1993 in heavy metal music

Newly formed bands

• Abigor
• Ablaze My Sorrow
• Anata
• Apocalyptica
• Aura Noir
• Burst
• Children of Bodom
• Dark Funeral
• Dark Moor
• Deeds of Flesh
• Demoniac
• Diabolical Masquerade
• Dimmu Borgir
• Einherjer
• Electric Wizard
• Enthroned
• Extol
• Gehenna
• Grip Inc.
• HammerFall
• Hanzel und Gretyl
• Korn
• Lacrimas Profundere
• Limbonic Art
• Melechesh
• Mournful Congregation
• Mushroomhead
• Nile
• Old Man's Child
• Orphanage
• Panzerchrist
• Pegazus
• Rhapsody of Fire
• Rotten Sound
• Sacrificium
• Six Feet Under
• Summoning
• Superjoint
• Theatre of Tragedy
• Tsjuder
• Ulver
• Waylander

  Reformed bands

• Atheist
• Cream- for a few shows
• Dio
• Dokken

  Albums

• Accept – Objection Overruled
• Aerosmith – Get a Grip
• Altered State – Dos |::
• Aggressor – Procreate the Petrifactions
• Amorphis - Privilege of Evil
• Anacrusis – Screams and Whispers
• Anathema – Serenades
• Angra – Angels Cry
• Annihilator – Set the World on Fire
• Anthrax – Sound of White Noise
• At the Gates - With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness
• Atheist – Elements
• Bad Brains – Rise
• Believer – Dimensions
• Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon
• Beowülf – Un-Sentimental
• Brutality - Screams of Anguish
• Brutal Truth - Perpetual Conversion
• Burzum – Aske
• Burzum – Det som engang var
• Cancer - The Sins of Mankind
• Cannibal Corpse – Hammer Smashed Face
• Carcass – Heartwork
• Cathedral - The Ethereal Mirror
• Child'ƨ Play – Long Way
• Clawfinger – Deaf Dumb Blind
• Comecon - Converging Conspiracies
• Conception – Parallel Minds
• Cro-Mags – Near Death Experience
• Crowbar – Crowbar
• Cynic – Focus
• Damaged - Do Not Spit
• Darkthrone – Under a Funeral Moon
• Dark Tranquillity – Skydancer
• Death – Individual Thought Patterns
• Deceased - 13 Frightened Souls
• Deep Purple – The Battle Rages On
• Def Leppard – Retro Active
• Deliverance – Learn
• Desultory - Into Eternity
• Dio – Strange Highways
• Disincarnate – Dreams of the Carrion Kind
• Dismember - Indecent & Obscene
• Dissection – The Somberlain
• Earthshaker – Real
• Earthshaker – Yesterday & Tomorrow
• Edge of Sanity - The Spectral Sorrows
• Entombed – Wolverine Blues
• Entombed – Hollowman
• Europe – 1982–1992
• Eyehategod – Take as Needed for Pain
• Fight – War of Words
• Gamma Ray – Insanity and Genius
• The Gathering - Almost a Dance
• Genitorturers - 120 Days of Genitorture
• Gorguts - The Erosion of Sanity
• Grave - ...And Here I Die... Satisfied
• Helloween – Chameleon
• Hypocrisy - Osculum Obscenum
• Hypocrisy - Pleasure of Molestation
• Illdisposed - Four Depressive Seasons
• Immortal – Pure Holocaust
• Kataklysm - The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation
• Katatonia – Dance of December Souls
• Kiss – Alive III
• KMFDM – Angst
• Konkhra - Sexual Affective Disorder
• Krabathor - Cool Mortification
• Lacrimosa – Satura
• Life of Agony – River Runs Red
• Living Colour – Stain
• Macabre – Sinister Slaughter
• Tony MacAlpine – Madness
• Marduk - Those of the Unlight
• Malevolent Creation - Stillborn
• Melvins – Houdini
• Mercyful Fate – In the Shadows
• Metal Church – Hanging in the Balance
• Metallica – '
• Morbid Angel – Covenant
• Morgana Lefay – Knowing Just as I
• Morgana Lefay – The Secret Doctrine
• Morgoth - Odium
• Mortician - Mortal Massacre
• Mortification - Post Momentary Affliction
• Monster Magnet – Superjudge
• Motörhead – Bastards
• Mr Big – Bump Ahead
• My Dying Bride – Turn Loose the Swans
• My Dying Bride – The Thrash of Naked Limbs
• Necrophobic – The Nocturnal Silence
• Necrophobic – The Call
• Neurosis – Enemy of the Sun
• Nirvana - In Utero
• Nuclear Assault – Something Wicked
• Overkill – I Hear Black
• Pan.Thy.Monium - Khaooohs
• Paradise Lost – Icon
• Pearl Jam – Vs.
• Pestilence – Spheres
• Phantom Blue - Built to Perform
• Pitchshifter – Desensitized
• Pungent Stench - Dirty Rhymes & Psychotronic Beats
• Rage – The Missing Link
• Robert Plant – Fate of Nations
• Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract
• Rush – Counterparts
• Sacred Reich – Independent
• Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times
• Savatage – Edge of Thorns
• Scorpions – Face the Heat
• Sentenced - North from Here
• Sepultura – Chaos A.D.
• Shotgun Messiah – Violent New Breed
• Sick of It All – Live in a World Full of Hate
• Sinister – Diabolical Summoning
• Sinner – Respect
• Sleep – Sleep's Holy Mountain
• Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
• Steve Vai – Sex & Religion
• Suffocation - Breeding the Spawn
• Tad – Inhaler
• Tad Morose – Leaving the Past Behind
• Talisman – Genesis
• Therion - '
• Tool – Undertow
• Treponem Pal – Excess and Overdrive
• Type O Negative – Bloody Kisses
• Unanimated - In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead
• Uncle Slam – Will Work for Food
• Unleashed – Across the Open Sea
• Van Halen –
• Vince Neil – Exposed
• Vio-lence – Nothing to Gain
• Voïvod – The Outer Limits
• Winger – Pull
• X Japan – Art of Life

  Events

• Accept reforms with Udo Dirkshneider on vocals for a new album and European/American tour
• After a brief hiatus, Atheist reform to record their final album, Elements, in order to finish their third album contract to their record label. After this, the band breaks up again a year later.
• Bruce Dickinson leaves Iron Maiden. Wolfsbane's singer Blaze Bayley is chosen to replace him.
• Rob Halford of Judas Priest leaves the band to start his own project Fight
• The band Betrayer assumes the name Belphegor
• Michael Kiske of Helloween leaves the band due to personal reasons. He was replaced by Andi Deris.
• Alex Skolnick and Louie Clemente of Testament are out of the band and replaced by James Murphy on guitar and John Tempesta on drums. Skolnick later joins Savatage to replace the late Criss Oliva.
• Euronymous - guitarist and mainman of Norwegian black metal band Mayhem as well as founder and manager of record label Deathlike Silence Productions and Oslo store Helvete - was murdered on August 10, by fellow black metal musician Varg Vikernes of one-man band Burzum as well as bassist of Mayhem.
• Criss Oliva of Savatage was killed in a car crash on October 17 by a drunk driver.
• Japanese power metal band X changes their name to "X Japan".