From forced retirements to amicable splits, heated arguments, and surprise farewell tour announcements, Metal Insider highlights thirty-two bands that are no more. The list includes artists who ended their careers in 2024, those who retired in 2023 but performed final shows in 2024, some set for farewell gigs in 2025, and others transitioning to tribute acts or stepping back from touring. As we enter 2025, it may be time to re-evaluate our list of bands that disbanded in the 21st century thus far.
01) Aerosmith
Status: Retired From Touring
First Studio Album: Aerosmith (1973)
Last Studio Album: Music from Another Dimension! (2012)
Years Active: 1970 – Present
Reason: Aerosmith announced their retirement from touring on August 2, 2024 due to vocalist Strven Tyler’s vocal cord injury. The group initially postponed their Peace Out tour and rescheduled but were inevitably forced to walk away after fifty-four years.
02) Anklebiter
Status: Disbanded
First Album: Demo 2022
Last Album: Anklebiter / Prevention split (2024)
Years Active: 2022 – 2024
Reason: “Disbanding to focus on other projects and life across the Northeast.”
03) Botch
Status: Disbanded
First Studio Album: American Nervoso (1998)
Last Studio Album: We Are the Romans (1999)
Years Active: 1993 – 2002 // 2022 – 2024
Reason: Botch, the influential hardcore band from Tacoma, Washington, reunited in 2022 with their first new song in 20 years, “One Twenty-Two,” released alongside a reissue of their classic 1999 album We Are the Romans. Known for their genre-defining sound marked by odd time signatures and surreal humor, the band embarked on their first and final reunion tour, culminating with a farewell show on June 15, 2024, exactly 22 years after their original final performance.
04) Destrage
Status: Disbanded
First Studio Album: Urban Being (2007)
Last Studio Album: SO MUCH. too much. (2022)
Years Active: 2002 – 2024
Reason: Italian progressive metal band Destrage announced their breakup in late 2023, capping their career with four farewell shows in 2024. However, on January 1, 2025, the group issued a cryptic statement hinting at a potential return, a transformation, or something different on the horizon for 2025:
“2024 was intense for us.
Please stay close to 2025, which will have a pinch less noisy music.
Love to you all, don’t forget to dance.”
The group’s initial statement from November 2023:
We did it for love, we did it for beauty, we did it for pure fun.
Friends, fans, family members from all around the world, you cannot imagine how difficult is for us to tell, but Destrage have decided to stop in 2024.
Years ago we made a promise to ourselves: Destrage first, and this is the main reason why we have to stop the project.
Ours has always been a mission, a need, a means to no end. Something for which we would never spare ourselves. Everything we did took 110% of our strength, our commitment, our hearts.
Destrage first and foremost also means to never lower the bar. We always told ourselves that we would never allow it, and today, with these words, we keep our promise.
Everything for Destrage.
We grew up together, played all over the world, shared the stage with some of the greatest bands in the world. We feel blessed, extremely grateful.
To us 4 italian dicks, the playing together, the van hours, the rehearsal room, the studio, the gigs and most of all your love, will never stop making us feel good. We will miss you like the air.
But life goes on, with all its complications, and in this present time the energy we can put in the project is not enough for Destrage.
Destrage first and foremost.
2024 will also be the 10th anniversary year of one of the most significant albums in our lives: “Are You Kidding Me? No.”
05) Diztort
Status: Disbanded
First Studio Album: Hell Is… EP (2018)
Last Studio Album: Vengeance Is Mine (2023)
Years Active: 2017 – 2024
Reason:
“Sound and Fury 2024 will be the final live performance of Diztort. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years.
There will be no surprises and no reunions.
2017-2024
“Hell of a ride, fellas.””
06) Fleetwood Mac
Status: Retired from Touring
First Studio Album: Fleetwood Mac (1968)
Last Studio Album: Say You Will (2003)
Years Active: 1967–1995 // 1997– 2024
Reason: Fleetwood Mac officially ended any reunion hopes in 2024, with Stevie Nicks confirming the band cannot continue without the late Christine McVie, stating, “Without Christine, no can do.” Mick Fleetwood echoed this sentiment, declaring the band’s touring days are over.
07) The Human Condition
Status: Disbanded
First Studio Album: Pathways (2015)
Last Studio Album: Foundations (2024)
Years Active: 2009 – 2024
Reason:
“ANNOUNCEMENT:
After 15 years of doom, it is sadly time to put The Human Condition to rest.
All the members of the band will be continuing to produce music so you definitely haven’t heard the last from us. The second album “Foundations” is nearly ready for release so will hopefully be out soon. Our last two gigs will be Bradford March 31st and Sowerby Bridge April 20th. Come along and say goodbye with beer and doom!
Nathan (vocals) says “A decade and a half is a long old time and, in my case, just shy of half my life! I joined this band as an inexperienced kid just out of school and the band took a huge chance on me, for which I will always be incredibly grateful. For me personally though, the time has come to focus on other projects as well as work and family commitments.”
Drummer Jonathon adds “When I started formulating ideas for this band, I was up late at night trying to get my baby son to sleep; now he is taller than me and is up all night for other reasons! While it is sad to put the band to rest, there may be another album at some point in the future. For now, I would like to thank Nathan, Nick, Rob and Kieron and former members Phil, Jay and Russ for joining me for this ride.”
We would all like to extend our massive gratitude to anyone who ever caught us live, bought a CD or a t-shirt, played us on their radio show or had kind words for us at the end of a set.”
08) Issues
Status: Disbanded
First Studio Album: Issues (2014)
Last Studio Album: Beautiful Oblivion (2019)
Years Active: 2012-2024
Reason: Issues officially disbanded in January 2024, playing three farewell shows in Anaheim, Chicago, and Atlanta. The breakup follows years of silence after firing vocalist Tyler Carter in 2020 amid allegations of sexual assault and grooming.
Following their final performances, the group commented:
“Summarizing the end of Issues in a single caption is impossible and the feelings are overwhelming but here’s my best attempt.
12 years of blood sweat and tears led to this point, this end of an era. We’ve accomplished things i used to dream about as a kid. Our first album cracked the top 10, we met fans in parts of the world i hadn’t even heard of, we won a few awards, and made music that is important to so many of you Hooligans. What a loving, supportive, and radically cool community of people we get to be a part of. We’re especially proud that we helped set the stage for more diversity in guitar music. Representation matters and here we are, looking like an elementary school diversity poster and touring the world. Some of yall might not remember how unusual that was in 2012 but holy shit man things are different now and we are proud to have helped move the needle. Musically we always strived to blow minds and it feels like we may have been early to the punch on Heavy Pop or whatever it is but to inspire so many awesome bands that are now pushing it even further will always be an honor. We humbly pass the torch to whoever wants it.
It may seem self serving to list our own accomplishments but when else is more appropriate than now??? We’re fu*kin bad ass and i’ll miss us.
Issues set the context for our lives up until now and many of yours, and like most things, lasts for a season. The season is changing. This night there were tears shed, hatchets buried, friendships formed and strengthened, and if anything it’s now very clear that this is also the beginning of a new season. There’s a lot more life to be lived and music to be made from our end, in whatever form that takes. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the past 12 years because we would be nowhere without you. We will be eternally grateful.
And fr don’t be a stranger. Issues might be dead but we’re not going anywhere.
Issues forever. – Sky, Josh, Aj”
