
| 1 | Full Blown Chaos | Full Blown Chaos |
| 1 | Thomas Giles | Pulse |
| 1 | Lazarus A.D. | Black Rivers Flow |
| 1 | Most Precious Blood | Do Not Resuscitate |
| 1 | Red | Until We Have Faces |
| 1 | Stryper | The Covering (cover album) |
| 2 | Ajattara | Murhat |
| 4 | Korpiklaani | Ukon Wacka |
| 7 | Vreid | V |
| 8 | Crowbar | Sever the Wicked Hand |
| 9 | Kypck | Lower |
| 10 | The Eternal | Under a New Sun |
| 12 | Aurora Borealis | Timeline: The Beginning And End Of Everything |
| 14 | Ava Inferi | Onyx |
| 14 | Cauldron | Burning Fortune |
| 14 | Dornenreich | Flammentriebe |
| 14 | Lifelover | Sjukdom |
| 14 | The Project Hate | Bleeding The New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis In Manibus Armis) |
| 15 | Deicide | To Hell with God |
| 15 | Dr. Acula | Slander |
| 15 | Emmure | Speaker of the Dead |
| 15 | The Famine | The Architects of Guilt |
| 15 | Impiety | Worshippers of the Seventh Tyranny |
| 15 | Impiety | Advent of... (EP) |
| 15 | Neuraxis | Asylon |
| 15 | Orchid | Capricorn |
| 15 | Ralf Scheepers | Scheepers |
| 15 | Svartsyn | Wrath Upon the Earth |
| 16 | Coldrain | The Enemy Inside |
| 18 | Benedictum | Dominion |
| 18 | Betzefer | Freedom to the Slave Makers |
| 18 | Dalriada | Ígéret |
| 19 | Tygers of Pan Tang | The Spellbound Sessions (EP) |
| 21 | Long Distance Calling | Long Distance Calling |
| 21 | Moonsorrow | Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa |
| 22 | Darkest Hour | The Human Romance |
| 22 | DevilDriver | Beast |
| 22 | Earth | Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I |
| 22 | Evergrey | Glorious Collision |
| 22 | Ravens Creed | Nestless and Wild (EP) |
| 23 | Dia De Los Muertos | Satánico Dramático |
| 23 | Turisas | Stand Up and Fight |
| 25 | Before the Dawn | Deathstar Rising |
| 25 | Deadlock | Bizarro World |
| 25 | Die Apokalyptischen Reiter | Moral And Wahnsinn |
| 25 | Doomsword | The Eternal Battle |
| 25 | Mercenary | Metamorphosis |
| 25 | Nightmare | One Night Of Insurrection (live DVD/CD) |
| 25 | One Man Army and the Undead Quartet | The Dark Epic |
| 25 | Serenity | Death & Legacy |
| 25 | Thunderbolt | Dung Idols |
| 25 | Visions of Atlantis | Delta |
| 25 | Wolfchant | Call Of The Black Winds |
| 28 | Destruction | Day Of Reckoning |
| 28 | Jag Panzer | The Scourge of the Light |

### March

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Grayceon | AII We Destroy |
| 1 | Omnium Gatherum | New World Shadows |
| 1 | Scale the Summit | The Collective |
| 1 | Weedeater | Jason...The Dragon |
| 2 | Children of Bodom | Relentless Reckless Forever |
| 3 | Rudra | Brahmavidya: Immortal I |
| 4 | Agnostic Front | My Life My Way |
| 4 | Grave Digger | Ballad Of Mary (EP) |
| 7 | Burzum | Fallen |
| 7 | Grave Digger | The Clans Are Still Marching (live DVD/CD) |
| 8 | The Amenta | VO1d (EP) |
| 8 | The Human Abstract | Digital Veil |
| 8 | Scott Weinrich | Adrift |
| 11 | Negură Bunget | Focul Viu (DVD) |
| 11 | Sylosis | Edge of the Earth |
| 15 | Cage | The Rise to Power (DVD) |
| 15 | Cannibal Corpse | Global Evisceration (DVD) |
| 15 | Mastodon | Live At The Aragon (live CD/DVD) |
| 15 | Rotten Sound | Cursed |
| 15 | Salt the Wound | Kill the Crown |
| 15 | Trap Them | Darker Handcraft |
| 17 | The Moon and the Nightspirit | Mohalepte |
| 18 | Avantasia | The Flying Opera |
| 18 | Bloodbound | Unholy Cross |
| 18 | Mindflow | With Bare Hands |
| 18 | Tokyo Blade | Thousand Men Strong |
| 18 | U.D.O. | Rev Raptor |
| 21 | Benighted | Asylum Cave |
| 21 | Artillery | My Blood |
| 21 | The Haunted | Unseen |
| 21 | Soundgarden | Live on I-5 (live) |
| 22 | Born of Osiris | The Discovery |
| 22 | Eyehategod | Live (DVD) |
| 22 | Protest the Hero | Scurrilous |
| 22 | TesseracT | One |
| 25 | Chaos Divine | The Human Connection |
| 25 | Debauchery | Germany's Next Death Metal |
| 25 | Divinefire | Eye of the Storm |
| 25 | Imperia | Secret Passion |
| 25 | Kampfar | Mare |
| 25 | Suidakra | Book of Dowth |
| 25 | Vintersorg | Jordpuls |
| 25 | Whitesnake | Forevermore |
| 25 | Within Temptation | The Unforgiving |
| 25 | Wizard | ...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes |
| 28 | Vicious Rumors | Razorback Killers |
| 28 | Blackfield | Welcome to my DNA |
| 29 | Amon Amarth | Surtur Rising |
| 29 | Becoming the Archetype | Celestial Completion |
| 29 | Between the Buried and Me | Best Of (compilation album) |
| 29 | Blackguard | Firefight |
| 29 | Cavalera Conspiracy | Blunt Force Trauma |
| 29 | Obscura | Omnivium |
| 29 | Alex Skolnick | Alex Skolnick Trio |
| 31 | Detonation | Reprisal |

### April

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Illdisposed | There Is Light (But It's Not For Me) |
| 1 | Saltatio Mortis | Wild and Free (DVD) |
| 1 | Sons of Seasons | Magnisphyricon |
| 1 | Symfonia | In Paradisum |
| 5 | Glen Drover | Metalusion |
| 5 | Voivod | Warriors Of Ice (live album) |
| 5 | Asking Alexandria | Reckless and Relentless |
| 9 | Wolfsbane | Did It for the Money (EP) |
| 11 | Believer | Transhuman |
| 12 | Last Chance to Reason | Level 2 |
| 12 | Pentagram | Last Rites |
| 12 | Between the Buried and Me | The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues |
| 13 | Norther | Circle Regenerated |
| 15 | Pegazus | In Metal We Trust |
| 15 | Scar Symmetry | The Unseen Empire |
| 15 | WarCry | Alfa |
| 18 | Behemoth | Abyssus Abyssum Invocat (2-CD set) |
| 18 | Blut Aus Nord | 777 – Sect(s) |
| 18 | Cruachan | Blood on the Black Robe |
| 18 | Loudblast | Frozen Moments Between Life And Death |
| 18 | Panzerchrist | Regiment Ragnarok |
| 18 | Septic Flesh | The Great Mass |
| 19 | Leaves' Eyes | Melusine (EP) |
| 19 | Periphery | Icarus Lives (EP) |
| 19 | Winds of Plague | Against the World |
| 22 | Krypteria | All Beauty Must Die |
| 22 | Leaves' Eyes | Meredead |
| 22 | Midnattsol | The Metamorphosis Melody |
| 22 | While Heaven Wept | Fear Of Infinity |
| 24 | Pestilence | Doctrine |
| 25 | Above Symmetry | Ripples (re-issue) |
| 25 | Bloodbath | Bloodbath over Bloodstock (DVD) |
| 25 | Gallhammer | The End |
| 25 | Skindred | Union Black |
| 25 | Negură Bunget | Poartă De Dincolo (EP) |
| 25 | Yggdrasil | Irrbloss |
| 25 | Wolf | Legions Of Bastards |
| 26 | Catalepsy | Bleed |
| 26 | Deafheaven | Roads to Judah |
| 26 | Destrophy | Cry Havoc |
| 26 | Endwell | Punishment |
| 26 | Hope for the Dying | Dissimulation |
| 26 | Krallice | Diotima |
| 26 | Otep | Atavist |
| 26 | Primordial | Redemption at the Puritan's Hand |
| 26 | Texas in July | One Reality |
| 26 | Vomitory | Opus Mortis VIII |
| 27 | Poisonblack | Drive |
| 27 | Ulver | Wars of the Roses |
| 29 | Lake of Tears | Illwill |
| 29 | Christian Müenzner | Timewarp |
| 29 | Samael | Lux Mundi |
| 29 | Trollfest | En Kvest For Den Hellige Gral |

### May

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Daedalus | Motherland |
| 3 | Black Label Society | The Song Remains Not the Same |
| 3 | Poison | Double Dose: Ultimate Hits (compilation) |
| 3 | Uriah Heep | Into the Wild |
| 3 | Wormrot | Dirge |
| 3 | Xerath | II |
| 5 | Riverside | Memories in My Head (EP) |
| 6 | Caliban | Coverfield (EP) |
| 6 | Chrome Division | Third Round Knockout |
| 10 | Anvil | Juggernaut of Justice |
| 10 | Enslaved | The Sleeping Gods (EP) |
| 10 | The Gates of Slumber | The Wretch |
| 10 | Hate Eternal | Phoenix Amongst The Ashes |
| 10 | Novembers Doom | Aphotic |
| 12 | 3 Inches of Blood | Anthems For The Victorious (EP) |
| 13 | Deceased | Surreal Overdose |
| 13 | Stormwarrior | Heathen Warrior |
| 16 | Endstille | Infektion 1813 |
| 16 | Necrophagia | Deathtrip 69 |
| 16 | Ramesses | Chrome Pineal |
| 16 | The Soulless | Isolated |
| 17 | A Storm of Light | As the Valley of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade |
| 17 | Altar of Plagues | Mammal |
| 17 | Anaal Nathrakh | Passion |
| 17 | Arsonists Get All the Girls | Motherland |
| 20 | HammerFall | Infected |
| 20 | Pagan's Mind | Heavenly Ecstasy |
| 20 | MaYaN | Quarterpast |
| 20 | Peste Noire | L'Ordure à l'état Pur |
| 23 | Gorod | Transcendence (EP) |
| 23 | Iron Maiden | From Fear to Eternity (compilation) |
| 23 | Wolverine | Communication Lost |
| 24 | Cave In | White Silence |
| 24 | Devolved | Oblivion |
| 24 | Haemorrhage | Hospital Carnage |
| 24 | Inevitable End | The Oculus |
| 25 | Shining | Född Förlorare |
| 27 | Am I Blood | Existence of Trauma |
| 27 | Amorphis | The Beginning of Times |
| 27 | Marduk | Iron Dawn (EP) |
| 27 | Omega Lithium | Kinetik |
| 27 | Týr | The Lay of Thrym |
| 30 | Arkona | Stenka Na Stenku (EP) |
| 31 | Autopsy | Macabre Eternal |
| 31 | Gamma Ray | Skeletons & Majesties (compilation) |
| 31 | Unexpect | Fables of the Sleepless Empire |

### June

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Achilles | Spittin' On A Unicorn (EP) |
| 1 | Insision | End of All (EP) |
| 3 | Alestorm | Back Through Time |
| 3 | Falconer | Armod |
| 3 | Pain | You Only Live Twice |
| 3 | Saxon | Call to Arms |
| 3 | Seven Witches | Call Upon the Wicked |
| 6 | Abruptum | Potestates Apocalypsis (EP) |
| 6 | Azarath | Blasphemer's Maledictions |
| 6 | Doctor Midnight & The Mercy Cult | I Declare: Treason |
| 6 | Morbid Angel | Illud Divinum Insanus |
| 6 | Short Sharp Shock | Problems to the Answer |
| 7 | Arch Enemy | Khaos Legions |
| 7 | Def Leppard | Mirrorball (live) |
| 7 | Job for a Cowboy | Gloom (EP) |
| 7 | Origin | Entity |
| 7 | Sister | Hated |
| 7 | Tombs | Path of Totality |
| 7 | Touché Amoré | Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me |
| 13 | Black Veil Brides | Set the World on Fire |
| 14 | Freedom Call | Live In Hellvetia (DVD) |
| 14 | Of Mice & Men | The Flood |
| 15 | In Flames | Sounds of a Playground Fading |
| 17 | Rhapsody of Fire | From Chaos to Eternity |
| 17 | Sun Caged | The Lotus Effect |
| 17 | Symphony X | Iconoclast |
| 18 | Antagonist A.D. | Old Bones Make New Blooms (EP) |
| 20 | Fullforce | One |
| 20 | The Devin Townsend Project | Deconstruction |
| 20 | The Devin Townsend Project | Ghost |
| 21 | Ancestors | Invisible White (EP) |
| 21 | The Black Dahlia Murder | Ritual |
| 21 | The Crimson Armada | Conviction |
| 21 | Jungle Rot | Kill on Command |
| 21 | Tony MacAlpine | Tony MacAlpine |
| 21 | Ramesses | Possessed by the Rise of Magick |
| 21 | Slayer | Dead Skin Mask (DVD) |
| 21 | Sourvein | Black Fangs |
| 22 | Stream of Passion | Darker Days |
| 23 | August Burns Red | Leveler |
| 23 | Draconian | A Rose for the Apocalypse |
| 24 | Running Wild | The Final Jolly Roger (DVD) |
| 24 | Sepultura | Kairos |
| 27 | Iced Earth | Festivals of the Wicked (DVD) |
| 27 | Sarah Jezebel Deva | The Corruption of Mercy |
| 27 | Limp Bizkit | Gold Cobra |
| 28 | Aenaon | Cendres Et Sang |
| 28 | Evan Brewer | Alone |
| 28 | Kittie | Take It or Leave It: A Tribute to the Queens of Noise |
| 28 | Queensrÿche | Dedicated to Chaos |
| 28 | Riverside | Memories in My Head (EP) |
| 30 | Blood Stain Child | Εpsilon |

### July

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Lock Up | Necropolis Transparent |
| 1 | Stonelake | Marching On Timeless Tales |
| 3 | Exhumed | All Guts, No Glory |
| 5 | Pop Evil | War of Angels |
| 5 | Unearth | Darkness in the Light |
| 6 | ChthoniC | Takasago Army |
| 12 | Decapitated | Carnival Is Forever |
| 12 | Earth Crisis | Neutralize the Threat |
| 12 | Fair to Midland | Arrows and Anchors |
| 12 | Icon in Me | Head Break Solution |
| 12 | Sleeping Giant | Kingdom Days in an Evil Age |
| 12 | Suicide Silence | The Black Crown |
| 12 | Theory of a Deadman | The Truth Is... |
| 12 | Ringworm | Scars |
| 15 | Malefice | Awaken the Tides |
| 15 | Manilla Road | Playground of the Damned |
| 16 | Metallica | Live at Quebec City (DVD) |
| 19 | Chelsea Grin | My Damnation |
| 19 | Cold | Superfiction |
| 19 | Dying Fetus | History Repeats... (covers EP) |
| 19 | Toxic Holocaust | Conjure and Command |
| 22 | Communic | The Bottom Deep |
| 26 | All Shall Perish | This Is Where It Ends |
| 26 | IWrestledABearOnce | Ruining It for Everybody |
| 26 | Jamey Jasta | Jasta |
| 26 | The Quill | Full Circle |
| 26 | World Under Blood | Tactical |
| 27 | Svartsot | Maledictus Eris |
| 28 | Meliah Rage | Dead To The World |
| 29 | Powerwolf | Blood of the Saints |
| 31 | Welicoruss | Kharna (EP) |

### August

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Bury Your Dead | Mosh 'N' Roll |
| 2 | Dead and Divine | Antimacy |
| 2 | Dir En Grey | Dum Spiro Spero |
| 2 | It Prevails | Stroma |
| 5 | Sabaton | World War Live: Battle of the Baltic Sea (live) |
| 9 | Adrenaline Mob | Adrenaline Mob (EP) |
| 9 | Diamond Plate | Generation Why? |
| 9 | Fleshgod Apocalypse | Agony |
| 9 | Goreaphobia | Apocalyptic Necromancy |
| 9 | Trivium | In Waves |
| 12 | Vader | Welcome to the Morbid Reich |
| 16 | Attila | Outlawed |
| 16 | All Pigs Must Die | God Is War |
| 16 | Chimaira | The Age of Hell |
| 16 | Dirge Within | Absolution (EP) |
| 16 | NIHM | Trade Of Chains |
| 16 | Revocation | Chaos of Forms |
| 16 | Yob | Atma |
| 19 | Ghost Brigade | Until Fear No Longer Defines Us |
| 20 | Corrupted | Garten der Unbewusstheit |
| 22 | ICS Vortex | Storm Seeker |
| 22 | Leprous | Bilateral |
| 23 | Black Tide | Post Mortem |
| 23 | Jørn Lande | Live in Black (live) |
| 24 | Apostasy | Nuclear Messiah |
| 26 | Anterior | Echoes of the Fallen |
| 26 | Arkona | Slovo |
| 28 | Blood Red Throne | Brutalitarian Regime |
| 29 | Atomkraft | Cold Sweat (EP) |
| 29 | Edguy | Age of the Joker |
| 30 | Kittie | I've Failed You |
| 30 | Pentagram | When The Screams Come (DVD) |
| 30 | Shadowside | Inner Monster Out |

### September

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Saltatio Mortis | Sturm Aufs Paradies |
| 2 | Hank Williams III | Attention Deficit Domination |
| 2 | Hank Williams III | Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town |
| 2 | Hank Williams III | 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin' |
| 5 | Anathema | Falling Deeper (compilation) |
| 6 | Saviours | Death's Procession |
| 9 | Einherjer | Norrøn |
| 9 | Morifade | Empire of Souls |
| 9 | Sinner | One Bullet Left |
| 12 | Anthrax | Worship Music |
| 13 | Anubis Gate | Anubis Gate |
| 13 | Alice Cooper | Welcome 2 My Nightmare |
| 13 | The Devil Wears Prada | Dead Throne |
| 13 | Dream Theater | A Dramatic Turn of Events |
| 13 | Haste the Day | Haste the Day Vs. Haste the Day (Live CD/DVD) |
| 13 | Pathology | Awaken to the Suffering |
| 13 | Primus | Green Naugahyde |
| 13 | Stemm | Crossroads |
| 13 | Wolves in the Throne Room | Celestial Lineage |
| 14 | Loudness | Eve to Dawn |
| 16 | Arckanum | Helvítismyrkr |
| 16 | We Came as Romans | Understanding What We've Grown to Be |
| 16 | Tasters | Reckless Till the End |
| 19 | White Wizzard | Flying Tigers |
| 20 | Amebix | Sonic Mass |
| 20 | Mournful Congregation | The Unspoken Hymns |
| 20 | Opeth | Heritage |
| 21 | Hatesphere | The Great Bludgeoning |
| 23 | Biohazard | Reborn In Defiance |
| 23 | Loch Vostok | Dystopium |
| 23 | Textures | Dualism |
| 23 | Van Canto | Break the Silence |
| 26 | Evile | Five Serpent's Teeth |
| 26 | Myrath | Tales of the Sands |
| 26 | Nightrage | Insidious |
| 26 | Pain of Salvation | Road Salt Two |
| 26 | Redemption | This Mortal Coil |
| 26 | Axel Rudi Pell | The Ballads IV |
| 27 | Sebastian Bach | Kicking & Screaming |
| 27 | Brutal Truth | End Time |
| 27 | Deivos | Demiurge of the Void |
| 27 | Landmine Marathon | Gallows |
| 27 | Machine Head | Unto the Locust |
| 27 | Mastodon | The Hunter |
| 27 | Oh, Sleeper | Children of Fire |
| 27 | Rwake | Rest |
| 27 | Warbringer | Worlds Torn Asunder |
| 28 | Profane Omen | Destroy! |
| 30 | Brainstorm | On the Spur of the Moment |

### October

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 3 | Aria | Phoenix |
| 3 | The Browning | Burn This World |
| 3 | Christ Agony | NocturN |
| 4 | Blessthefall | Awakening |
| 5 | Galneryus | Phoenix Rising |
| 7 | Blotted Science | The Animation of Entomology (EP) |
| 7 | Threat Signal | Threat Signal |
| 10 | Halford | Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena (DVD) |
| 11 | Absu | Abzu |
| 11 | Black Cobra | Invernal |
| 11 | Charred Walls of the Damned | Cold Winds on Timeless Days |
| 11 | Cyco Miko | The Mad Mad Muir Musical Tour |
| 11 | Eldritch | Gaia's Legacy |
| 11 | Evanescence | Evanescence |
| 11 | Five Finger Death Punch | American Capitalist |
| 11 | Fuck the Facts | Die Miserable |
| 11 | Immolation | Providence (EP) |
| 11 | Immortal Souls | IV: The Requiem for the Art of Death |
| 11 | Judas Priest | The Chosen Few (compilation) |
| 11 | Nile | Worship the Animal (EP) |
| 11 | Rise to Remain | City of Vultures |
| 11 | Skeletonwitch | Forever Abomination |
| 11 | This Is Hell | Black Mass |
| 12 | Insomnium | One for Sorrow |
| 14 | Almah | Motion |
| 14 | Eternal Gray | Your Gods, My Enemies |
| 14 | Hypocrisy | Hell Over Sofia – 20 Years Of Chaos And Confusion (DVD) |
| 14 | Sólstafir | Svartir Sandar |
| 14 | Tsjuder | Legion Helvete |
| 17 | Iced Earth | Dystopia |
| 18 | Alarum | Natural Causes |
| 18 | Electro Quarterstaff | Aykroyd |
| 18 | Ronny Munroe | Lords of the Edge |
| 19 | Amoral | Beneath |
| 21 | Graveworm | Fragments of Death |
| 21 | Hammers of Misfortune | 17th Street |
| 21 | Visions of Atlantis | Maria Magdalena (EP) |
| 24 | 1349 | Hellvetia Fire – The Official 1349 Bootleg (DVD) |
| 24 | Carnifex | Until I Feel Nothing |
| 24 | Cradle of Filth | Evermore Darkly (EP) |
| 24 | Martyr Lucifer | Farewell to Graveland |
| 24 | Orphaned Land | The Road To OR-Shalem (DVD) |
| 25 | Black Tusk | Set the Dial |
| 25 | Carnifex | Until I Feel Nothing |
| 25 | Haken | Visions |
| 25 | Molotov Solution | Insurrection |
| 25 | Necrodeath | Idiosyncrasy |
| 25 | Root | Heritage of Satan |
| 26 | Riot | Immortal Soul |
| 28 | Isole | Born from Shadows |
| 31 | Krisiun | The Great Execution |
| 31 | Metallica and Lou Reed | Lulu |
| 31 | The Rotted | Ad Nauseam |
| 31 | Steel Panther | Balls Out |
| 31 | Uneven Structure | Februus |

### November

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 1 | Megadeth | TH1RT3EN |
| 1 | Metsatöll | Ulg |
| 1 | Mike Patton | The Solitude of Prime Numbers |
| 1 | Sick of It All | XXV Nonstop |
| 1 | Taake | Noregs vaapen |
| 4 | Animals as Leaders | Weightless |
| 4 | Deathstars | The Greatest Hits on Earth (Compilation) |
| 4 | Scorpions | Comeblack |
| 7 | Funeral for a Friend | See You All In Hell (EP) |
| 7 | Autumn | Cold Comfort |
| 8 | A Plea for Purging | The Life & Death of A Plea for Purging |
| 8 | As I Lay Dying | Decas (compilation) |
| 8 | Disturbed | The Lost Children |
| 8 | Leviathan | True Traitor, True Whore |
| 8 | My Dying Bride | The Barghest O' Whitby (EP) |
| 8 | Whitechapel | Recorrupted (EP) |
| 11 | Blut Aus Nord | 777 – The Desanctification |
| 11 | Esoteric | Paragon of Dissonance |
| 11 | Lance King | A Moment in Chiros |
| 11 | Nocte Obducta | Verderbnis (Der Schnitter Kratzt An Jeder Tür) |
| 11 | Shining | Live Blackjazz (DVD) |
| 11 | Sonata Arctica | Live In Finland (DVD) |
| 11 | Susperia | We Are the Ones (Compilation) |
| 11 | Thy Catafalque | Rengeteg |
| 15 | Cynic | Carbon-Based Anatomy (EP) |
| 15 | Vile | Metamorphosis |
| 15 | Dragonland | Under the Grey Banner |
| 16 | Nemesea | The Quiet Resistance |
| 18 | Cirith Gorgor | Der Untergang... / Победа !!! |
| 18 | Eisregen | Madenreich – Ein Stück Rostrot (EP) |
| 18 | Iron Savior | The Landing |
| 18 | Mastercastle | Dangerous Diamonds |
| 18 | Mortal Sin | Psychology Of Death |
| 18 | Oz | Burning Leather |
| 21 | Stormzone | Zero To Rage |
| 21 | Theocracy | As The World Bleeds |
| 22 | In the Midst of Lions | Shadows |
| 22 | Vektor | Outer Isolation |
| 25 | Andromeda | Manifest Tyranny |
| 25 | Cage | Supremacy of Steel |
| 25 | Mystic Prophecy | Ravenlord |
| 25 | Nucleus Torn | Golden Age |
| 25 | Tenhi | Saivo |
| 28 | Ulver | Live In Concert: The Norwegian National Opera (DVD) |
| 28 | Venom | Fallen Angels |
| 28 | Vildhjarta | Måsstaden |
| 29 | Royal Hunt | Show Me How to Live |
| 29 | Soziedad Alkoholika | Cadenas de Odio |
| 30 | Nightwish | Imaginaerum |
| 30 | The Unguided | Hell Frost |

### December

| Day | Artist | Album |
| 2 | Dark Suns | Orange |
| 2 | Rammstein | Made in Germany 1995–2011 (compilation) |
| 4 | Double Dragon | Sons Of Asena |
| 5 | Marionette | Nerve |
| 6 | The Empire Shall Fall | Volume 1: Solar Plexus (EP) |
| 6 | Korn & Skrillex | The Path of Totality |
| 9 | Eisregen | Rostrot |
| 9 | Living Sacrifice | In Finite Love (DVD) |
| 13 | Metallica | Beyond Magnetic (EP) |
| 14 | To/Die/For | Samsara |
| 16 | Iron Mask | Black as Death |
| 19 | Forefather | Last of the Line |
| 21 | Stéphan Forté | The Shadows Compendium |
| 26 | Fuck the Facts | 10 Fucking Years (compilation) |
| 27 | Catalepsy | Westboro |