2002 in heavy metal music

List of years in heavy metal music (table)
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This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in 2002.

Newly formed bands

• 3,14...
• Adrift
• All Ends
• All Shall Perish
• Alltheniko
• Angtoria
• Arkona
• Asesino
• Astral Doors
• Audrey Horne
• Augury
• Avian
• Bilocate
• Bleed the Sky
• Bloodsimple
• Brand New Sin
• Brides of Destruction
• Code
• Crazy Lixx
• Delain
• Despised Icon
• DevilDriver
• Drudkh
• Eluveitie
• Epica
• Exmortus
• Flyleaf
• Gama Bomb
• Giant Squid
• God Is an Astronaut
• Heidevolk
• In Solitude
• Iron Mask
• Kivimetsän Druidi
• Krux
• Lethian Dreams
• Murderdolls
• Midnattsol
• Minsk
• Misery Signals
• Nemesea
• Obscura
• OSI
• Psyopus
• Red
• The Saddest Landscape
• Sonic Syndicate
• Star One
• Sturmgeist
• Suicide Silence
• Symphony in Peril
• Teräsbetoni
• The Absence
• Theocracy
• Torture Killer
• Vektor
• Velvet Revolver
• Winds of Plague
• Violator
• Woods of Ypres
• Zonaria

Reformed bands

• Down
• Prong
• Trouble
• Whitesnake

Albums

• 3 Inches of Blood – Battlecry Under a Winter Sun
• 36 Crazyfists – Bitterness the Star
• The Acacia Strain – ...And Life Is Very Long
• Agalloch – The Mantle
• All That Remains – Behind Silence and Solitude
• Amon Amarth – Versus the World
• Arghoslent – Incorrigible Bigotry
• Anvil – Still Going Strong
• Atreyu – Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses
• Avantasia – The Metal Opera Part II
• Bathory – Nordland I
• Behemoth – Zos Kia Cultus (Here and Beyond)
• Beseech – Souls Highway
• Between the Buried and Me – Between the Buried and Me
• Black Label Society – 1919 Eternal
• Black Sabbath – Past Lives (live)
• Blind Guardian – A Night at the Opera
• Bloodbath – Resurrection Through Carnage
• Bolt Thrower – Honour – Valour – Pride
• Bon Jovi – Bounce
• Breaking Benjamin – Saturate
• Cathedral – The VIIth Coming
• Cannibal Corpse – Gore Obsessed
• Chevelle – Wonder What's Next
• Coal Chamber – Dark Days
• Cog – Just Visiting Part One (EP)
• Cog – Just Visiting Part Two (EP)
• Crazy Town – Darkhorse
• Danzig – Danzig 777: I Luciferi
• Darkane – Expanding Senses
• Dark Tranquillity – Damage Done
• Decapitated – Nihility
• Demon Hunter – Demon Hunter
• Despised Icon – Consumed by Your Poison
• Def Leppard – X
• The Dillinger Escape Plan – Irony Is a Dead Scene (EP)
• Dio – Killing the Dragon
• Disturbed – Believe
• Down – Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
• Dream Evil – Dragonslayer
• Dream Theater – Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
• Electric Wizard – Let Us Prey
• Fall of the Leafe - Fermina
• Fear Factory – Concrete (originally recorded in 1991, but not released until 2002)
• Finch – What It Is to Burn
• Firewind – Between Heaven and Hell
• Freak Kitchen – Move
• HammerFall – Crimson Thunder
• Hardline – II
• Hatebreed – Perseverance
• Hate Eternal – King of All Kings
• Heaven Shall Burn – Whatever It May Take
• High on Fire – Surrounded by Thieves
• Immolation – Unholy Cult
• Immortal – Sons of Northern Darkness
• In Flames – Reroute to Remain
• Iron Savior – Condition Red
• Isis – Oceanic
• Kataklysm – Shadows & Dust
• Killswitch Engage – Alive or Just Breathing
• King Diamond – Abigail II: The Revenge
• Korn – Untouchables
• Krux – Krux
• Kylesa – Kylesa
• Lacuna Coil – Comalies
• Lordi – Get Heavy
• Luca Turilli – Prophet of the Last Eclipse
• Manowar – Warriors of the World
• Mastodon – Remission
• Megadeth – Rude Awakening (live)
• Megadeth – Still Alive... and Well? (compilation)
• Mercenary – Everblack
• Meshuggah – Nothing
• Motörhead – Hammered
• Mudvayne – The End Of All Things To Come
• Nightwish – Century Child
• Nine Inch Nails – And All That Could Have Been (live)
• Nile – In Their Darkened Shrines
• Nonpoint - Development
• Norma Jean – Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child
• Opeth – Deliverance
• Orange Goblin – Coup de Grace
• Origin – Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas
• Otep – Sevas Tra
• Pagan's Mind – Celestial Entrance
• Pain – Nothing Remains the Same
• Papa Roach – Lovehatetragedy
• Pitchshifter – PSI
• Poison the Well – Tear from the Red
• Power Quest – Wings of Forever
• Primal Fear – Black Sun
• Pro-Pain – Shreds of Dignity
• Protest the Hero – A Calculated Use of Sound
• QueenAdreena – Drink Me
• Raunchy – Velvet Noise
• The Red Chord – Fused Together in Revolving Doors
• Rhapsody – Power of the Dragonflame
• Rotting Christ – Genesis
• Rush – Vapor Trails
• Sacrificium – Cold Black Piece of Flesh
• Satyricon – Volcano
• Saxon – Heavy Metal Thunder
• Scarve – Luminiferous
• Sentenced – The Cold White Light
• Seven Witches – Xiled to Infinity and One
• Shadows Fall – The Art of Balance
• Sinergy – Suicide by My Side
• Slechtvalk – The War That Plagues the Lands
• Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos
• Sonata Arctica – Songs of Silence – Live in Tokyo (live)
• Soulfly – 3
• Spectre Dragon – Under Hell's Command
• Star One – Space Metal
• Stone Sour – Stone Sour
• SugarComa – Becoming Something Else
• Symphony X – The Odyssey
• System of a Down – Steal This Album!
• Theory of a Deadman – Theory of a Deadman
• Threshold – Critical Mass
• Trapt – Trapt
• Týr – How Far to Asgaard
• Underoath – The Changing of Times
• Vader – Revelations
• Vanden Plas – Beyond Daylight
• Vintersorg – Visions from the Spiral Generator
• Visions of Atlantis – Eternal Endless Infinity
• WarCry – WarCry
• WarCry – El Sello de los Tiempos
• Winds – Reflections of the I
• Whispering Gallery – Lost as One

Bands disbanded

• Alice in Chains
• Breach
• Fear Factory
• Godflesh
• Lifer
• Megadeth

Events

• Dave Mustaine disbanded Megadeth after suffering a severe arm injury which left him unable to play.
• Ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
• Dave Lombardo rejoined Slayer.
• Guitarist Jeff Phillips joined Kittie as a session member, replacing Fallon Bowman. Bassist Talena Atfield left and was replaced by Jennifer Arroyo.

Deaths

• February 2 – Pavel Nicholas "Paul" Baloff, vocalist of Exodus, was taken off life support after suffering a stroke and falling into a coma. He died at the age of 41.
• March 26 – Randolpho Francisco "Randy" Castillo, drummer of Mötley Crüe and former drummer of Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford, died from squamous cell carcinoma complications at the age of 51.
• April 5 – Layne Thomas Staley, founding member and original vocalist of Alice in Chains, died from a speedball overdose at the age of 34. His partially decomposed body was found on April 19.
• June 6 – Robbinson Lantz "Robbin" Crosby, former guitarist of Ratt, died from a heroin overdose, worsened by AIDS-related complications, at the age of 42.
• June 27 – John Alec "The Ox" Entwistle, founding member and bassist of The Who, died from a cocaine-induced heart attack at the age of 57.
• August 9 – Paul Samson, founder, guitarist, vocalist, and producer of Samson, died from cancer at the age of 49.
• August 14 – David Wayne "Dave" Williams, vocalist of Drowning Pool, died from heart failure, caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, at the age of 30. He was found dead in the band's tour bus.
• October 17 – Steve MacDonald, drummer of Gorguts, died by suicide at the age of 31.
• Altemir Souza, former guitarist of Krisiun, died from injuries sustained in a motorbike accident.
• Yuji “Terry” Izumisawa, former guitarist of X Japan, died from injuries sustained in a car accident.