1997 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1997.

Newly formed bands

• 1349
• Akercocke
• Aletheian
• The Amenta
• American Head Charge
• Amoral
• Armageddon
• Atargatis
• Blackstar
• Blood Has Been Shed
• Born from Pain
• Brougham
• Caliban
• Carnal Forge
• Dagoba
• Dark Lunacy
• Dark Suns
• Deadlock
• The Dillinger Escape Plan
• Dir En Grey
• Dolorian
• Doomsword
• Dope
• Droid
• Elvenking
• Explorers Club
• Factory 81
• Finntroll
• Five Foot Thick
• Forefather
• Goatwhore
• Gorod
• Halestorm
• Halfcocked
• Hardcore Superstar
• Hate Eternal
• Insomnium
• Isis
• Karma to Burn
• Karnivool
• Keelhaul
• Liquid Tension Experiment
• Lostprophets
• Nebula
• Nonpoint
• Norma Jean
• Onesidezero
• Origin
• Paysage d'Hiver
• Persuader
• Pig Destroyer
• Pleymo
• Poison the Well
• Primal Fear
• Primer 55
• Pulse Ultra (As Headspace)
• Rapture
• Secret Sphere
• Serial Joe
• Severe Torture
• Shuvel
• Sick Puppies
• Sinergy
• Skrape (As JoJo)
• Soil
• Soulfly
• Sunk Loto (As Messiah)
• Spawn of Possession
• Taproot
• Three Days Grace
• Throwdown
• Thurisaz
• Tierra Santa
• Turisas
• Underoath
• U.P.O.
• Vesania
• Vintersorg
• Witchery

Reformed Bands

• The original Black Sabbath line up
• Jane's Addiction (disbanded again later that year)
• Ratt
• Suicidal Tendencies

Albums

Disbandments

• Acid Bath
• Jane's Addiction (reformed in 2001)
• Rollins Band (reformed in 1999)
• Soundgarden (reformed in 2010)
• X Japan (reformed in 2007)

Events

• Mötley Crüe and former vocalist Vince Neil reconcile their differences, and Neil rejoins the band.
• Black Sabbath reunites with the original line-up between Black Sabbath and Never Say Die!.
• Bassist Mooseman leaves Body Count and is replaced by Griz. Meanwhile, the late drummer Beatmaster V is replaced by O.T.
• After a two-year hiatus, vocalist Mike Muir and rhythm guitarist Mike Clark reform Suicidal Tendencies. Rocky George and Robert Trujillo are replaced by Dean Pleasants and Josh Paul on guitar and bass respectively, and future Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman also joins.
• The Mentors frontman, El Duce, is killed when hit by a train.
• Former Slipknot vocalist, Anders Colsefni, is replaced with current lead singer of Slipknot, Corey Taylor.

References