2018

In 2018 a false missile alert panicked Hawaii for thirty-eight minutes, and Parkland's school shooting sent students out of classrooms and onto the streets in protest. The Winter Olympics went to Pyeongchang, and a poisoning in Salisbury kept the news busy well into spring.

Rock spent the year looking backwards, and rather enjoyed it. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack, out in October, led the vault's releases for the year. Alice in Chains followed with Rainier Fog in August, and Nine Inch Nails kept things abrasive with Bad Witch in June. The Smashing Pumpkins returned in November with Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun., while Manic Street Preachers offered Resistance Is Futile in April. Def Leppard tidied up their back catalogue with Live at Abbey Road Studios and a best-of in November, and Goo Goo Dolls put out The Audience Is This Way. Rage Against the Machine's Democratic National Convention 2000 also appeared. Reunions were the real theme: Mötley Crüe and Static-X both came back, and Nightwish toured a nine-month retrospective.

Farewells and losses ran heavy. Slayer announced a farewell tour, Glenn Tipton revealed his Parkinson's and stepped back from touring with Judas Priest, and Machine Head's Phil Demmel and Dave McClain left. January took Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries and "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead. Vinnie Paul, once of Pantera, died in June at fifty-four.