1990 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1990.

Newly formed bands

* Anathema
* At the Gates
* Body Count (by rapper Ice T)
* Cathedral
* Dark Tranquility (then Septic Broiler)
* Deftones
* The Devin Townsend Band
* Fear Factory
* In Flames
* Infectious Grooves
* Krisiun
* Kyuss
* Lamb of God (not yet known as LOG but known as "Burn the Priest")
* Lost Horizon (then known as Highlander)
* My Dying Bride
* Opeth
* Osvajači
* Satyricon
* Tool
* Type O Negative

Albums

* 24-7 Spyz - "Gumbo Millennium"
* AC/DC - "The Razors Edge"
* Alice in Chains - "Facelift"
* Aggressor- "Indestructible" (Demo)
* Annihilator - "Never, Neverland"
* Anthrax - "Persistence of Time"
* Believer - "Sanity Obscure"
* Black Sabbath - "Tyr (album)"
* Blind Guardian - "Tales from the Twilight World"
* Blue Cheer - "Highlights & Lowlives"
* Bruce Dickinson - "Tattooed Millionaire"
* Cannibal Corpse - "Eaten Back to Life"
* Celtic Frost - "Vanity/Nemesis"
* Death - "Spiritual Healing"
* Death Angel - "Act III"
* Deicide - "Deicide"
* Dio - "Lock up the Wolves"
* Entombed - "Left Hand Path"
* Extreme - "Pornograffitti"
* Forbidden - "Twisted into Form"
* Iced Earth - "Iced Earth"
* Iron Maiden - "No Prayer for the Dying"
* Judas Priest - "Painkiller"
* Kreator - "Coma of Souls"
* Living Colour - "Time's Up"
* Tony MacAlpine - "Eyes Of The World"
* Yngwie J. Malmsteen - "Eclipse"
* Megadeth - "Rust In Peace"
* Monster Magnet - "Monster Magnet"
* Pantera - "Cowboys from Hell"
* Poison - "Flesh & Blood"
* Primus - "Frizzle Fry"
* Queensrÿche - "Empire"
* Ratt - "Detonator"
* Sadus - "Swallowed in Black"
* Sanctuary - "Into The Mirror Black"
* Scorpions - Crazy World"
* Slaughter - "Stick It to Ya"
* Slaughter - "Stick It Live"
* Slayer - "Seasons in the Abyss"
* Steve Vai - "Passion and Warfare"
* Stryper - "Against the Law
* Suicidal Tendencies - "Lights...Camera...Revolution!"
* Tesla - "Five Man Acoustical Jam"
* Testament - "Souls of Black"
* Tourniquet - "Stop the Bleeding"
* Trixter - "Trixter"
* Trouble - "Trouble"
* U.D.O. -"Faceless World"
* Warrant - "Cherry Pie"

Disbandments

* Quiet Riot

Events

*Adrian Smith, Iron Maiden's lead guitarist leaves the band because of musical differences. Janick Gers is hired to replace him.
*The infamous "Clash of the Titans" tour is this year, headlined by bands such as Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Suicidal Tendencies, and others.
*Extreme release their second album "Pornograffitti". The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart and sold very well, due to the success of its single "More Than Words", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart a year later.
*Judas Priest was involved in a multimillion dollar lawsuit involving two Nevada teenager suicides allegedly caused by the song "Better by you Better than me". The band won the case.
*Faith No More's "The Real Thing", carried by the single "Epic", also cracks the Billboard Top 10.
*Marty Friedman joins Megadeth replacing Jeff Young on guitar.