... 1996, ROB HALFORD is surrounded by rumours that he will be replacing vocalist Tony Martin in SABBATH - Halford joined Sabbath on stage on November 15, 1992 at OZZY OSBOURNE's 'final' show in Costa Mesa, California.

... 1996, Dave Mustaine’s dubs his new side project MD.45.

... 1996, MORBID ANGEL are dropped by Giant Records.

... 1997, it is confirmed that BLACK SABBATH (minus Bill Ward) will join the Ozzfest tour.

... 1997, ENTOMBED release To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth.

... 1997, BIOHAZARD are dropped from the Warner Brothers family.

... 1998, The 900-page Ultimate Hard Rock Guide Vol 1, Europe/Scandinavia is released.

... 1998, a press release is issued stating that MOTLEY CRUE’s Tommy Lee is set to appear in California courtroom soon for a preliminary hearing into charges of spousal and child abuse.

... 1998, OZZY OSBOURNE tells the world that BLACK SABBATH have “already been in the studio and recorded two tracks.”

... 1998, violinist and keyboardist Martin Powell has left MY DYING BRIDE.

... 1998, the fantastic Lords Of Chaos: The Bloody Rise Of The Satanic Metal Underground by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind is released.

... 1998, Cozy Powell is forced to pull out of live commitments with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN due to a minor motorcycle accident.

... 1998, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS release Mantra III.

... 1998, Steve Perry leaves JOURNEY and ex-TALL STORIES/TYKETTO singer Steve Augeri joins.

... 1998, DAVID LEE ROTH releases two new songs to U.S. radio - ‘King Of The Hill’ and ‘Slam Dunk’.

... 1998, George Lynch sues his former DOKKEN mates for breach of contract and fraud.

... 1999 (March 31), Heavy Metal veterans Bob Nalbandian, Tobe Baad, and ANTHRAX vocalist John Bush open Black Lodge on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

... 1999, COAL CHAMBER hooks up with OZZY OSBOURNE in a Los Angeles recording studio to record a cover of PETER GABRIEL's ‘Shock The Monkey’.

... 1999, DIMMU BORGIR, who were due to play with the Oslo Symphonic Orchestra on a Norwegian telecast called the Spellmannsprisen Show, ran into a problem when three orchestra musicians stated that they did not want to be associated with a satanic band. As a result, the 30 piece orchestra had to pull out of the gig.

... 1999, QUEENSRYCHE ink with Ray Daniels/SRO Management in Toronto.

... 1999, BEYOND DAWN sign to Peaceville.

... 1999, HYPOCRISY release their first live album, Hypocrisy Destroys Wacken.

... 1999, the long lost third BADLANDS album, Dusk, featuring the late Ray Gillen is released.

... 2000, Olli-Pekka Laine leaves AMORPHIS due to musical and personal differences.

... 2000, EVEREVE drummer Marc leaves the band and is replaced by MC Wifebeater.

... 2000, ORPHANAGE ink a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.

... 2000, STRATOVARIUS’ Infinite smashes into the charts in Finland at #1.

... 2000, PEGAZUS vocalist Danny Cecati leaves the band due to personal differences between him and the rest of the group.

... 2000, PRIMAL FEAR re-sign with Nuclear Blast for another four albums.

... 2000, Damon Johnson (ex-BROTHER CANE), replaces Tommy Shaw in the DAMN YANKEES.

... 2000, a DIMMU BORGIR poster is shown in Polish parliament as an example of a satanic musical group during a court case for two girls who were murdered on so called black mass.

... 2000, DISMAL EUPHONY complete their line-up with bassist Erlend Caspersen (MR.CUCUMBER) and keyboardist Axel Henriksen (APOSTACY).

... 2000, DEMENTOR and SETH sign to Osmose Productions.

... 2000, CIRITH GORGOR replace guitarist Asmoday with Marchosias.

... 2001, DIMMU BORGIR's Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia enters the German Album chart at #16, making it the highest-charting Black Metal album of all time.

... 2001, former DORO PESCH guitarist Mario D. Parillo II passes.

... 2001, SEPULTURA’s Nation achieves gold status in Brazil on pre-orders alone.

... 2001, it is announced that Joey Ramone, lead singer of the RAMONES, is battling lymphoma.

... 2001, SOILWORK keyboardist Carlos Del Olmo leaves the group.

... 2001, LIVING COLOUR decide to reunite for a brief West Coast tour and possible album.

... 2001, BOURGEOIS PIGS ink a deal with Frontiers/Now & Then.

... 2001, NECROPHOBIC guitarist David Parland is replaced by Johan Bergebäck (MORPHEUS).

... 2001, Peaceville UK ink a deal with AKERCOCKE.

... 2002, CELTIC FROST’s website reveals that the bands forthcoming reunion CD will feature the classic three-piece line-up of guitarist/vocalist Tom Gabriel Fischer, drummer Reed St. Mark and bassist Martin Ain along with APOLLYON SUN guitarist Erol Unala.

... 2002, THE GREAT DECEIVER ink a deal with Peaceville Records.

... 2002, reports surface that ROB ZOMBIE’s directorial film debut, House Of 1000 Corpses, will not to be distributed by Universal after executives view a grisly rough cut, even after the firm bankrolled the $7 million film.

... 2002, after 15 years and four albums, OBLIVEON call it quits.

... 2002, Jack Frost announces that Joey Vera is the new SEVEN WITCHES bassist.

... 2002, Spain’s Locomotive Music opens a US office and signs its first American artist, MEDICATION.

... 2002, GEOFF TATE (QUEENSRYCHE) opens his new website at geofftate.com.

... 2002, DRAGONLORD’s Steve DiGiorgio leaves the band and is replaced by Derrik Ramirez.

... 2002, Axis Percussion ink an endorsement deal with THE CROWN’s Janne Saarenpaa.

... 2002, NIGHT IN GALES parted ways with Massacre Records.

... 2002, VINCE NEIL’s European tour is canceled after the promoter gets cold feet when Vince asks for all the cash up front, before getting on the plane.

... 2002, AEROSMITH are selected as the second MTV-Icon honoree in celebration of its nearly 30-year career.

... 2002, DEEP PURPLE founding member and keyboardist Jon Lord retires from the band. He is replaced by Don Airey.

... 2002, original PRETTY BOY FLOYD guitarist, Kristy 'Krash" Majors leaves the band to concentrate on running his business, the booking agency Artist Worldwide.

... 2002, TUFF announce the return of original lead guitarist Jorge DeSaint.

... 2003, Metal Update’s Brant Wintersteen teams up with HearItAgain.net to bring MP3 downloads of live concerts to the metal community.

... 2003, SUFFOCATION officially reforms.

... 2003, BYFIST introduce their new member, Rob Steele, former vocalist for BITTER HARVEST.

... 2003, OZZY OSBOURNE introduces former METALLICA/present VOIVOD bassist Jason Newsted as the replacement for the departed Robert Trujillo (now in Metallica!).

... 2003, former EXCITER vocalist/frontman Jacques Belanger rejoins the band, after a 1 1/2 year absence.

... 2003, DANZIG announce through their website, www.danzig-verotik.com, that guitarist Tommy Victor (PRONG) is back in the band.

... 2003, bassist Scott Reeder quits UNIDA.

... 2003, AMORPHIS sign with EMI for the release of their forthcoming album, Far From The Sun.

... 2003, MALEVOLENCE replace drummer Gustavo Costa with Joel Silva.

... 2003, CRADLE OF FILTH's latest album, Damnation And A Day, enters the Canadian Soundscan charts at #77, moving 1150 units, their highest chart position in Canada.

... 2003, UFO replace departed guitarist Michael Schenker with new axeman John Norum (ex-EUROPE, DOKKEN).

.. 2003, Jamie Tisdale, a member of STORYTELLER and producer of their debut CD, succumbs to diabetes after a 12 year battle with the disease.

... 2003, Z Records signed a deal with WARRANT frontman Jani Lane.

... 2003, MICHAEL SCHENKER’s 1979 Gibson Flying V guitar sells at auction on eBay for $25,600.00 US.

... 2004, EYES OF FIRE part ways with keyboardist Ben Smith.

... 2004, DISTANT THUNDER are introduced, a new project featuring SEVEN WITCHES singer James Rivera, SYMPHONY X bassist Mike Lepond and ex-DESTINY'S END guitarist Eric Halpern.

... 2004, CROWBAR announce the addition of former BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bassist, Steve Gibb, as the band’s new guitarist.

... 2004, ALL THAT REMAINS shoot their first video, for the track ‘The Deepest Gray’.

... 2004, MESHUGGAH introduce new bassist Dick Lovgren.

... 2004, former VIRGIN STEELE guitarist Jack Starr inks a deal with Magic Circle Music.

... 2004, INCANTATION ink a deal with Listenable Records.

... 2004, LILLIAN AXE vocalist Ron Taylor leaves the band.

... 2004, TENEBRE part ways with vocalist Victor Fradera, who has become a born-again Christian and will now sing in a church choir.

... 2004, in the wake of the sudden passing of singer Terje ”Valfar” Bakken, WINDIR schedule a farewell concert for September 3rd at Rockefeller Arena in Oslo, Norway.

... 2004, prosecutors in Southwest Florida file charges against RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson, related to an altercation he had with Collier County deputies at the Ritz Carlton, Naples, on New Year's Eve.

... 2004, Vancouver’s KING KARMA ink a deal with Z Records.

... 2004, BW&BK; exclusively reveal that a GENE SIMMONS box set will surface sometime in 2005 and will contain 100 never-before-heard solo tracks from the KISS legend.

... 2004, THE QUIREBOYS sign a new record deal with German label SPV.

... 2004, TESLA enter Billboard’s album chart at #37 with their new album, Into The Now.

... 2004, former VAN HALEN frontman DAVID LEE ROTH inks a European distribution deal for the release of his Diamond Dave album.