Musical partnerships come and go. Whether it’s a divergence in political beliefs, legal troubles, in-fighting or death that speed up the dissolution of a band, or a group just growing apart creatively, there are many reasons for bands to call it quits. 

The year 2021 saw a handful of metal bands go their separate ways. Here are six that didn’t make it to see 2022. 

01) Suspect208:

Just as soon as they formed, Suspect208 broke up. The band, which famously featured the offspring of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, only released four singles before officially calling it quits in May 2021. The writing was on the wall though, as the band cut ties with their frontman Noah Weiland in early 2021, replacing him with Cody Houston. Houston didn’t stay long and his departure was followed by that of bassist Tye Trujillo. Rather than continuing, drummer London Hudson and guitarist Niko Tsangaris decided to start a new band, S8NT ELEKTRIC. 

02) Superjoint:

When Superjoint (formerly Superjoint Ritual) reunited in 2014, it probably should have come as no surprise that it would be short-lived. Initially supposed to be a one-off performance at that year’s Housecore Horror Film Festival, it turned into a full reunion with a new album released in 2016 and three more years of touring under their belt. However, in an interview this past November, guitarist Jimmy Bower revealed that they were done for good this time, saying that each member will be returning to their main bands. Philip H. Anselmo and Stephen Taylor will go back to focusing on Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals and Bower will focus on Eyehategod. 

03) Demons & Wizards:

Jon Schaffer’s decision to participate in the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021 pretty much destroyed his musical career. Both of his bands, Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards, were dropped by Century Media Records. Then his band members decided to drop out all at once. Iced Earth lost vocalist Stu Block, bassist Luke Appleton and guitarist Jake Dreyer, leaving Schaffer and drummer Brent Smedley as the only members. As for Demons & Wizards, the side-project Schaffer worked on with Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kürsch, that partnership completely dissolved with Kürsch making a statement saying that the collaboration was “over.”