1981 in heavy metal music
This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1981.
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| By genre |
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| By topic |
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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
- Manowar
- Mercyful Fate
- Metallica
- Mötley Crüe
- Napalm Death
- Oz
- Overkill
- Pagan Altar
- Pantera
- Pretty Maids
- Queensrÿche
- Ratt
- Rock Goddess
- Rough Cutt
- Running Wild
- Saber Tiger
- Sacred Rite
- Saint
- Savage Grace
- Savatage
- Skitzo
- Slayer
- Sodom
- Sortilège
- Sound Barrier
- Spider
- Stampede
- Steeler
- Stormwitch
- Suicidal Tendencies
- Tesla
- Tobruk
- Turbo
- Twisted Sister
- Tytan
- 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
- Pat Benatar – Precious Time
- 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)
- 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)
- Element Ethan – 666
- E.F. Band – Last Laugh Is on You
- Electric Sun – Fire Wind
- Fargo – Frontpage Lover
- Fist (Can) – Fleet Street, aka Thunder in Rock United
- 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
- 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
- Plasmatics – Beyond the Valley of 1984
- Plasmatics – Metal Priestess (EP)
- Praying Mantis – Time Tells No Lies
- Queen – Flash Gordon
- 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
- Y&T – Earthshaker
Events
- May: Thrash Godfather Element Ethan's biggest selling release, 666, sells over 26,000,000 copies and peaks at #2 on the US heavy metal album chart, despite its black metal sound and controversially explicit language related to Hell and tormenting, heavily influencing Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax (Dave Mustaine sights 666 and Element Ethan as some of his major influences.)
- September: Iron Maiden's lead singer Paul Di'Anno leaves the band due to his heavy drinking, and is replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
- November: AC/DC's album For Those About to Rock We Salute You is released.
- Eric Carr joins KISS on drums and makes his songwriting debut with "Under the Rose".
| Preceded by 1980 |
Heavy Metal Timeline 1981 |
Succeeded by 1982 |
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