In 1990, Canberra teenager Alec Hurley suffered severe and permanent brain damage and was rendered a quadriplegic after he attempted to stop a fight outside a night club.

[1][2][3] Hurley was left permanently disabled and, with little government assistance,[4] his friend, Joel Green, of local death metal band Armoured Angel organised the first Metal for the Brain concert for 16 November 1991, to raise money for Hurley's benefit and the National Brain Injury Foundation.

[1][4] The first event featured six acts;[5][6] in the following year it was expanded to ten artists and included two punk bands, The Hammonds and The Hard Ons.

In 2000, an international act was added to the show for the first time when Canadian metal pioneers Voivod headlined the event.

Over the years, the musical focus of the event moved from exclusively death, thrash and black metal bands to a variety of styles and in later years nu metal, industrial, hard rock, progressive rock and hardcore bands took to the various stages.