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

Newly formed bands

• Beyond Fear
• Cronian
• Disarm
• Ihsahn
• In This Moment
• Five Finger Death Punch

Reformed Bands

• Anthrax
• Devourment
• Emperor
• Mötley Crüe
• Terrorizer

Albums

• Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds
• After Forever - Remagine
• Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
• Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine
• As I Lay Dying -Shadows Are Security
• Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil
• Beseech - Sunless Days
• Black Label Society - Mafia, Kings of Damnation 98-04
• Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal
• Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day
• Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls
• Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison
• Candlemass - Candlemass
• Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet?
• Chimaira - Chimaira
• Crashdiet - Rest in Sleaze
• Cryptopsy - Once Was Not
• Dark Tranquillity - Character
• Deep Purple - Rapture of the Deep
• Def Leppard - Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
• Deftones - B-Sides & Rarities
• DevilDriver - The Fury of Our Maker's Hand
• Devourment - Butcher the Weak
• Dimmu Borgir - Stormblåst MMV
• Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists
• Divinity Destroyed - Eden in Ashes
• Divinity Destroyed - The Plague
• Dream Theater - Octavarium
• Early Man - Closing In
• Exodus - Shovel Headed Kill Machine
• Freak Kitchen - Organic
• Fear Factory - Transgression
• Forever Slave - Alice's Inferno
• Gizmachi - The Imbuing
• God Forbid - IV: Constitution of Treason
• Gojira - From Mars To Sirius
• HammerFall - Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
• Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys - The Legacy
• High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings
• Immolation - Harnessing Ruin
• Jacobs Dream - Drama of the Ages
• Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution
• Kamelot - The Black Halo
• Kreator - Enemy of God
• Limp Bizkit - The Unquestionable Truth ( Part 1)
• Lordi - The Monster Show
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Unleash the Fury
• Massacration - Gates of Metal Fried Chicken of Death
• Mötley Crüe - Red, White and Crüe
• Mournful Congregation - The Monad of Creation
• Mourning Beloveth - A Murderous Circus
• Mudvayne - Lost and Found
• Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
• Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked
• Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
• Opeth - Ghost Reveries
• Priestess - Hello Master
• Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness
• Protest the Hero - Kezia
• QueenAdreena - The Butcher And The Butterfly
• Rammstein - Rosenrot
• The Red Chord - Clients
• Roadrunner United - The All-Star Sessions
• Runemagick - Envenom
• Slechtvalk - At the Dawn of War
• Static-X - Start a War
• Strapping Young Lad - Alien
• Sabaton - Primo Victoria
• Soilwork - Stabbing The Drama
• Solefald - Red For Fire: An Icelandic Odyssey Part 1
• Stryper - Reborn
• Sturmgeist - Meister Mephisto
• System of a Down - Mezmerize
• System of a Down - Hypnotize
• Sonata Arctica - The End of This Chapter
• Stratovarius - Stratovarius
• Trivium - Ascendancy
• Visions of Atlantis - Cast Away
• WarCry - ¿Dónde Está La Luz?

Disbandments

• Exhumed (indefinite hiatus)

Events

• Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers leaves the band in late December after playing in the band for ten years to concentrate on record producing.
• Static-X lead guitarist Tripp Eisen was arrested in February for "lewd conduct against children", and was fired from the band.
• Former Vader drummer Docent dies.
• Vocalist Tarja Turunen was fired from Nightwish.
• Jason Jones' departure from Drowning Pool was publicly announced on June 14, 2005, due to irreconcilable differences. On August 25 at the Ozzfest date in Dallas, Texas, Drowning Pool did a guest shot performance on the main stage debuting their new singer Ryan McCombs.
• Visions of Atlantis lead vocalist Nicole Bogner quits and is replaced by ex-Aesma Deava vocalist, Melissa Ferlaak. Guitarist Werner Fielder quits and is replaced by Wolfgang Koch.
• Kittie bassist Jennifer Arroyo quits and is replaced by Trish Doan. Session guitarist Lisa Marx quits and is replaced by Tara McLeod
• Hellhammer becomes Dimmu Borgir's new drummer.
• Former Metal Church singer David Wayne dies.
• Denis "Piggy" D'Amour of Voivod dies.
• American Head Charge guitarist Bryan Ottoson dies at 27.