1998 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal music in the year 1998.

Newly formed bands

 * 8 Foot Sativa
 * 40 Below Summer
 * Aarni
 * Abdullah
 * All That Remains
 * Antagonist
 * Arma Angelus
 * Ásmegin
 * At Vance
 * Atreyu
 * Axenstar
 * Azarath
 * Baptism
 * Benighted
 * Betzefer
 * Black Label Society
 * Blood Red Throne
 * Bloodbath
 * Bullet for My Valentine (as Jeff Killed John)
 * Calico System
 * Cataract
 * Chimaira
 * Circle of Dead Children
 * CKY
 * Clandestine Blaze
 * Cog
 * Crucified Barbara
 * Cult of Luna
 * Dalriada
 * Darkane
 * Deathspell Omega
 * Demons & Wizards
 * Edenbridge
 * Ephel Duath
 * Every Time I Die
 * Fair to Midland
 * Fairyland
 * Fantômas
 * Firewind
 * Freedom Call
 * From Zero
 * Full Scale (as Full Scale Deflection)
 * Gordian Knot
 * High on Fire
 * Hopesfall
 * Horse the Band
 * Ill Niño
 * Leviathan
 * Lock Up
 * Lunatica
 * Maximum the Hormone
 * The Meads of Asphodel
 * Mnemic
 * Noumena
 * Odd Crew (as Kaskadiori)
 * Peccatum
 * Pressure 4-5
 * Ram-Zet
 * Rebaelliun
 * Reveille
 * Ritual Carnage
 * Rob Zombie
 * Shape of Despair
 * Skindred
 * Stormwarrior
 * Sunn O)))
 * Susperia
 * The Project MCMXCIX
 * Thy Catafalque
 * Twilightning
 * Týr
 * Underoath
 * Unearth
 * Unida
 * Vision Divine
 * Watain
 * Weakling
 * Winds
 * Wormed
 * Wyrd
 * Zyklon

Reformed bands

 * Metal Church

Albums

 * Agathodaimon- Blacken The Angel
 * Alabama Thunderpussy – Rise Again
 * Altar – Provoke
 * Amon Amarth – Once Sent from the Golden Hall
 * Arghoslent – Galloping Through The Battle Ruins
 * Anathema – Alternative 4
 * Angelcorpse – Exterminate
 * Angra – Fireworks
 * Anthrax – Volume 8: The Threat Is Real
 * Apocalyptica – Inquisition Symphony
 * Arch Enemy – Stigmata
 * Atreyu – Visions (EP)
 * Ayreon – Into the Electric Castle
 * Sebastian Bach – Bring em Bach Alive
 * Backyard Babies – Total 13
 * Behemoth – Pandemonic Incantations
 * Benediction – Grind Bastard
 * Bestial Warlust – Satan's Fist
 * Black Label Society – Sonic Brew
 * Black Sabbath – Reunion (live)
 * Blind Guardian – Nightfall in Middle-Earth
 * Bolt Thrower – Mercenary
 * Borknagar – The Archaic Course
 * Botch – American Nervoso
 * Bruce Dickinson – The Chemical Wedding
 * Cannibal Corpse – Gallery of Suicide
 * Jerry Cantrell – Boggy Depot
 * Candlemass – Dactylis Glomerata
 * Cathedral – Caravan Beyond Redemption
 * Catch 22 – Keasbey Nights
 * Children of Bodom – Something Wild (Worldwide release)
 * Clutch – The Elephant Riders
 * Cold - Cold
 * Converge – When Forever Comes Crashing
 * Covenant – Nexus Polaris
 * Cradle of Filth – Cruelty and the Beast
 * Crowbar – Odd Fellows Rest
 * Cryptopsy – Whisper Supremacy
 * Dark Funeral – Vobiscum Satanas
 * Dawn – Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy)
 * Death – The Sound of Perseverance
 * Deep Purple – Abandon
 * Destruction – The Least Successful Human Cannonball
 * Devin Townsend – Christeen + 4 Demos (EP)
 * Devin Townsend – Infinity
 * Diecast – Undo the Wicked
 * The Dillinger Escape Plan – Under the Running Board (EP)
 * Dimmu Borgir – Godless Savage Garden (compilation)
 * Dream Theater – Once in a LIVEtime (live)
 * Dying Fetus – Killing on Adrenaline
 * Earth Crisis – Breed the Killers
 * Edguy – Vain Glory Opera
 * Enslaved – Blodhemn
 * Eldritch – El Niño
 * Exhumed – Gore Metal
 * Fall of the Leafe – Evanescent, Everfading
 * Far – Water & Solutions
 * Fear Factory – Obsolete
 * Firehouse – Category 5
 * Freak Kitchen – Freak Kitchen
 * The Gathering – How to Measure a Planet?
 * Genitorturers – Sin City
 * Godsmack – Godsmack
 * Gorgoroth – Destroyer – or About How to Philosophize with the Hammer
 * Gorguts – Obscura
 * Grave Digger – Knights of the Cross
 * HammerFall – Legacy of Kings
 * Helloween – Better Than Raw
 * Iced Earth – Something Wicked This Way Comes
 * Incantation – Diabolical Conquest
 * Inquisition - Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult
 * Iron Maiden – Virtual XI
 * Jag Panzer – The Age of Mastery
 * Kamelot – Siége Perilous
 * Kataklysm – Victims of this Fallen World
 * Katatonia – Discouraged Ones
 * Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause
 * King Diamond – Voodoo
 * KISS – Psycho Circus
 * Korn – Follow the Leader
 * Krabathor – Orthodox
 * Krisiun – Apocalyptic Revelation
 * L.A. Guns – Wasted
 * David Lee Roth – DLR Band
 * Leprosy – Llora Chiapas
 * Madball – Look My Way
 * Malevolent Creation – The Fine Art of Murder
 * Yngwie Malmsteen – Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Em, Opus 1
 * Yngwie Malmsteen – Double Live! (live)
 * Marduk – Nightwing
 * Mercenary – First Breath
 * Mercyful Fate – Dead Again
 * Meshuggah – Chaosphere
 * Metal Church – Live (live)
 * Metallica – Garage Inc. (compilation)
 * Mindrot – Soul
 * Marilyn Manson – Mechanical Animals
 * Monster Magnet – Powertrip
 * Moonspell – Sin/Pecado
 * Morbid Angel – Formulas Fatal to the Flesh
 * Mortician – Zombie Apocalypse (EP)
 * Mortification – Triumph of Mercy
 * Mötley Crüe – Greatest Hits (compilation)
 * Motörhead – Snake Bite Love
 * My Dying Bride – 34.788%... Complete
 * Napalm Death – Words from the Exit Wound
 * Nembrionic – Incomplete
 * Nightwish – Oceanborn
 * Night in Gales – Thunderbeast
 * Nile – Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
 * Nothingface – An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity
 * Old Man's Child – Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion
 * One Minute Silence – Available in All Colours
 * Oomph! – Unrein
 * Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse
 * Orange Goblin – Time Travelling Blues
 * Orgy – Candyass
 * Pig Destroyer – Explosions in Ward 6
 * Pitchshifter – www.pitchshifter.com
 * Pretty Boy Floyd – A Tale of Sex, Designer Drugs and The Death of Rock N Roll
 * Primal Fear – Primal Fear
 * Pro-Pain – Pro-Pain
 * Queens of the Stone Age – Queens of the Stone Age
 * Rage – XIII
 * RAMP - Evolution, Devolution, Revolution
 * Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come
 * Rhapsody – Symphony of Enchanted Lands
 * Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe
 * Rotting – Crushed
 * Running Wild – The Rivalry 
 * Rush – Different Stages (live)
 * Samael – Exodus (EP)
 * Savatage – The Wake of Magellan (in United States)
 * Sentenced – Frozen
 * Septicflesh – A Fallen Temple
 * Sepultura – Against
 * Sinister – Aggressive Measures
 * Skepticism – Lead and Aether
 * Skid Row – 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row (compilation)
 * Slayer – Diabolus in Musica
 * Soilent Green – A String of Lies (EP)
 * Soilent Green – Sewn Mouth Secrets
 * Soilwork – Steelbath Suicide
 * Soulburn – Feeding on Angels
 * Soulfly – Soulfly
 * Strapping Young Lad – No Sleep 'till Bedtime: Live in Australia (live)
 * Stratovarius – Visions of Europe (live)
 * Stratovarius – Destiny
 * Stuck Mojo – Rising
 * Dan Swanö – Moontower
 * Symphony X – Twilight in Olympus
 * System of a Down – System of a Down
 * Tankard – Disco Destroyer
 * The Sins of Thy Beloved – Lake of Sorrow
 * Theatre of Tragedy – Aégis
 * Therapy? – Semi-Detached
 * Therion – Vovin
 * Trail of Tears – Disclosure in Red
 * Tristania – Widow's Weeds
 * Turbonegro – Apocalypse Dudes
 * 2wo – Voyeurs
 * Umbra et Imago – Machina Mundi
 * Union – Union
 * Ugly Kid Joe – The Very Best-As Ugly As It Gets
 * Unsane – Occupational Hazard
 * Vader – Kingdom (EP)
 * Van Halen – Van Halen III
 * Vintersorg – Hedniskhjärtad (EP)
 * Vintersorg – Till fjälls
 * Virgin Black – Trance (EP)
 * Virgin Steele – Invictus
 * Vision of Disorder – Imprint

Disbandments

 * 24-7 Spyz
 * Destruction (reformed in 1999)
 * Faith No More (reformed in 2009)
 * Handsome
 * Helmet (reformed in 2004)
 * Snot (reformed in 2008)
 * Vulcain

Events

 * Aerosmith becomes the first rock band to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
 * Mustis joins Dimmu Borgir on keyboards.
 * Rob Halford of Judas Priest announces his homosexuality in an MTV interview.
 * Hideto "hide" Matsumoto, guitarist of the Japanese band X Japan, commits suicide at the age of 33.
 * Poison singer Bret Michaels directs and stars in the film A Letter from Death Row.