1993 in heavy metal music

Newly formed bands

Abigor

Children of Bodom

Dark Funeral

Demoniac

Destruction (With new vocalist Thomas Rosenmerkell)

Diabolical Masquerade

Dimmu Borgir

Electric Wizard

HammerFall

Korn

Limbonic Art

Melechesh

Mournful Congregation

Mushroomhead

Nile

Quo Vadis

Rhapsody of Fire

Symphony X

Theatre of Tragedy

Ulver

Virgin Black

Reformed bands

Atheist

Cream- for a few shows

Dio

Dokken

Albums

Accept - Objection Overruled

Altered State (Band) - Dos (album)

Aggressor - Procreate the Petrifactions

Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers

Annihilator - Set the World on Fire

Anthrax - Sound of White Noise

Atheist - Elements

Believer - Dimensions

Beowülf - Un-Sentimental

Burzum - Aske (EP)

Burzum - Det som engang var

Cannibal Corpse - Hammer Smashed Face (EP)

Carcass - Heartwork

Conception - Parallel Minds

Crowbar - Crowbar

Cynic - Focus

Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon

Dark Tranquillity - Skydancer

Death - Individual Thought Patterns

Deep Purple - The Battle Rages On

Def Leppard - Retro Active

Deliverance - Learn

Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind

Dissection - The Somberlain

Entombed - Wolverine Blues

Europe - 1982–1992 (Compilation)

Eyehategod - Take as Needed for Pain

Fight - War of Words

Helloween - Chameleon

Immortal - Pure Holocaust

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls

Kiss - Alive III

Living Colour - Stain

Macabre - Sinister Slaughter

Tony MacAlpine - Madness

Melvins - Houdini

Mercyful Fate - In the Shadows

Metal Church - Hanging in the Balance

Metallica - Live Shit: Binge & Purge (box set)

Morbid Angel - Covenant

Monster Magnet - Superjudge

Motörhead - Bastards

My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans

Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence

Neurosis - Enemy of the Sun

Overkill - I Hear Black

Paradise Lost - Icon

Pestilence - Spheres

Pitch Shifter - Desensitized

Rage - The Missing Link

Rush - Counterparts

Sacred Reich - Independent

Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times

Savatage - Edge of Thorns

Scorpions - Face the Heat

Sepultura - Chaos A.D.

Sinister - Diabolical Summoning

Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain

Steve Vai - Sex & Religion

Tool - Undertow

Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

Uncle Slam - Will Work for Food

Unleashed - Across the Open Sea

Van Halen - Live: Right Here, Right Now

Vince Neil - Exposed

Vio-lence - Nothing to Gain

Voïvod - N° 8 • The Outer Limits

X Japan - Art of Life

Events

Accept reforms with Udo Dirkshneider on vocals for a new album and European/American tour

After a brief hiatus, Atheist reform to record their final album, Elements, in order to finish their third album contract to their record label. After this, the band breaks up again a year later.

Bruce Dickinson leaves Iron Maiden. Wolfsbane's singer Blaze Bayley is chosen to replace him.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest leaves the band to start his own project Fight

The band Betrayer assumes the name Belphegor

Michael Kiske of Helloween leaves the band due to personal reasons. He was replaced by Andi Deris.

Alex Skolnick and Louie Clemente of Testament are out of the band and replaced by James Murphy on guitar and John Tempesta on drums. Skolnick later joins Savatage to replace the late Criss Oliva.

Euronymous - guitarist and mainman of Norwegian black metal band Mayhem as well as founder and manager of record label Deathlike Silence Productions and Oslo store Helvete - was murdered on August 10, by fellow black metal musician Varg Vikernes (aka Count Grishnackh) of one-man band Burzum as well as bassist of Mayhem.

Criss Oliva of Savatage was killed in a car crash on October 17 by a drunk driver.

Japanese power metal band X changes their name to "X Japan".