On August 29, 1989, The Rolling Stones released Steel Wheels, an album that marked a powerful return after several years of tension and uncertainty surrounding the band. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards repaired their strained working relationship, and the Stones emerged sounding focused, energized, and ready to reclaim their place among rock's biggest touring acts. Featuring "Mixed Emotions", "Rock and a Hard Place", "Almost Hear You Sigh", "Sad Sad Sad", and "Terrifying", Steel Wheels reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and helped launch the massive Steel Wheels Tour, the band's first major tour since 1982. The album also became the final Rolling Stones studio record of new material to feature longtime bassist Bill Wyman. It wasn't simply another Stones album. It signaled that after more than a quarter century together, the band still had another enormous chapter ahead. Produced by Chris Kimsey and The Glimmer Twins.

On August 29, 2005, Opeth released Ghost Reveries, their eighth studio album and one of the defining works of progressive death metal. The record brought Mikael Åkerfeldt's contrasting musical worlds together with remarkable precision, shifting from monstrous death metal riffs and growled vocals into haunting acoustic passages, progressive rock, Mellotron-soaked atmospheres, and moments of startling beauty. Featuring "Ghost of Perdition", "The Baying of the Hounds", "The Grand Conjuration", "Reverie/Harlequin Forest", and the deeply melancholic "Isolation Years", the album became a landmark in Opeth's catalog. It was their first album for Roadrunner Records, the first featuring Per Wiberg as an official member, and the final Opeth studio album with drummer Martin Lopez and guitarist Peter Lindgren. Dark, intricate, brutal, and beautiful, Ghost Reveries remains one of the band's most celebrated achievements. Produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt.

On August 29, 1989, Napalm Death released Mentally Murdered, a six-track EP capturing the Birmingham extremists at a crucial point in their evolution. The release retained the violent speed and uncompromising attack of their grindcore beginnings while revealing an increasingly pronounced death metal influence that would become even more apparent on their next full-length album. Featuring "Rise Above", "The Missing Link", "Mentally Murdered", "Walls of Confinement", "Cause and Effect", and "No Mental Effort", the EP featured Lee Dorrian on vocals, Bill Steer on guitar, Shane Embury on bass, and Mick Harris on drums. It also became the final studio recording from the era featuring both Dorrian and Steer before their departures dramatically reshaped the band. Mentally Murdered stands as a vicious snapshot of Napalm Death in transition, bridging their pioneering grindcore assault with the heavier death metal direction that followed. Produced by an uncredited hand that shaped its sound.