2019

2019 was a year of firsts and bad landings. Chang'e 4 touched down on the far side of the Moon, and a private Israeli probe set off to follow it. Two Boeing 737 MAX crashes, the first in March, grounded the whole fleet. Some newspapers were calling it the best year in human history, which with hindsight was a brave thing to print.

Heavy music had a busy, well-fed year. Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind arrived in August, followed three weeks later by Tool's Fear Inoculum, a long-awaited return that rather suited a band who never hurry. Rammstein's untitled album came out in May, and Korn's The Nothing and Megadeth's Warheads on Foreheads kept the old guard busy. Queensrÿche put out The Verdict in March, Pearl Jam went acoustic for MTV Unplugged, and Weezer released their self-titled album in January. Pink Floyd's The Later Years closed the calendar in December. Meanwhile, farewell tours were everywhere: Kiss, UFO and Krokus all announced theirs, and Slayer were due to finish up in November.

The reshuffling was dramatic. Slayer, Children of Bodom and Prophets of Rage all disbanded, while Rage Against the Machine, Mercyful Fate, Mr. Bungle, Dismember and Katatonia reformed. Slipknot lost percussionist Chris Fehn after he sued the band over withheld payments. Accept replaced bassist Peter Baltes with Martin Motnik, and Vixen's Janet Gardner left to go solo. The year also took Bruce Corbitt of Rigor Mortis and Warbeast, aged 56.