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
• Kerber
• Killer Dwarfs
• Leatherwolf
• Leviticus
• Loudness
• Mercyful Fate
• Metallica
• Mötley Crüe
• Napalm Death
• Pantera
• Pretty Maids
• Queensrÿche
• Rough Cutt
• Saber Tiger
• Savage Grace
• Skitzo
• Slayer
• Sodom
• Sortilège
• Stampede
• Steeler
• Suicidal Tendencies
• Tesla
• Tobruk
• Tytan
• Vandenberg
• Virgin Steele
• Vulcain
• Wild Dogs

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 Blackfoot – Marauder Black Sabbath – Mob Rules Blue Öyster Cult – Fire of Unknown Origin Budgie – Nightflight Bodine – Bodine Graham Bonnet – Line Up Alice Cooper – Special Forces Dark Star – Dark Star Def Leppard – High 'n' Dry Demon – Night of the Demon Doc Holliday – Doc Holliday; Doc Holliday Rides Again 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; Double Trouble Girlschool – Hit and Run Sammy Hagar – Standing Hampton The Handsome Beasts – Beastiality Hanoi Rocks – Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks Heavy Metal – OST Heavy Load – Metal Conquest EP Helix – White Lace & Black Leather Holocaust – The Nightcomers Iron Maiden – Killers and Maiden Japan EP Joan Jett – Bad Reputation Judas Priest – Point of Entry Killer – Ladykiller Kiss – Music from "The Elder" Kix – Kix Krokus – Hardware Legend – Legend Lips – Hard 'n Heavy Loudness – The Birthday Eve Frank Marino – The Power of Rock'n'Roll 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 No Bros – Heavy Metal Party Ted Nugent – Intensities in 10 Cities Obus – Prepárate Ocean – Ocean Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman Overdrive (Swe) – Reflexions EP Picture – Picture; Heavy Metal Ears Plasmatics – Beyond the Valley of 1984; Metal Priestess Praying Mantis – Time Tells No Lies Queen – Flash Gordon Rainbow – Difficult to Cure Raven – Rock Until You Drop Reckless – Reckless Revolver – First Shot Riot – Fire Down Under The Rods – The Rods Rose Tattoo – Assault & Battery Rush – Moving Pictures; Exit...Stage Left Samson – Shock Tactics Santers – Shot Down In Flames 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; Crazy Nights UFO – The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent Van Halen – Fair Warning Vardis – The World's Gone Insane Venom – Welcome to Hell Vic Vergat – Down to the Bone Warning – Warning Wild Horses – Stand Your Ground Whitesnake – Come an' Get It Y&T – Earthshaker

Events

• April: AC/DC's album "For Those About to Rock We Salute You" is finally released in the United States.
• September: Iron Maiden's lead singer Paul Di'Anno leaves band due to heavy drinking, and is replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
• Eric Carr joins Kiss on drums and makes his songwriting debut with "Under the Rose".