As the year is comes to a close, we will be taking you through the Best of 2010. Over the next couple of days, expect top 10 album lists from most of our writers, as well as the top stories & videos of the year. These are the top 10 stories of 2010. Please note, these are not ranked or in any sort of order. These are just the 10 stories we found to have the biggest impact in 2010:
Big Four of Thrash Jam Out To Am I Evil?
Without a doubt, this was the biggest moment of the year. This had everybody talking. After months of hype, the Big Four played a handful of festivals in Europe over the summer, and at the last date, with the cameras rolling for a DVD, representatives from Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer joined Metallica on stage to jam on Diamondhead's classic thrasher "Am I Evil?". If you were living under a rock, you can watch the performance here. As for the future, the bands have already committed to a UK festival, with rumors highly suggesting that the package is finally going to come to the states.
Mike Portnoy Quits Dream Theater
It was truly shocking to read the statement that Mike Portnoy released announcing he has decided to leave Dream Theater. The band was basically Portnoy's baby, and he was moving on. The drummer revealed the reasoning behind it was that he wanted to take a break before going into the next album cycle and the rest of the band didn't. Noa think's it's because he was just looking for some younger music-poon.
Behemoth Frontman Nergal diagnosed with leukemia
News like this brings us back to reality showing that these musicians are just as human as we are. When Behemoth cancelled their Winter tour, word spread that Nergal was sick and eventually the Behemoth camp revealed he was diagnosed with leukemia. Fortunately, with the help of chemo and a bone marrow donor, it looks like Nergal is going to make it through, but he really had us worried for a second there.
Phil Anselmo and Rita Haney Settle Their Differences
Ever since the death of Dimebag Darrell, tensions were high between Phil Anselmo and Dime's brother Vinnie Paul and the love of Dime's love, Rita Haney. For a long time it looked like the two sides would never settle their differences, with Phil constantly saying he would love to. Well, looks like time heals some wounds as some progress has been made between Phil and Rita. Kerry King let it slip that Phil was supposed to appear at Dimebash, a tribute to Darrell organized by Rita, but then it ended up being a false alarm. Hope was lost until Rita gave an interview saying he was definitely supposed to appear but ended up getting sick and having to miss it. She also revealed that they have been talking and she has forgiven him. Vinne Paul though, still has not forgotten or forgiven. It seems like he never will either.
System Of A Down Reunite
Every year, there seems to be a band that ends up being the will-they-or-won't-they. This year that honor belong to SOAD. It started when bassist Chavo Odadjian sent out a tweet asking "Are you guys ready for System?". Then, one date leaked and then another. Finally, the band just went public and announced they will be getting together for shows in 2011. Personally, I am excited.
ISIS and Judas Priest are over it
Both ISIS and Judas Priest announced their ends in 2010. ISIS did so on their final tour, which I experienced and I was very sad to see them go. Judas Priest announced their farewell tour just one week ago, saying 2011 will be it for the band. Although they are from two different eras, and have different sounds, both bands are a huge influence on a top of the crap you hear nowadays.
Magrudergrind/Scion Controversy
This was a big story for a few reasons. This was the first time (that I can recall) a band put out an EP funded completely by a brand and not a traditional record label. This also created a bit of backlash, which I thought was a little unwarranted. This is big news because this may eventually become the business model for certain musicians. If the labels aren't going to give them money, it's time to turn to some sponsors.
Tom Araya Can No Longer Headbang
The first half of 2010 was rough for Slayer. The band had to cancel a Canadian tour and frontman Tom Araya had to go in for surgery which resulted in the master of the windmill no longer being able to headbang. Fortunately, after seeing them after this happened, you barely notice it. In fact, it has led to both Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman moving around more, so maybe it was for the best?
Beavis And Butthead Set To Return
Yes! YES! YESSS!!!! FIRRREEE!!!! Everybody's favorite metalheads are coming back. A new batch of episodes are in the works and that's pretty much all we know at this point. Viewers didn't have to wait long though as the duo appeared in Jackass 3D. Hopefully, we'll have new episodes of the show in 2011.
Metal Loses Icons
There was no way we can rank if one metal death was a "bigger" story than another. All of them were shocking blows to the community, whether it be the passing of the legendary Dio, or Peter Steele or the tragic loss of Early Graves frontman Mahk Daniels due to a van accident or the accidental overdose of Paul Gray, all of them hit too close to home.
Feel like we've missed a story? Let us know in the comments…
