This article uses bare URLs, which may be threatened by link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation).(September 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Godsmack's single "When Legends Rise" tops the BillboardMainstream 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]
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][importance?]
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]
I Prevail's second album, Trauma debuts at number 4 on the BillboardTop 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]
The Pillows open a temporary museum called "Buster's Diner" in Tokyo.[43]
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.[44]
Blink 182 releases their ninth studio album, Nine. It debuts at number 3 on the Billboard 200, moving 94,000 album equivalent units.[45]
The Beatles' album Abbey Road is remixed and released, topping the charts in UK once again.[46]
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.[47]
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.[48]
On Halloween, My Chemical Romance announces the band will be reforming after 6 years.[49]
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.[50]
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.[51][52]
Rage Against the Machine announces they are reuniting in 2020 to play Coachella.[53]
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.[54]
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.[55]
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)[56] and number two on the US Billboard 200.[57] in the weekly charts.
Year end[]
Tool's Fear Inoculum is the seventh best-selling album of 2019 among all albums in the US.[58]
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.[59]
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.[60]
Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge and Tremonti is named "Guitarist of the Decade" by Guitar World.[61]
March 27 – Norwegian musician Audun Laading, aged 25, and British musician Stephen Fitzpatrick, aged 24 (the duo Her's), are killed in a traffic collision[87]
April 3 – Shawn Smith, US alternative rock singer, songwriter and musician, dies of a torn aorta, aged 53[88]
August 7 – David Berman, founder of the indie-rock band Silver Jews, commits suicide, aged 52, shortly after releasing a new album under the name Purple Mountains.[111]
August 18 – George "G.G." Guidotti, US heavy metal bassist (Heaven's Edge), dies of lung cancer, aged 57[112]
