1981 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1981.

Newly formed bands

• Anthrax
• Beowülf
• Black 'n Blue
• Chateaux
• Dark Angel
• Easy Action
• Icon
• Jag Panzer
• Jaguar
• Kat
• Kerber
• Kick Axe
• Killer Dwarfs
• King's X (as Sneak Preview)
• Leatherwolf
• Leviticus
• London
• Loudness

• Mercyful Fate
• Metallica
• Mötley Crüe
• Napalm Death
• Oz

• Pagan Altar
• Pantera
• Pretty Maids
• Queensrÿche
• Ratt
• Rock Goddess
• Rough Cutt
• Running Wild
• Saber Tiger
• Sacred Rite
• Saint
• Savage Grace
• Savatage
• Show-Ya
• Skitzo
• Slayer
• Sodom
• Sortilège
• Sound Barrier
• Spider
• Stampede
• Steeler
• Stormwitch
• Suicidal Tendencies
• Tesla
• Tobruk
• Turbo
• Tytan
• United
• V8
• Vandenberg
• Vicious Rumors
• Virgin Steele
• Vixen
• Vulcain
• White Wolf
• White Sister
• Wild Dogs
• Wrathchild America

Albums & EPs

• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You
• Accept – Breaker
• The Angels, aka Angel City – Night Attack
• Anvil – Hard 'n' Heavy
• April Wine – The Nature of the Beast
• August Redmoon – Fools Are Never Alone (EP)
• Barón Rojo – Larga vida al Rock and Roll
• Black Angels – Hell Machine
• Blackfoot – Marauder
• Black Sabbath – Mob Rules
• Blue Öyster Cult – Fire of Unknown Origin
• Bow Wow – Hard Dog
• Budgie – Nightflight
• Bullet (Ger) – Execution
• Bodine – Bodine
• Graham Bonnet – Line-Up
• Chinatown - Play it to Death (live)
• Cirith Ungol – Frost and Fire
• Clientelle – Destination Unknown
• Alice Cooper – Special Forces
• Danger (Bel) - Danger
• Dark Star – Dark Star
• Dedringer – Direct Line
• Def Leppard – High 'n' Dry
• Demon – Night of the Demon
• Doc Holliday – Doc Holliday
• Doc Holliday – Doc Holliday Rides Again
• Dokken – Breakin' the Chains (Europe release)
• E.F. Band – Last Laugh Is on You
• Electric Sun – Fire Wind
• Fargo – Frontpage Lover
• Fist (Can) – Fleet Street, aka Thunder in Rock United
• The Friday Rock Show - From BBC Radio 1 – (Compilation, various artists)
• Gaskin – End of the World
• Gillan – Future Shock
• Gillan – Double Trouble
• Girlschool – Hit and Run
• Sammy Hagar – Standing Hampton
• The Handsome Beasts – Beastiality
• Hanoi Rocks – Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks
• Heavy Metal (soundtrack, various artists)
• Heavy Load – Metal Conquest (EP)
• Helix – White Lace & Black Leather
• Holocaust – The Nightcomers
• Iron Maiden – Killers
• Iron Maiden – Maiden Japan (live EP)
• Joan Jett – Bad Reputation
• Judas Priest – Point of Entry
• Killer – Ladykiller
• KISS – Music from "The Elder"
• KIX – Kix
• Krokus – Hardware
• Legend – Legend
• Lips (Anvil) – Hard 'n' Heavy
• Loosely Tight – Fightin' Society
• Loudness – The Birthday Eve
• Frank Marino – The Power of Rock'n'Roll
• Mass (Ger) - Swiss Connection
• Molly Hatchet – Take No Prisoners
• More – Warhead
• Mother's Finest – Iron Age
• Mötley Crüe – Too Fast for Love
• Motörhead – No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (Live)
• Motörhead & Girlschool – St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (EP)
• Nightwing – Something in the Air
• No Bros – Heavy Metal Party
• Ted Nugent – Intensities in 10 Cities (live)
• Obús – Prepárate
• Ocean – Ocean
• Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman
• Overdrive (Swe) – Reflexions (EP)
• Picture – Picture
• Picture – Heavy Metal Ears
• Pat Benatar – Precious Time
• Plasmatics – Beyond the Valley of 1984
• Plasmatics – Metal Priestess (EP)
• Praying Mantis – Time Tells No Lies
• Rage (UK) – Out of Control
• Rainbow – Difficult to Cure
• Raven – Rock Until You Drop
• Revolver – First Shot
• Riot – Fire Down Under
• The Rods – The Rods
• Rose Tattoo – Assault & Battery
• Rush – Moving Pictures
• Rush – Exit...Stage Left (Live)
• Samson – Shock Tactics
• Santers – Shot Down in Flames
• Saracen – Heroes, Saints & Fools
• Saxon – Denim and Leather
• Michael Schenker Group – MSG
• 707 – The Second Album
• Billy Squier – Don't Say No
• Starfighters – Starfighters
• Taipan – Taipan (EP)
• Thin Lizzy – Renegade
• 38 Special – Wild-Eyed Southern Boys
• Triumph – Allied Forces
• Trust – Marche Ou Crève
• Tygers of Pan Tang – Spellbound
• Tygers of Pan Tang – Crazy Nights
• UFO – The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent
• Van Halen – Fair Warning
• Vardis – The World's Insane
• Venom – Welcome to Hell
• Vic Vergat – Down to the Bone
• Viva – What the Hell Is Going On
• Warning – Warning
• Wild Horses – Stand Your Ground
• Whitesnake – Come an' Get It
• Wishbone Ash - Number the Brave
• Y&T – Earthshaker

Events

• September: Iron Maiden's lead singer Paul Di'Anno leaves the band due to his heavy drinking, and is replaced by Bruce Dickinson. ^[1]
• November: AC/DC's album For Those About to Rock We Salute You is released. ^[2]

Preceded by 1980

Heavy Metal Timeline 1981

Succeeded by 1982

References

1. DiVita, Joe (2023-10-04). "How Did Iron Maiden Find Bruce Dickinson To Replace Paul Di'Anno?". Loudwire. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
2. AC/DC - For Those About to Rock We Salute You Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2023-11-06