2011

2011 began with protests that spread across the Arab world, toppling rulers in Tunisia and Egypt and tipping Libya and Syria into civil war. In March a 9.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck eastern Japan, and in May US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Occupy Wall Street then spread to cities around the world, and December brought the death of Kim Jong Il.

Rock and metal spent the year looking backwards and sideways at once. Radiohead's The King of Limbs arrived in February, followed by a remix set, TKOL RMX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, while Foo Fighters answered with the louder Wasting Light in April. Thrash's old guard stayed busy: Anthrax's Worship Music, Megadeth's Th1rt3en and Metallica's Beyond Magnetic all appeared, and Anthrax's resurgence is the story behind the first. Then came the oddities. Korn took on dubstep with The Path of Totality, and Metallica's Lulu, a spoken-word art-rock collaboration, divided opinion into very loud camps. Queen's three Deep Cuts volumes, Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden compilations, Nirvana's Live at the Paramount and Pearl Jam Twenty fed a healthy appetite for the archive.

The drama was heavy. Slayer's Jeff Hanneman survived necrotising fasciitis and surprised a crowd of roughly 50,000 with an unannounced encore in April. System of a Down, Black Sabbath and At the Gates all reformed. K. K. Downing left Judas Priest, with Richie Faulkner stepping in, and Iced Earth swapped Matt Barlow for Stu Block. Paul Di'Anno spent time in jail over benefits fraud, and the deaths of Gary Moore, Mike Starr and Jani Lane cast a long shadow.