2016 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2016.

Bands formed

 * Cellar Darling
 * Invidia
 * Lovebites
 * Memoriam
 * Nothing Left
 * Pillorian
 * Prophets of Rage
 * Sinsaenum
 * Spiritbox
 * Vimic
 * VUUR

Bands disbanded

 * Agalloch
 * Bolt Thrower
 * Crucified Barbara
 * Eths
 * For Today
 * I, the Breather
 * Kylesa (hiatus)
 * Lionheart
 * ReVamp
 * Scar the Martyr
 * Sockweb
 * Twisted Sister
 * Wodensthrone

Bands reformed

 * Abandon All Ships
 * Akercocke
 * Battlelore (hiatus from 2011 to 2016)
 * Decadence
 * Demolition Hammer
 * Destroy the Runner
 * Esprit D'Air
 * Evildead
 * Massacration
 * Massacre
 * Nasty Savage
 * Nitro
 * The Obsessed
 * Pestilence
 * Power Quest
 * Ratt
 * Scissorfight
 * The Union Underground

Events

 * On April 28, 2015, Black Sabbath announced that they will embark on their final tour.
 * On July 5, 2015, Blackmore's Night and former Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore announced that he will briefly return to rock music by performing a few shows in June.
 * On January 14, Lacuna Coil announced that guitarist Marco Biazzi has left the band.
 * On February 10, Skeletonwitch announced Adam Clemans as their new vocalist.
 * On February 20, Suicidal Tendencies announced Dave Lombardo (formerly of Slayer) as the drummer for their U.S. tour with Megadeth, which took place in February and March. Lombardo will drum for Suicidal Tendencies again on their summer European tour.
 * On March 19, Underoath played their first show since disbanding in 2013 at Self Help Festival in California.
 * On March 31, Martin Henriksson announced that he has quit Dark Tranquillity due to loss of passion for playing music.
 * On April 16 and April 23, Guns N' Roses reunited with their original guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan for this year's Coachella.
 * On April 16, Overkill played a special show in Oberhausen where they played the Feel the Fire and Horrorscope albums in their entirety. The show was professionally filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD.
 * On May 5, Eluveitie announced that they parted ways with drummer Merlin Sutter, vocalist Anna Murphy and guitarist Ivo Henzi.
 * On May 20, Megadeth announced that Soilwork drummer Dirk Verbeuren was joining as their touring drummer, filling in for then-drummer Chris Adler. On July 15, however, Verbeuren was announced their full-time drummer, after Adler left the band.
 * On August 6 and 7, Heavy Montreal took place presented by Evenko, and headliners were Nightwish, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat and Candlemass.
 * On November 15, 2016, German power metal band Helloween announced tour dubbed "Pumpkins United", celebrating 30 years of Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I and Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II, with former members Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen joining Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy line-up. The "Pumpkins United" line-up entered in the studio at the end of the tour and recorded what would end up being their self titled album.

Deaths

 * January 14 – Kevin Lawrence, guitarist of Rapidfire, died from multiple heart attacks at the age of 51.
 * January 23 – Jimmy Bain, bassist of Rainbow and Dio, died from lung cancer at the age of 68.
 * February 21 – Piotr Grudziński, guitarist of Riverside, died from sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 40.
 * March 3 – John Thomas, former guitarist of Budgie, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 63.
 * March 3 – Oskar Karlsson, drummer of Gates of Ishtar, died from heart failure at the age of 39.
 * March 13 – Nik Green, keyboardist of Blue Murder, died from cancer.
 * April 5 – John Byrd, former guitarist of King Conquer, died from substance abuse.
 * April 18 – Aleah Liane Stanbridge, vocalist of Trees of Eternity, died from cancer at the age of 39.
 * May 21 – Nick Menza, former drummer of Megadeth, died from heart failure at the age of 51.
 * May 31 – Brandon Ferrell, former drummer of Municipal Waste, died from undisclosed reasons.
 * June 9 – Adam Young, multi-instrumentalist of Sockweb, died after committing suicide by hanging himself at the age of 28.
 * August 13 – Jerry Clyde Paradis, former drummer of The Gates of Slumber and Sourvein, died from undisclosed reasons.
 * August 17 – James Woolley, former keyboardist of Nine Inch Nails, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 49.
 * August 21 – Tom Searle, guitarist of Architects, died from cancer at the age of 28.
 * August 25 – Norman Killeen, former drummer of Threat Signal, died from undisclosed reasons at the age of 38.
 * September 10 – Pecu Cinnari, drummer of Tarot, died from a long-term illness at the age of 50.
 * September 11 – Leonard Haze, former drummer of Y&T, died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the age of 61.
 * September 27 – Mike Taylor, former vocalist of Quartz, died from undisclosed reasons.
 * September 27 – Brodie Wheeler, former guitarist of King Conquer, died from substance abuse.
 * December 5 – Adam Sagan, former drummer of Circle II Circle and Into Eternity, died from blood cancer at the age of 36.
 * December 23 – Mick Zane, guitarist of Malice, died from brain cancer.