2005 in heavy metal music

Last updated August 31, 2025

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 2005.

Newly formed bands

Reformed bands

Disbanded bands

Events

Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch leaves the band.
Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers leaves the band in late December after playing in the band for ten years to concentrate on record producing.
Static-X lead guitarist Tripp Eisen was arrested in February for "lewd conduct against children", and was fired from the band.
Vocalist Tarja Turunen was fired from Nightwish.
Jason Jones' departure from Drowning Pool was publicly announced on June 14, 2005, due to irreconcilable differences. On August 25 at the Ozzfest date in Dallas, Texas, Drowning Pool did a guest shot performance on the main stage debuting their new singer Ryan McCombs.
Visions of Atlantis lead vocalist Nicole Bogner quits and is replaced by ex-Aesma Daeva vocalist, Melissa Ferlaak. Guitarist Werner Fielder quits and is replaced by Wolfgang Koch.^[2]
Kittie bassist Jennifer Arroyo quits and is replaced by Trish Doan. Session guitarist Lisa Marx quits and is replaced by Tara McLeod
Hellhammer becomes Dimmu Borgir's new drummer.
American Head Charge guitarist Bryan Ottoson dies at 27.
Motörhead picked up their first Grammy in the awards of 2005 in the Best Metal Performance category for their cover of Metallica's "Whiplash" on Metallic Attack: The Ultimate Tribute
Sentenced members announce their break-up and the release of their last album The Funeral Album. On October 1, they play and record their final show Buried Alive (released on 2006) on their hometown Oulu, Finland.
Dave Mustaine, frontman of Megadeth puts together music festival Gigantour for the first time.

Deaths

May 10 – David Wayne, former vocalist of Metal Church, died from health complications following injuries sustained in a car accident at the age of 47.^[3]
May 22 – Mike "Yaz" Jastremski, former bassist of Heathen, died from a heart attack at the age of 42.^[4]
August 18 – Krzysztof "Docent" Raczkowski, formed drummer of Vader, died from heart failure at the age of 34.^[5]
August 26 – Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, founder and guitarist of Voivod, died from colon cancer complications at the age of 45.^[6]
Mika Ervaskari, original Stratovarius keyboardist, died by suicide.

Albums released

January

Day	Artist	Album
10	Kreator	Enemy of God
24	Dark Tranquillity	Character
24	Sturmgeist	Meister Mephisto
31	Runemagick	Envenom
31	Masterplan	Aeronautics

February

Day	Artist	Album
1	High on Fire	Blessed Black Wings
	Mötley Crüe	Red, White & Crüe (Compilation)
	WarCry	¿Dónde Está La Luz?
5	Immolation	Harnessing Ruin
7	Primordial	The Gathering Wilderness
7	Scar Symmetry	Symmetric in Design
17	Lordi	The Monster Show
21	Communic	Conspiracy in Mind
28	Soilwork	Stabbing the Drama

March

Day	Artist	Album
1	Judas Priest	Angel of Retribution
4	HammerFall	Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
8	Black Label Society	Mafia
	Into the Moat	The Design
	Impaled	Death After Life
	Winter Solstice	The Fall of Rome
14	Wrench in the Works	Prodigal Transmission
15	Cephalic Carnage	Anomalies
	Kamelot	The Black Halo
	Origin	Echoes of Decimation
	Trivium	Ascendancy
16	Mournful Congregation	The Monad of Creation
22	Kylesa	To Walk a Middle Course
	Overkill	ReliXIV
	Queens of the Stone Age	Lullabies to Paralyze
	Strapping Young Lad	Alien
23	Galneryus	Advance to the Fall
29	Mourning Beloveth	A Murderous Circus
29	Theory of a Deadman	Gasoline

April

Day	Artist	Album
5	Despised Icon	The Healing Process
5	Graveworm	(N)utopia
12	Cog	The New Normal
12	Mudvayne	Lost and Found
17	Aborted	The Archaic Abattoir
21	Epica	Consign to Oblivion
25	Metalium	Demons of Insanity – Chapter Five
25	Napalm Death	The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code
26	Opiate for the Masses	The Spore

May

Day	Artist	Album
2	Limp Bizkit	The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) (EP)
3	Candlemass	Candlemass
	Jacobs Dream	Drama of the Ages
	Nine Inch Nails	With Teeth
16	Meshuggah	Catch Thirtythree
17	Def Leppard	Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
	The Red Chord	Clients
	System of a Down	Mezmerize
20	Crashdïet	Rest in Sleaze
21	Freedom Call	The Circle of Life
23	Bruce Dickinson	Tyranny of Souls
	Nile	Annihilation of the Wicked
	Queenadreena	The Butcher and the Butterfly
30	Life of Agony	Broken Valley
31	Sentenced	The Funeral Album

June

Day	Artist	Album
7	Avenged Sevenfold	City of Evil
7	Dream Theater	Octavarium
10	Stick to Your Guns	For What It's Worth
14	As I Lay Dying	Shadows Are Security
14	Static-X	Start a War
19	Winds of Plague	A Cold Day in Hell
21	Clutch	Robot Hive/Exodus
28	DevilDriver	The Fury of Our Maker's Hand
	Haste the Day	When Everything Falls
	Hate Eternal	I, Monarch
	Throwdown	Vendetta

July

Day	Artist	Album
4	Alice Cooper	Dirty Diamonds
12	The Black Dahlia Murder	Miasma
12	Obituary	Frozen in Time
26	Arch Enemy	Doomsday Machine
	Chiodos	All's Well That Ends Well
	Dope	American Apathy
	Nevermore	This Godless Endeavor
	Yngwie Malmsteen	Unleash the Fury

August

Day	Artist	Album
9	Chimaira	Chimaira
16	Stryper	Reborn
22	Destruction	Inventor of Evil
22	Fear Factory	Transgression
23	The Bled	Found in the Flood
23	Every Time I Die	Gutter Phenomenon
24	Sonata Arctica	The End of This Chapter (Compilation)
29	Opeth	Ghost Reveries
30	From Autumn to Ashes	Abandon Your Friends
	Gorefest	La Muerte
	Protest the Hero	Kezia

September

Day	Artist	Album
5	Beseech	Sunless Days
	Hypocrisy	Virus
	Stratovarius	Stratovarius
6	Ion Dissonance	Solace
8	After Forever	Remagine
12	Hortus Animae	The Blow of Furious Winds
12	Parkway Drive	Killing with a Smile
14	Children of Bodom	Are You Dead Yet?
20	Bon Jovi	Have a Nice Day
	Disturbed	Ten Thousand Fists
	God Forbid	IV: Constitution of Treason
27	Gojira	From Mars to Sirius

October

Day	Artist	Album
3	Bullet for My Valentine	The Poison (UK Release)
4	Black Label Society	Kings of Damnation 98–04
	Deftones	B-Sides & Rarities
	Exodus	Shovel Headed Kill Machine
	Shinedown	Us and Them
	Soulfly	Dark Ages
10	Massacration	Gates of Metal Fried Chicken of Death
11	Early Man	Closing In
	Gamma Ray	Majestic
	Roadrunner United	Roadrunner United
	Sevendust	Next
	Story of the Year	In the Wake of Determination
15	Primal Fear	Seven Seals
18	Cryptopsy	Once Was Not
	Fireball Ministry	Their Rock Is Not Our Rock
	Priestess	Hello Master
	Solefald	An Icelandic Odyssey
24	Stream of Passion	Embrace the Storm
25	Demon Hunter	The Triptych
25	Through the Eyes of the Dead	Bloodlust
28	Rammstein	Rosenrot
31	Helloween	Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
31	Riverside	Second Life Syndrome

November

Day	Artist	Album
1	Deep Purple	Rapture of the Deep
7	Power Quest	Magic Never Dies
8	August Burns Red	Thrill Seeker
8	Elfonía	This Sonic Landscape
11	Bolt Thrower	Those Once Loyal
	Devourment	Butcher the Weak
	Dimmu Borgir	Stormblåst MMV
19	Darkspace	Dark Space II
22	System of a Down	Hypnotize
28	Sacrificium	Escaping the Stupor
29	The Darkness	One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back

December

Day	Artist	Album
6	Job for a Cowboy	Doom
6	Korn	See You on the Other Side
16	Faith	Sorg
20	Whispering Gallery	Shades of Sorrow

References

↑ "Interview with Motionless In White: Growing Creatures | The Aquarian". www.theaquarian.com. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
↑ "VISIONS OF ATLANTIS: 'Delta' Track Listing Revealed – Dec. 24, 2010". December 24, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
↑ "Former METAL CHURCH Vocalist David Wayne Dies Aged 47 (May 10th, 2005) | News @ Metal Forces Magazine" . Retrieved 2024-04-20.
↑ "Former HEATHEN And GRIFFIN Member Mike "Yaz" Jastremski Dies Of Heart Attack Aged 42 (May 22nd, 2005) | News @ Metal Forces Magazine" . Retrieved 2024-04-20.
↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
↑ "Voivod". www.voivod.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.

Preceded by 2004	Heavy Metal Timeline 2005	Succeeded by 2006

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[1] "Interview with Motionless In White: Growing Creatures | The Aquarian". www.theaquarian.com. Retrieved 23 February 2018.

[Blabbermouth-2] "VISIONS OF ATLANTIS: 'Delta' Track Listing Revealed – Dec. 24, 2010". December 24, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2012.

[3] "Former METAL CHURCH Vocalist David Wayne Dies Aged 47 (May 10th, 2005) | News @ Metal Forces Magazine" . Retrieved 2024-04-20.

[4] "Former HEATHEN And GRIFFIN Member Mike "Yaz" Jastremski Dies Of Heart Attack Aged 42 (May 22nd, 2005) | News @ Metal Forces Magazine" . Retrieved 2024-04-20.

[5] "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.

[6] "Voivod". www.voivod.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.

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