20 Active Bands That Haven't Released an Album in 5 Years

Jul 10, 2023

Do you ever sit back and realize it's been a long time since you heard new music from a particular artist?

We've obviously been living in a really unique time over the last few years, with a global pandemic halting normal life for months on end. A lot of artists used the downtime to get to work, while others used it to relax and spend time with their families — something they don't get to do often once it's time to hit the studio or the road again.

But 2018 was five whole years ago, so for bands that haven't released an album since then, it feels like a pretty long time. Plus, with the pandemic right in the middle of that window, it almost feels like a lifetime ago.

Some bands tour and release one-off songs here and there without releasing new albums. Other artists have multiple projects they're a part of, so they have to balance out their time evenly amongst them. The rest of them maybe just don't plan on releasing new music anymore.

READ MORE: Songs 30 Huge Rock + Metal Bands Only Played Live One Time

We compiled a list of active bands — meaning they are currently still together and play shows — that haven't released an album in five years or more. So, bands who are about to embark on a final tour, such as KISS and Aerosmith, don't count, and neither do Pantera, since their current tour plans are considered a "celebration" rather than a reunion. Likewise, acts who've announced the title and release date for their next record don't count, since we know for sure that means new material is underway.

Surprisingly, Tool don't qualify this time around either.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the active rock and metal bands that haven't released an album in five years or more.