2003 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2003.

Newly formed bands

• Abysmal Dawn
• Born of Osiris
• Damageplan
• Communic
• Epica
• The Human Abstract
• Korpiklaani
• Through the Eyes of the Dead
• Wicked Wisdom

Reformed bands

• 24-7 Spyz
• Europe
• Fear Factory
• Judas Priest
• Primus
• Stryper
• Killing Joke

Albums

• Aborted – Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done
• Alien Ant Farm - truANT
• Alice Cooper – The Eyes Of Alice Cooper
• Akercocke – Choronozon
• Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap As It Has Sown
• Anthrax – We've Come for You All
• Apocalyptica – Reflections
• Arch Enemy – Anthems of Rebellion
• As I Lay Dying – Frail Words Collapse
• Avenged Sevenfold – Waking the Fallen
• Between The Buried And Me - The Silent Circus
• The Black Dahlia Murder – Unhallowed
• Black Label Society – The Blessed Hellride
• Bon Jovi – This Left Feels Right
• Cannibal Corpse – 15 Year Killing Spree
• Children of Bodom – Hate Crew Deathroll
• Chimaira – The Impossibility of Reason
• Cog – Open Up
• Cradle of Filth – Damnation and a Day
• The Darkness – Permission to Land
• Deep Purple – Bananas
• Deftones – Deftones
• DevilDriver – DevilDriver
• The Devin Townsend Band - Accelerated Evolution
• Dimension Zero – This Is Hell
• Dimmu Borgir – Death Cult Armageddon
• Divinity Destroyed – Divinity Destroyed
• Divinity Destroyed – Eden in Ashes
• DragonForce – Valley of the Damned
• Dream Theater – Train of Thought
• Europe – Rock the Night: The Very Best of Europe (Compilation Album)
• Evergrey – Recreation Day
• Finntroll – Visor om Slutet
• Fallen – Evanescence
• Godhead - Evolver
• Godsmack - Faceless
• Gojira – The Link
• Gojira – Maciste All Inferno (EP)
• Handguns – The Deciever
• Hatebreed - The Rise of Brutality
• Helloween – Rabbit Don't Come Easy
• Hortus Animae – Waltzing Mephisto
• Incubus - Live at Lollapalooza 2003
• Iron Maiden – Dance of Death
• Jane's Addiction - Strays
• King Diamond – The Puppet Master
• Kiss – Kiss Symphony: Alive IV
• Korn – Take A Look In The Mirror
• Kreator – Live Kreation
• Lamb of God – As the Palaces Burn
• Lanfear – The Art Effect
• Limp Bizkit – Results May Vary
• Linkin Park – Meteora
• Living Colour – Collideøscope
• Lost Horizon – A Flame to the Ground Beneath
• Macabre – Murder Metal
• Marilyn Manson – The Golden Age of Grotesque
• Machine Head – Through the Ashes of Empires
• Metallica – St. Anger
• Monstrosity – Rise to Power
• Moonspell – The Antidote
• Motörhead – Live at Brixton Academy
• Macabre – Murder Metal
• Nevermore - Enemies of Reality
• Nightrage - Sweet Vengeance
• Norther – Mirror of Madness
• Nothingface - Skeletons
• No Big Silence – Unreleased
• Overkill – Killbox 13
• Opeth – Damnation
• Pitchshifter – Bootlegged, Distorted, Remixed and Uploaded
• Psycroptic - The Scepter of the Ancients
• Queensrÿche - Tribe
• Rage - Soundchaser
• Royal Hunt – Eyewitness
• Rush - Rush in Rio
• Six Feet Under – Bringer of Blood
• Skid Row – Thickskin
• Sepultura - Roorback
• Solefald – In Harmonia Universali
• Sonata Arctica – Winterheart's Guild
• Static-X – Shadow Zone
• Strapping Young Lad – Strapping Young Lad
• Stratovarius – Elements, Pt. 1
• Stratovarius – Elements, Pt. 2
• Stryper – Seven
• Theocracy – Theocracy
• Throwdown – Haymaker
• Tourniquet – Where Moth and Rust Destroy
• Trivium – Ember to Inferno
• Týr – Eric the Red
• uneXpect – WE, Invaders
• Virgin Black – Elegant... and Dying

Disbandments

• Coal Chamber
• Five pointe o
• Limbonic Art
• Immortal
• Pitchshifter
• Pantera
• Rollins Band (reformed in 2006)

Events

• Metallica hires new bassist Robert Trujillo (from Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne). They release the much criticized album St. Anger.
• MTV2 resurrected the old heavy metal/hard rock television program Headbangers' Ball.
• Iced Earth vocalist Matt Barlow leaves Iced Earth after the events of September 11.
• Christian metal band Stryper reforms with all original members.
• Visions of Atlantis lead vocalist Christian Stani quits, and is later replaced by Mario Plank. Keyboardist Chris Kamper quits and is replaced by Miro Holly.
• Rob Halford reunites with Judas Priest replacing Tim "Ripper" Owens
• Aerosmith and KISS embark on a tour together

References