2005

Two things shaped 2005 more than most: the London bombings of 7 July, which killed 56 people, and Hurricane Katrina, the costliest storm of a record-breaking Atlantic season. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire topped the box office, while Coldplay's X&Y was the year's biggest-selling album. Digital music also overtook singles in revenue for the first time.

Rock spent the year in a reflective mood. Foo Fighters went for a double album with In Your Honor, half loud and half acoustic, and Nine Inch Nails returned with With Teeth. Korn closed the year with See You on the Other Side, while Rammstein's Rosenrot arrived in the autumn. Oasis offered Don't Believe the Truth, Weezer gave us Make Believe, and the Manic Street Preachers put out God Save the Manics. Compilations and live sets were everywhere: Deftones' B-Sides & Rarities, Slipknot's 9.0: Live, Iron Maiden's Death on the Road, Sepultura's Live in São Paulo, Linkin Park's Underground 5.0 and Ozzy Osbourne's Under Cover. Motörhead also collected their first Grammy, for a cover of Metallica's "Whiplash". Dave Mustaine launched the first Gigantour.

Line-ups were unsteady. Korn lost guitarist Brian "Head" Welch after he converted to Christianity, and Static-X sacked Tripp Eisen following his arrest. Nightwish dismissed Tarja Turunen, Powerman 5000 parted with Mike Tempesta, and Blink-182 announced an indefinite hiatus. Alice in Chains, Anthrax and Emperor all reformed. Sadly, the year also took Voivod's Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, Metal Church's David Wayne and Vader's Krzysztof Raczkowski.