1993 in heavy metal music

Last updated August 24, 2025

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal music in the year 1993.

Newly formed bands

Reformed bands

Atheist
Cream- for a few shows
Dio
Dokken

Albums

Accept – Objection Overruled
Aerosmith – Get a Grip
Alleycat Scratch – Deadboys in Trash City
Aggressor – Procreate the Petrifactions
Amorphis – Privilege of Evil (EP)
Anacrusis – Screams and Whispers
Anathema – Serenades
Anal Cunt – Everyone Should Be Killed
Angra – Angels Cry
Annihilator – Set the World on Fire
Anthrax – Sound of White Noise
April Wine – Attitude
Arcade – Arcade
At the Gates – With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness
Atheist – Elements
Bad Brains – Rise
Believer – Dimensions
Beherit – Drawing Down the Moon
Benediction – Transcend the Rubicon
Beowülf – Un-Sentimental
Blue Murder – Nothin but Trouble
Brujería – Matando Güeros
Brutality – Screams of Anguish
Brutal Truth – Perpetual Conversion (EP)
Bulletboys – Za-Za
Burzum – Aske (EP)
Burzum – Det som engang var
Cancer – The Sins of Mankind
Cannibal Corpse – Hammer Smashed Face (EP)
Carcass – Heartwork
Cathedral – The Ethereal Mirror
Cherry St. – Squeeze it Dry
Child'ƨ Play – Long Way
Clawfinger – Deaf Dumb Blind
Comecon – Converging Conspiracies
Conception – Parallel Minds
Coverdale/Page – Coverdale/Page
Craig Goldy – Insufficient Therapy
Cro-Mags – Near Death Experience
Crowbar – Crowbar
Cynic – Focus
Damaged – Do Not Spit
Danzig – Thrall-Demonsweatlive
Darkthrone – Under a Funeral Moon
Dark Tranquillity – Skydancer
Death – Individual Thought Patterns
Deceased – 13 Frightened Souls (EP)
Deep Purple – The Battle Rages On
Def Leppard – Retro Active (compilation)
Deliverance – Learn
Desultory – Into Eternity
Dio – Strange Highways (Europe release)
Disincarnate – Dreams of the Carrion Kind
Dismember – Indecent & Obscene
Dissection – The Somberlain
Dream Theater – Live at the Marquee
Earth (American band) – Earth 2 (album)
Earthshaker – Real
Earthshaker – Yesterday & Tomorrow
Edge of Sanity – The Spectral Sorrows
Entombed – Wolverine Blues
Entombed – Hollowman (EP)
Enuff Z'nuff – Animals with Human Intelligence
Europe – 1982–1992 (compilation)
Every Mothers Nightmare – Wake up Screaming
Eyehategod – Take as Needed for Pain
Fight – War of Words
Fishbone – Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe
Gamma Ray – Insanity and Genius
The Gathering – Almost a Dance
Genitorturers – 120 Days of Genitorture
Gorguts – The Erosion of Sanity
Grave – ...And Here I Die... Satisfied (EP)
Guns N' Roses – The Spaghetti Incident?
Helloween – Chameleon
Hittman – Vivas Machina
Hypocrisy – Osculum Obscenum
Hypocrisy – Pleasure of Molestation (EP)
Illdisposed – Four Depressive Seasons
Immortal – Pure Holocaust
Impaled Nazarene – Ugra Karma
Iron Maiden – A Real Live One (Live)
Iron Maiden – A Real Dead One (Live)
Iron Maiden – Live at Donington (Live)
Judas Priest – Metal Works '73–'93 (Compilation)
Kataklysm – The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation (EP)
Katatonia – Dance of December Souls
Kingdom Come – Bad Image
Kiss – Alive III (live)
KMFDM – Angst
Konkhra – Sexual Affective Disorder
Krabathor – Cool Mortification
Lacrimosa – Satura
Life of Agony – River Runs Red
Living Colour – Stain
Love/Hate – Let's Rumble
Macabre – Sinister Slaughter
Tony MacAlpine – Madness
Marduk – Those of the Unlight
Malevolent Creation – Stillborn
Duff McKagan – Believe in Me
Melvins – Houdini
Mercyful Fate – In the Shadows
Metal Church – Hanging in the Balance
Metallica – Live Shit: Binge & Purge (live box set)
Morbid Angel – Covenant
Morgana Lefay – Knowing Just as I
Morgana Lefay – The Secret Doctrine
Morgoth – Odium
Mortician – Mortal Massacre (EP)
Mortification – Post Momentary Affliction
Monster Magnet – Superjudge
Motörhead – Bastards
Mr Big – Bump Ahead
My Dying Bride – Turn Loose the Swans
My Dying Bride – The Thrash of Naked Limbs (EP)
Necrophobic – The Nocturnal Silence
Necrophobic – The Call (EP)
Neurosis – Enemy of the Sun
Ningen Isu – Rashōmon
Nirvana – In Utero
Nuclear Assault – Something Wicked
Overkill – I Hear Black
Pan.Thy.Monium – Khaooohs
Paradise Lost – Icon
Pearl Jam – Vs.
Pestilence – Spheres
Phantom Blue – Built to Perform
Pitchshifter – Desensitized
Pungent Stench – Dirty Rhymes & Psychotronic Beats (EP)
Quiet Riot – Terrified
Rage – The Missing Link
Riot - Nightbreaker
Robert Plant – Fate of Nations
Rotting Christ – Thy Mighty Contract
Rush – Counterparts
Sacred Reich – Independent
Satyricon – Dark Medieval Times
Savatage – Edge of Thorns
Scorpions – Face the Heat
Sentenced – North from Here
Sepultura – Chaos A.D.
Shotgun Messiah – Violent New Breed
Sick of It All – Live in a World Full of Hate (live)
Sinister – Diabolical Summoning
Sinner – Respect
Sleep – Sleep's Holy Mountain ^[1]
Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
Steve Vai – Sex & Religion
Suffocation – Breeding the Spawn
Tad – Inhaler
Tad Morose – Leaving the Past Behind
Talisman – Genesis
Therapy? – Hats Off to the Insane
Therion – Symphony Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas
Threshold – Wounded Land
Tool – Undertow
Transmetal – Dante's Inferno
Treponem Pal – Excess and Overdrive
Type O Negative – Bloody Kisses
Unanimated – In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead
Uncle Slam – Will Work for Food
Unleashed – Across the Open Sea
Van Halen – Live: Right Here, Right Now (live)
Vince Neil – Exposed
Vio-lence – Nothing to Gain
Voïvod – The Outer Limits
Warrior Soul – Chill Pill
Winger – Pull
X Japan – Art of Life

Events

Accept reforms with Udo Dirkshneider on vocals for a new album and European/American tour
After a brief hiatus, Atheist reform to record their final album, Elements , in order to finish their third album contract to their record label. After this, the band breaks up again a year later.
Bruce Dickinson leaves Iron Maiden. Wolfsbane's singer Blaze Bayley is chosen to replace him.
Rob Halford of Judas Priest leaves the band to start his own project Fight
The band Betrayer assumes the name Belphegor
Michael Kiske of Helloween leaves the band for personal reasons. He was replaced by Andi Deris.
Alex Skolnick and Louie Clemente of Testament are out of the band and replaced by James Murphy on guitar and John Tempesta on drums. Skolnick later joins Savatage to replace the late Criss Oliva.
Euronymous – guitarist and mainman of Norwegian black metal band Mayhem as well as founder and manager of record label Deathlike Silence Productions and Oslo store Helvete – was murdered on August 10, by fellow black metal musician Varg Vikernes (aka Count Grishnackh) of one-man band Burzum as well as bassist of Mayhem.
Criss Oliva of Savatage was killed in a car crash on October 17 by a drunk driver.
Japanese power metal band X changes their name to "X Japan".

Preceded by 1992	Heavy Metal Timeline 1993	Succeeded by 1994

References

↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Sleep – Sleep's Holy Mountain". Allmusic . Retrieved 2008-06-08.

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[AMG-SleepsHolyMountain-1] Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Sleep – Sleep's Holy Mountain". Allmusic . Retrieved 2008-06-08.

[1]

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