2004 in heavy metal music

Newly formed bands

Abigail Williams

Age of Silence

The Agonist (as The Tempest)

Alter Bridge

Catherine

Celestiial

Chrome Division

Demonoid

Genghis Tron

Job for a Cowboy

Legion of the Damned

myGrain

Savage Circus

Scale the Summit

Scar Symmetry

Sturm und Drang

Threat Signal

Vreid

Wintersun

Reformed bands

Extreme (for a few shows)

Glyder

Megadeth

Mötley Crüe

Albums

3 Inches of Blood – Advance and Vanquish

The Acacia Strain – 3750

Aerosmith – Honkin' On Bobo

After Forever – Invisible Circles

Age of Silence – Acceleration

Alabama Thunderpussy – Fulton Hill

Alter Bridge – One Day Remains

Amon Amarth - Fate of Norns

Angra – Temple of Shadows

Ayreon – The Human Equation

Behemoth – Demigod

Beseech – Drama

Black Label Society – Hangover Music Vol. VI

Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong

Cannibal Corpse – The Wretched Spawn

Chevelle – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)

Cradle of Filth – Nymphetamine

Damageplan – New Found Power

Decapitated – The Negation

Def Leppard – Best of Def Leppard

Demon Hunter – Summer of Darkness

The Dillinger Escape Plan – Miss Machine

Dio – Master of the Moon

Dokken – Hell to Pay

DragonForce – Sonic Firestorm

Dream Theater – Live at Budokan

Drowning Pool – Desensitized

Edguy – Hellfire Club

El Tito Mc- La Raza v3

Europe – Start from the Dark

Exodus – Tempo of the Damned

Fear Factory – Archetype

Finntroll – Nattfödd

God Forbid – Gone Forever. * Grip Inc. - Incorporated. * Iced Earth – The Glorious Burden

In Flames – Soundtrack to Your Escape

Isis - Panopticon

Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache

Kittie – Until the End

Kill The Noize – "Play With The Devil"

Lamb of God – Ashes of the Wake

Lordi – The Monsterican Dream

Marilyn Manson – Lest We Forget: The Best of

Mastodon – Leviathan

Mayhem – Chimera

Megadeth – The System Has Failed

Mercenary – 11 Dreams

Metal Church – The Weight of the World

Metalium – As One - Chapter Four

Monster Magnet – Monolithic Baby!

Motörhead – Inferno

My Dying Bride – Songs of Darkness, Words of Light

Necrophagist – Epitaph

Nightwish – Once

No Big Silence – Kuidas kuningas kuu peale kippus

Oomph! – Wahrheit oder Pflicht

Otep – House of Secrets

Pig Destroyer – Painter of Dead Girls

Pig Destroyer – Terrifyer

Power Quest - Neverworld

Probot – Probot

Rammstein – Reise, Reise

Raunchy – Confusion Bay

Rhapsody of Fire – Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret

Rush – Feedback

Saxon – Lionheart

Scarve – Irradiant

Scorpions - Unbreakable (Scorpions album)

Shadows Fall – The War Within

Slipknot – Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)

Sonata Arctica – Reckoning Night

Static-X – Beneath, Between, Beyond

Stryper – 7 Weeks: Live in America, 2003

The Crest – Vain City Chronicles

U.D.O. – Thunderball

Van Halen – The Best of Both Worlds

Velvet Revolver – Contraband

Vintersorg – The Focusing Blur

WarCry – Alea Jacta Est

Winds – The Imaginary Direction of Time

Wintersun – Wintersun

Disbandments

Bathory

Damageplan

Nothingface (reformed in 2005)

Windir

Events

Terje Bakken of Windir dies from hypothermia on his way to his grandparents which resulted in Windir disbanding.

Brian Welch leaves Korn after converting to Christianity.

Damageplan and former Pantera lead guitarist Dimebag Darrell is murdered on 8 December by Nathan Gale while performing a concert in Ohio.

Bassist Tim Gaines leaves Stryper after 10 complete years. He is replaced by Tracy Ferrie.

Body Count rhythm guitarist D-Roc dies from lymphoma at the age of 45.

Jason Jones, originally a tattoo artist from Los Angeles, California, was publicly announced as Drowning Pool's new lead singer and joined them on the album Desensitized.

Supergroup Velvet Revolver releases their debut album Contraband which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and goes double platinum.

After an eight-year hiatus, Extreme briefly returns for a short tour and a few concerts in Japan.

Van Halen reunites with Sammy Hagar for a summer tour.

Anal Cunt vocalist Seth Putnam slips into a coma after consuming a large amount of drugs.

Aerosmith returns to a raw hard rock sound with their blues cover album Honkin' on Bobo

Terry Balsamo leaves Cold and joins Evanescence as their new guitarist

Guitarist Lisa Marx joins Kittie as a session member, replacing Jeff Phillips

Nasum guitarist/vocalist Mieszko Talarczyk dies as a result of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (although his body was not identified until 17 February the following year). Consequently, Nasum would later disband.

Maniac leaves Mayhem and is replaced by the band's former singer, Attila Csihar.

After more than 10 years of long break, Europe release the new album titled Start from the Dark with their classic line up consist of Joey Tempest-Vocals, John Norum-Guitars, Mic Michaeli-Keyboards, John Levén-Bass, Ian Haugland-Drums. Guitarist Kee Marcello is back to his old band – Easy Action.

Ace Thomas "Quorthon" Forsberg, founder of the Black/Viking metal band Bathory dies, at the age of 38.

Dave Mustaine reforms Megadeth with 3 session musicians, former and original Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, bassist Jimmie Lee Sloas and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta to record The System Has Failed, then tour the album with full-time members Glen Drover on guitar, James MacDonough on bass and Shawn Drover on drums.

Ex-Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland is sentenced to eight years in prison for attempted rape against a then 17-year-old boy.