2019 in rock music

This article summarizes the events related to rock music for the year of 2019.

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Notable events

January

• Godsmack's single "When Legends Rise" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for five weeks, in a run that began in December 2018. It is their ninth song to top the chart.[1][2][3]
• The Glorious Sons single "S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)" tops the Mainstream Rock songs chart, their first song to do so. It stays there for four weeks.[4][3]
• Bring Me the Horizon's sixth studio album, Amo, named one of the most anticipated albums of 2019,[5][6] is released. It is released to mixed reception; it is the number one selling album in its week of release in the UK and Australia,[7][8] but fares much worse in the US, debuting at number 14, and selling only 16,000 copies, a 75% decrease from their prior album, That's the Spirit.[9]
• Maynard James Keenan announces that he has finished recording vocals for Tool's fifth studio album, their first since 2006's 10,000 Days, though work still remains in finalizing the album.[10]
• Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World announce a co-headlining North American summer tour, billed as a 25th anniversary for both bands since they started touring.[11]
• Greta Van Fleet performs two songs live on the nationally televised Saturday Night Live, "Black Smoke Rising" and "You're the One".[12]

February

• Ghost's single "Dance Macabre" tops the Mainstream Rock chart for two weeks.[13][3] It is their third song to top it, all since 2017.[14]
• Five Finger Death Punch's single "When the Seasons Change" tops the Mainstream Rock Chart for a week.[15]
• Greta Van Fleet wins the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for their release From the Fires.[16]
• Katatonia announce their return from hiatusin time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their album Night Is the New Day.[17]

March

• Greta Van Fleet's single "You're the One" tops the Mainstream Rock Chart. It is the band's fourth single in a row to do so. They tie The Pretty Reckless as the only band to have their first four official singles to top the chart.[18] It stays atop of the chart for 2 weeks.[3]
• Disturbed's single "A Reason to Fight" tops the Mainstream Rock chart. It is their sixth single in a row to top it, a record for the chart. It is the band's ninth song to top the chart. It stays at the top of the chart for three weeks.[19][3]
• Rival Sons's single "Do Your Worst" tops the Mainstream Rock chart for a week.[3]
• A documentary about New Zealand rock band The Chills premières at the annual SXSW festival and then released in cinemas throughout Australia and New Zealand and on Prime TV in New Zealand.[20]
• Pulp Summer Slam takes place at the Amaranto Center in Quezon City in the Philippines, with Slayer headlining. Other acts include Gojira, Kreator, Dimmu Borgir and Thy Art Is Murder.

April

• I Prevail's second album, Trauma debuts at number 4 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. It places at number 14 overall on the Billboard 200 chart.[21]
• Three Days Grace's single "Right Left Wrong" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for three weeks. It is the band's fifteenth song to top it, the most in the charts history of existence.[3][22]
• Five Finger Death Punch single "Blue on Black", a cover of the song by "Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, peaks at number 66 on the US all-format Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, a rare feat for a hard rock/metal band in 2019. This version of the song features band member Ivan Moody and country musician Brantley Gilbert on vocals, Kenny Wayne Shepherd on guitar, and a guitar solo by Queen guitarist Brian May.[23]
• Russian alternative rock band Slot preview their new album at a concert in St Petersburg on April 14.[24]

May

• The Black Keys single "Lo/Hi" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for three weeks. Despite the band's popularity on the Alternative Songs chart in the past, this is the band's first song to top the Mainstream Rock chart. The song eventually simultaneously tops four Billboard Rock charts: Mainstream Rock, Alternative Songs, Adult Alternative Songs, and Rock Airplay. It is the first song to top all four simultaneously, and only the second song to do it ever.[3][25][26]

June

• The Raconteurs release their third studio album, and first in over a decade, Help Us Stranger. It tops the all-format Billboard 200 albums chart, selling album equivalent units and beating the debut release of Lil Nas X, the artist at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 at the time.[27]
• The Black Keys release their ninth studio album, Let's Rock, their first in five years. Let's Rock debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, totaling 52,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[28]
• Five Finger Death Punch's single "Blue on Black" also tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, and stays there for 4 consecutive weeks.[3]
• Shinedown's single "Monsters" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for a week. It is their fourteenth song to top the chart, the second highest in the history of the chart, one behind Three Days Grace at fifteen.[29]
• The Rolling Stones begin the North American leg of their No Filter tour, two months after Mick Jagger has surgery for a heart condition.[30]

July

• Five Finger Death Punch's single "Blue on Black" returns to the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for another week.[3]
• Bad Wolves single "Remember When" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart for two weeks. It is their second song to top the chart.[31]
• After more than 20 years as drummer for Sleater-Kinney, Janet Weiss announces her departure from the band.[32]

August

• Tool releases their first album in 13 years, Fear Inoculum. It tops the US Billboard 200 all-format albums chart, selling 270,000 album equivalent units in its opening week, making it has the biggest debut for a rock album in 2019.[33]
• Weeks prior to the album's release, Tool also, for the first time, released all of their back catalog onto digital download and music streaming platforms, the band being one of the few main acts left to do so.[34][35] The re-releases spur massive spikes in the band's prior albums, the most being Aenima, which rises 5,900% percent places on number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 33,000 album equivalent units.[36][37]
• The re-releases also affect the song charts: Tool becomes the first in history to occupy all ten spots in the top 10 Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart. Overall, they occupy 15 of the top 25 spots as well.[38]
• Tool's first single, "Fear Inoculum", debuts at number 93 on the Billboard all-format Hot 100 song chart. Not only is this rare for a rock band in 2019, and extremely rare for progressive rock music, but, at 10 minutes and 21 seconds in length, becomes the longest song of all time to ever chart on the Hot 100 chart.[39][40][37]
• Slipknot releases their sixth studio album, We Are Not Your Kind. The album tops the US Billboard 200 album chart, moving 118,000 album equivalent units. It was the band's third number one album in the US in a row, and the first hard rock album since the Foo Fighters 2017 album Concrete and Gold to top the chart.[41][42]

September

• Tool's album Fear Inoculum holds into the top 10 of the Billboard 200 in its second week, charting at number 7 and moving another 38,000 album equivalent units.[43]
• Blink 182 releases their ninth studio album, Nine. It debuts at number 3 on the Billboard 200, moving 94,000 album equivalent units.[44]
• The Beatles' album Abbey Road is remixed and released, topping the charts in UK once again.[45]
• Disturbed's single "No More" tops the Mainstream Rock chart, the band's seventh single in a row to top the chart. It stays there for four weeks.[46]

October

• Dirty Honey's single "When I'm Gone" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, making them the first band ever without a music label to top the chart.[47]
• On Halloween, My Chemical Romance announces the band will be reforming after 6 years.[48]

November

• Papa Roach's single "Come Around" tops the Billboard Mainstream Rock songs chart. It is their fifth song to top the chart since 2009.[49]
• Coldplay releases their eighth studio album, Everyday Life. The album release to mixed commercial response; it tops the UK album's chart, and is the third highest debut of 2019 there, but only debuts at number 8 on the US Billboard 200 chart, moving 48,000 album-equivalent units. Their prior album, A Head Full of Dreams sold four times as much in 2015, when it debuted at number 2 with 210,000 album equivalent units in 2015.[50][51]
• Rage Against the Machine announces they are reuniting in 2020 to play Coachella.[52]
• Colombian rock musician Juanes is honoured as the 2019 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year with a tribute concert on November 13 in Las Vegas, United States.[53]

December

• Vicky Cornell, widow of Chris Cornell, sues the remaining band members of Soundgarden over the legal rights to the remaining vocal tracks from Chris Cornell recorded in 2017 prior to his death. The band members believe the recording were meant to be used for Soundgarden and wish to use them to release a final studio album, while Vicky believes they were not explicitly designated as Soundgarden material. Both parties want to retain creative control over the material.[54]
• The Who release their twelfth studio album, and their first in over thirteen years titled Who. The album peaked number three on UK all-format chart (OOC)[55] and number two on the US Billboard 200.[56] in the weekly charts.

Year end

• Tool's Fear Inoculum is the seventh best-selling album of 2019 among all albums in the US.[57]
• Billboard calculates Panic at the Disco as the top artist of the Hot Rock Songs chart, and Disturbed as the top artist of the Mainstream Rock songs chart.[58]
• Bad Wolves single "Remember When" tops the year-end Mainstream Rock songs chart. Shinedown's "Monsters was the second most popular song of the year.[59]
• Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge and Tremonti is named "Guitarist of the Decade" by Guitar World.[60]

Deaths

• Kris Kelmi, Russian rock musician, dies on January 1 of a cardiac arrest caused by alcohol abuse, aged 63.[61]
• Filipino rock drummer Brian Velasco of Razorback commits suicide on January 16, aged 41.[62]
• The Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine dies on March 11.[63]
• Dick Dale, guitarist and pioneer of surf rock, dies on March 16.[64]
• Yuya Uchida dies on March 17.[65]
• Michiro Endo, vocalist of The Stalin, dies on April 25.[66]
• David Berman, founder of the indie-rock band Silver Jews, commits suicide in August. He had recently released a new album under the name Purple Mountains.[67]
• Eddie Money dies on September 13.[68]
• Ric Ocasek dies on September 15.[69]
• Ginger Baker, drummer of Cream, dies on October 6.[70]
• Ivan Maksimović, Serbian rock guitarist, aged 57, and Gilles Bertin, French punk rock singer and bassist, aged 58, both died on November 7.[71][72]
• Greedy Smith, Australian new wave singer and keyboardist (Mental as Anything), dies aged 63 on December 2.[73]
• Marie Fredriksson, Swedish singer (Roxette), died aged 61 on December 9.[74]
• Rick Bryant, New Zealand blues and rock singer/songwriter, dies on December 5, at 71 years old.[75]

Break ups

• Lower Than Atlantis[76]
• Prophets of Rage[77]
• Negoto (Japanese rock band) disband at the end of a tour, on July 20.[78]

References

1. "Godsmack Chart History". Billboard.
2. "Godsmack Nabs Ninth Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1 With 'When Legends Rise'". Billboard.
3. https://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/2019/hot-mainstream-rock-tracks
4. "The Glorious Sons Score First Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1 With 'S.O.S.'". Billboard.
5. "Bring Me The Horizon Talk Us Through Every Track On Forthcoming Album amo". Kerrang!.
6. Connick, Tom (October 21, 2018). "Bring Me The Horizon's new album - release date, tour dates and everything we know so far". NME.
7. "Bring Me The Horizon Land First U.K. No. 1 Album With 'Amo'". Billboard.
8. "Bring Me The Horizon's "Amo" Sees First Week Decline In The U.S., Opens At #1 In The UK & Australia". Theprp.com. February 5, 2019.
9. "BRING ME THE HORIZON's New Sound Results In 75% Dip In First Week Record Sales Compared To Last Album". Metal Injection. February 5, 2019.
10. "Maynard James Keenan: Final Vocals for New Tool Album Tracked Months Ago". Revolver. January 4, 2019.
11. Kreps, Daniel (January 25, 2019). "Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World Set Joint Summer Tour".
12. Kaplan, Ilana (January 20, 2019). "Watch Greta Van Fleet Perform Spirited 'Black Smoke Rising' in 'SNL' Debut".
13. https://www.98online.com/2019/02/13/ghost-tops-billboard-mainstream-rock-songs-chart-with-soundtrack-for-black-plague-partiers-dance-macabre/
14. "Ghost Waltzes to Third Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1 With 'Dance Macabre'". Billboard.
15. "Rock Music: Top Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.
16. News, Richard Bienstock 2019-02-11T14:23:02Z. "Greta Van Fleet, High on Fire, Chris Cornell, St. Vincent Win Grammys". guitarworld.
17. "Katatonia End Hiatus, Announce Night Is the New Day Anniversary Tour". MetalSucks. February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
18. "Greta Van Fleet Lands Fourth Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1 With 'You're the One'". Billboard.
19. "Disturbed Scores Record-Breaking Sixth Straight Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1". Billboard.
20. "The Chills - The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
21. "I Prevail's 'Trauma' Is One Of The Highest-Selling Albums This Week - News". Rock Sound Magazine.
22. "Three Days Grace Extends Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1 Record, Shinedown Snags 25th Top 10". Billboard.
23. "The Story of Kenny Wayne Shepherd's 'Blue on Black': From '90s Crossover Hit to 2019 Superteam Smash". Billboard.
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27. Coscarelli, Joe (July 1, 2019). "Vinyl Sales Help the Raconteurs Beat Lil Nas X to No. 1" – via NYTimes.com.
28. Zellner, Xander (July 9, 2019). "The Black Keys Reach Top 5 on Artist 100, Billie Eilish Returns to No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
29. "Shinedown Scores 'Monster' No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.
30. "Mick Jagger back in action with Rolling Stones after medical issue postponed tour". NBC News. June 21, 2019.
31. "Bad Wolves' 'Remember When' Hits No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.
32. Gotrich, Lars (July 1, 2019). "Drummer Janet Weiss Leaves Sleater-Kinney". NPR.
33. "Tool's 'Fear Inoculum' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Week For a Rock Album in Over 1 Year". Billboard.
34. Porter, Jon. "One of the Last Remaining Music Streaming Holdouts Has Relented". The Verge. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
35. Unterberger, Andrew. "Why Legacy Acts Are Finally Joining the Streaming Game". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
36. "Tool's "Ænima" returns to top 10 on "Billboard" 200 following digital release - Music News - ABC News Radio". abcnewsradioonline.com.
37. Schaffner, Lauryn. "Tool Break Records With New Single, 'Aenima' Re-Enters Top 10". Loudwire.
38. "Tool Are The First Band Ever To Have Songs In All Top 10 Spots On Billboard's Rock Sales Chart". Kerrang!.
39. "Tool's Ænima re-enters Top 10 of Billboard 200, new single "Fear Inoculum" is longest track to enter Hot 100". August 12, 2019.
40. "TOOL's New Single Makes Chart History; 'Ænima' Album Re-Enters Billboard 200 At No. 10". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. August 12, 2019.
41. Coscarelli, Joe (August 19, 2019). "Slipknot Outsells Rick Ross for a No. 1 Album" – via NYTimes.com.
42. "Slipknot Ties Up Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'We Are Not Your Kind'". Billboard.
43. "Post Malone Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With 'Hollywood's Bleeding'". Billboard.
44. Coscarelli, Joe (October 1, 2019). "Post Malone's 'Hollywood's Bleeding' Scores a Third Straight Week at No. 1" – via NYTimes.com.
45. "The Beatles set UK chart record as Abbey Road returns to Number 1". www.officialcharts.com.
46. "Disturbed Earns Record-Extending Seventh Straight No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard.
47. "How Dirty Honey Became the First Unsigned Band to Top the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.
48. "My Chemical Romance say they were not expecting such a warm welcome back following reunion announcement". November 2, 2019.
49. "Papa Roach's 'Come Around' Crowns Mainstream Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.
50. Copsey, Rob (29 November 2019). "Coldplay's Everyday Life beats Robbie Williams's Christmas album to Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
51. Caulfield, Keith (1 December 2019). "Trippie Redd Rules With First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
52. Brooks, Dave (November 1, 2019). "Rage Against the Machine to Reunite for 2020 Coachella". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
53. "Juanes Named Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year". Variety. June 13, 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
54. "Chris Cornell's widow sues Soundgarden for trying to take control of unreleased recordings". News.
55. "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
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57. "'Hollywood's Bleeding' Is Nielsen Music/MRC Data's Top Album of 2019, 'Old Town Road' Most-Streamed Song". Billboard.
58. • https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8545338/panic-at-the-disco-top-rock-artist-2019
59. "Mainstream Rock Songs - Year-End". Billboard.
60. "ALTER BRIDGE's MARK TREMONTI Named One Of 'The Guitarists Of The Decade'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. December 4, 2019.
61. Певец Крис Кельми умер 1 января в возрасте 63 лет // Moskovskij Komsomolets. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
62. News, ABS-CBN. "Brian Velasco's girlfriend issues statement about rocker's death". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
63. Lewis, Randy (March 13, 2019). "Hal Blaine, prolific 'Wrecking Crew' drummer who worked with Frank Sinatra and Elvis, dies at 90". Los Angeles Times.
64. Trapp, Philip. "Surf Rock Guitar Innovator Dick Dale Dead at 81". Loudwire.
65. 内田裕也が79歳で死去. Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved February 6, 2020.
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67. Coscarelli, Joe; Sisario, Ben (August 7, 2019). "David Berman, Silver Jews Leader and Indie-Rock Poet, Dies at 52" – via NYTimes.com.
68. Halperin, Shirley (September 13, 2019). "Eddie Money, 'Two Tickets to Paradise' Singer, Dies at 70". Variety.
69. Roberts, Randall (September 16, 2019). "Ric Ocasek, frontman of new wave pioneers the Cars, dies at 75". Los Angeles Times.
70. "Ginger Baker: Legendary Cream drummer dies aged 80". BBC. October 6, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
71. "Preminuo gitarista benda Emira Kusturice". www.blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2019-11-07.
72. "Gilles Bertin, chanteur punk et auteur d'un braquage en 1988, est mort à Barcelone". franceinfo.fr (in French). 8 November 2019.
73. Boulton, Martin (3 December 2019). "Mental As Anything's 'Greedy' Smith dies aged 63". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press (AAP). Retrieved 24 February 2020.
74. "Marie Fredriksson är död – blev 61 år". SVT Nyheter. December 10, 2019.
75. "Blue-eyed counter-culture soul man Rick Bryant has died". RNZ Music. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
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