1996 in heavy metal music explained
This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal music in the year 1996.
Newly formed bands
Albums
Disbandments
Events
- Alice in Chains plays their last concert with Layne Staley on July 23, 1996. They later go on hiatus until April 20, 2002, in which Staley is found dead in his apartment after overdosing on a speedball.
- Body Count drummer Beatmaster V dies of leukemia.
- The first Ozzfest tour sets off, with headliners Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer and Danzig.
- The original line-up of KISS (Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Paul Stanley) come back together.
- Bassist Greg Christian of Testament left the band, leaving guitarist Eric Peterson as the sole ever-present in the line-up.
- Slash leaves Guns N' Roses, citing differences with Axl Rose
- Sammy Hagar departs Van Halen after a feud with Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen briefly reunites with David Lee Roth at a highly publicized event at the MTV Video Music Awards, but fires him shortly thereafter.
- Tim 'Ripper' Owens fills the void left by Rob Halford in 1993 as lead singer of Judas Priest.
