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
- 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
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.