2003 in heavy metal music

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

Newly formed bands

• A Day to Remember
• The Abominable Iron Sloth
• Abysmal Dawn
• Adler's Appetite
• Aina
• Airbourne
• Anagnorisis
• Anubis Gate
• As Blood Runs Black
• As They Sleep
• As You Drown
• At All Cost
• August Burns Red
• Baroness
• Battlecross
• Blessed by a Broken Heart
• Bloody Panda
• Born of Osiris
• Carach Angren
• The Chariot
• Communic
• Dååth
• Damageplan
• Darkwater
• Demonoid
• Diablo Swing Orchestra
• Eisbrecher
• Emmure
• Furia
• Head Control System
• Hypno5e
• In Vain
• Jesu
• Job for a Cowboy
• Jon Oliva's Pain
• Kayo Dot
• Kroda
• Leaves' Eyes
• Les Discrets
• Lyriel
• Myrkgrav
• Nadja
• Ne Obliviscaris
• Neaera
• Om
• Parkway Drive
• Powerwolf
• Rosetta
• The Ruins of Beverast
• Skeletonwitch
• The Sword
• Sybreed
• Tesseract
• Threat Signal
• Through the Eyes of the Dead
• Thulcandra
• Trollfest
• Turmion Kätilöt
• Wintersun
• Wolfchant
• Wolves in the Throne Room

Reformed bands

• 24-7 Spyz
• Child'ƨ Play
• Fear Factory
• Judas Priest
• Killing Joke
• MC5
• Primus
• Stryper
• Twisted Sister

Albums

• Aborted – Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done
• Akercocke – Choronozon
• Alien Ant Farm – truANT
• Alice Cooper – The Eyes of Alice Cooper
• All Shall Perish – Hate, Malice, Revenge
• Anaal Nathrakh – When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown (EP)
• 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
• Bathory - Nordland II
• Between the Buried and Me – The Silent Circus
• Biohazard – Kill or Be Killed
• The Black Dahlia Murder – Unhallowed
• Black Label Society – The Blessed Hellride
• Bon Jovi – This Left Feels Right (compilation)
• Cannibal Corpse – 15 Year Killing Spree (box set)
• Children of Bodom – Hate Crew Deathroll
• Chimaira – The Impossibility of Reason
• Circle II Circle – Watching in Silence
• Concept – Reason and Truth
• Cog – "Open Up" (maxi single)
• Cradle of Filth – Damnation and a Day
• The Darkness – Permission to Land
• Deathstars – Synthetic Generation
• Deep Purple – Bananas
• Default – Elocation
• Deftones – Deftones
• Destruction - Metal Discharge
• DevilDriver – DevilDriver
• The Devin Townsend Band – Accelerated Evolution
• Dimension Zero – This Is Hell
• Dimmu Borgir – Death Cult Armageddon
• Divinity Destroyed – Divinity Destroyed (EP)
• Divinity Destroyed – Eden in Ashes
• DragonForce – Valley of the Damned
• Dream Evil – Evilized
• Dream Theater – Train of Thought
• Enslaved – Below the Lights
• Entombed – Inferno
• Epica – The Phantom Agony
• Evanescence – Fallen
• Evergrey – Recreation Day
• Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
• Faith – Salvation Lies Within
• Finntroll – Visor om slutet (EP)
• Firewind – Burning Earth
• Galneryus – The Flag of Punishment
• Godhead – Evolver
• Godsmack – Faceless
• Gojira – The Link
• Gojira – Maciste All'Inferno (EP)
• Gorgoroth - Twilight of the Idols
• Graveworm – Engraved in Black
• Hatebreed – The Rise of Brutality
• Helloween – Rabbit Don't Come Easy
• Hortus Animae – Waltzing Mephisto
• Ill Nino - Confession
• Incubus – Live at Lollapalooza 2003 (live)
• Integrity – To Die For
• Iron Maiden – Dance of Death
• Jane's Addiction – Strays
• Johnny Lokke – Wrecking Ball
• Kamelot – Epica
• Katatonia – Viva Emptiness
• Kayo Dot – Choirs of the Eye
• King Diamond – The Puppet Master
• Kiss – Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (live)
• Korn – Take a Look in the Mirror
• Kreator – Live Kreation (live)
• Krisiun – Works of Carnage
• 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
• Marduk - World Funeral
• Masterplan – Masterplan
• Marilyn Manson – The Golden Age of Grotesque
• Machine Head – Through the Ashes of Empires
• Metallica – St. Anger
• Ministry – Animositisomina
• Misanthrope - Sadistic Sex Daemon
• Mnemic – Mechanical Spin Phenomena
• Monstrosity – Rise to Power
• Moonspell – The Antidote
• Morbid Angel – Heretic
• Motörhead – Live at Brixton Academy (live)
• Neil Turbin – Threatcon Delta
• Nevermore – Enemies of Reality
• Nightrage – Sweet Vengeance
• Norther – Mirror of Madness
• Nothingface – Skeletons
• No-Big-Silence – Unreleased
• Occult – Elegy for the Weak
• Old Man's Child – In Defiance of Existence
• One Minute Silence – One Lie Fits All
• Overkill – Killbox 13
• Opeth – Damnation
• Pitchshifter – Bootlegged, Distorted, Remixed and Uploaded (compilation)
• P.O.D. – Payable on Death
• Psycroptic – The Scepter of the Ancients
• Queensrÿche – Tribe
• Rage – Soundchaser
• Royal Hunt – Eyewitness
• Rush – Rush in Rio (live)
• Seven Witches – Passage to the Other Side
• Six Feet Under – Bringer of Blood
• Skid Row – Thickskin
• Skillet – Collide
• Sepultura – Roorback
• Sevendust – Seasons
• Soilwork – Figure Number Five
• Solefald – In Harmonia Universali
• Sonata Arctica – Winterheart's Guild
• Spawn of Possession – Cabinet
• Static-X – Shadow Zone
• Strapping Young Lad – Strapping Young Lad
• Stratovarius – Elements, Pt. 1
• Stratovarius – Elements, Pt. 2
• Stryper – 7: The Best of Stryper (compilation)
• Theocracy – Theocracy
• Throwdown – Haymaker
• Three Days Grace - Three Days Grace
• Tourniquet – Where Moth and Rust Destroy
• Trivium – Ember to Inferno
• Type O Negative – Life Is Killing Me
• Týr – Eric the Red
• uneXpect – _wE, Invaders (EP)
• Virgin Black – Elegant... and Dying
• Xandria – Kill the Sun

Disbandments

• Coal Chamber
• Five Pointe O
• Limbonic Art
• Immortal
• Pitchshifter
• Pantera
• Reveille
• 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.
• Toontown Field Trip: Rock and Roll Party, starring the voice talent of Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse, Nikita Hopkins as Roo, and Kelly Nigh as Tickety-Tock, was released on home video, and features Poler Toyer & School Bus performing "Give It Your Best Shot" in New Orleans towards the end of the movie.