1998

In 1998 the Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast on 10 April, a deal that mostly closed the book on the Troubles. The Lewinsky story broke in January and set Bill Clinton on the road to impeachment, while Titanic swept up 11 Oscars in March. Windows 98 arrived in May, and Suharto stepped down in Indonesia after 31 years.

Nu metal was the sound of the moment, and Korn's Follow the Leader, out in August, sat at the front of it. Elsewhere the old guard stayed busy: Metallica put out Garage Inc. in November, with Cunning Stunts following in December, and Iron Maiden released Virtual XI in March. Slayer came back with Diabolus in Musica, Sepultura delivered Against, and Anthrax issued Volume 8: The Threat Is Real. Black Sabbath's Reunion arrived in October. On the alternative side, Pearl Jam's Yield landed in February, The Smashing Pumpkins went gothic on Adore, Goo Goo Dolls had Dizzy Up the Girl, and Manic Street Preachers released This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. Aerosmith became the first rock band to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".

The year brought its share of upheaval. Faith No More, Helmet and Snot all called it a day, and Dave Navarro was fired by Red Hot Chili Peppers in April. Rob Halford told MTV he was gay, and Lollapalooza was cancelled after failing to land a headliner. The saddest news was the death of X Japan guitarist hide, aged 33.