1982 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1982.

Newly formed bands

 * Abattoir
 * Arakain
 * Armored Saint
 * Artillery
 * Avenger
 * Baby Tuckoo
 * BlackLace
 * Brocas Helm
 * Cinderella
 * Cobra
 * Coney Hatch
 * Corrosion of Conformity (not originally a metal band)
 * Crumbsuckers
 * Culprit
 * Death Angel
 * Destruction
 * Dio
 * Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
 * Dr. Mastermind
 * D.A.D.
 * Ezo
 * Fates Warning
 * The Georgia Satellites
 * Godflesh (under the name "Fall of Because" until 1988)
 * Guardian
 * Hazzard
 * Heavens Gate
 * Hell
 * Hellhammer
 * Hellion
 * Helstar
 * Kreator
 * Lȧȧz Rockit
 * Lethal
 * Liege Lord
 * Luzbel
 * Mad Max
 * Madam X
 * Mournblade
 * No Mercy
 * Obsession
 * Onslaught
 * Outrage
 * Philadelphia
 * Post Mortem
 * Roxx Gang
 * Seikima-II
 * Sieges Even
 * Sinner
 * Smack
 * Streets
 * Swans
 * Tankard
 * Terra Rosa
 * TNT
 * Tredegar
 * Tublatanka
 * Steve Vai
 * Voivod
 * W.A.S.P.
 * Warfare
 * Warlock
 * Warrior
 * Warriors
 * Watchtower
 * Waysted
 * Wrath
 * X (later known as X Japan)
 * Znowhite

Albums & EPs

 * Lee Aaron - The Lee Aaron Project
 * Accept - Restless and Wild
 * Acid - Acid
 * Aerosmith - Rock in a Hard Place
 * Alice Cooper - Zipper Catches Skin
 * Americade - American Metal
 * Anvil - Metal on Metal
 * April Wine - Power Play
 * August Redmoon - Fools Are Never Alone (EP)
 * Axewitch - Pray for Metal (EP)
 * The B'zz – Get Up
 * Barón Rojo - Volumen brutal
 * Beast (Ger) - Beast
 * Bengal Tigers - Metal Fetish (EP)
 * Bitch - Damnation Alley (EP)
 * Bitches Sin - Predator
 * Blackfoot - Highway Song Live!
 * Black Sabbath - Live Evil
 * Blue Öyster Cult - Extraterrestrial Live
 * Bodine - Bold as Brass
 * Bow Wow – Asian Volcano
 * Bow Wow – Warning From Stardust
 * Budgie - Deliver Us from Evil
 * Breaker (Can) - In Days of Heavy Metal (EP)
 * Breslau - Volksmusik
 * Cheap Trick - One on One
 * Cintron - Cintron (EP)
 * Cloven Hoof - The Opening Ritual (EP)
 * Coney Hatch - Coney Hatch
 * Demon - The Unexpected Guest
 * Demon Flight - Demon Flight (EP)
 * Diamond Head -  Borrowed Time
 * Dietrich - Dietrich (EP)
 * E.F. Band - Deep Cut
 * Fargo - F
 * Fist (UK) - Back with a Vengeance
 * Fortnox - Fortnox
 * Gamma - Gamma 3
 * Gary Moore - Corridors of Power
 * Gaskin - No Way Out
 * Geddes Axe - Escape from New York (EP)
 * Gillan - Magic
 * Girl - Wasted Youth
 * Girlschool - Screaming Blue Murder
 * Glory Bells Band - Dressed in Black
 * Grand Prix – There for None to See
 * Sammy Hagar - Three Lock Box
 * Hanoi Rocks - Oriental Beat
 * Hanoi Rocks - Self Destruction Blues
 * Headpins - Turn It Loud
 * Heavy Load - Death or Glory
 * Heritage - Remorse Code
 * Hughes/Thrall - Hughes/Thrall
 * The Hunt - The Thrill of the Kill
 * Hyksos - Hyksos
 * Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
 * Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance
 * Killer (Bel) - Wall of Sound
 * Killer (Swi) - Thriller
 * Kiss -  Creatures of the Night
 * Krokus - One Vice at a Time
 * Led Zeppelin - Coda (comp)
 * Legend - Death in the Nursery
 * Legend - Frontline (EP)
 * Loudness - Devil Soldier
 * Mad Max - Mad Max
 * Magnum - Chase the Dragon
 * Mama's Boys - Plug It In
 * Manilla Road - Metal
 * Manowar - Battle Hymns
 * Frank Marino - Juggernaut
 * Mercy – Swedish Metal (EP)
 * Mercyful Fate - Nuns Have No Fun (EP)
 * Messendger - Messendger
 * Metal Massacre - Metal Massacre (Compilation, various artists)
 * Metal Massacre - Metal Massacre II (Compilation, various artists)
 * Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack
 * More - Blood & Thunder
 * Motörhead - Iron Fist
 * Night Ranger - Dawn Patrol
 * Nightwing – Black Summer
 * No Bros - Ready for the Action
 * Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova
 * Ted Nugent - Nugent
 * Obús - Poderoso como el trueno
 * Ozzy Osbourne - Speak of the Devil (live)
 * Overlord (US) - Broken Toys (EP)
 * Pat Benatar - Get Nervous
 * Picture - Diamond Dreamer
 * Plasmatics - Coup d'Etat
 * Rage (UK) - Nice 'n' Dirty
 * Rainbow - Straight Between the Eyes
 * Rapid Tears - Honestly
 * Raven - Crash Bang Wallop (EP)
 * Raven - Wiped Out
 * Resurrection Band - D.M.Z.
 * Riff Raff - Robot Stud
 * Riot - Restless Breed
 * Riot - Riot Live (EP)
 * The Rods - Wild Dogs
 * Rose Tattoo - Scarred for Life
 * Rush - Signals
 * Samson - Losing My Grip (EP)
 * Samson -  Before the Storm
 * Santers - Mayday (EP)
 * Santers - Racing Time
 * Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed (live)
 * Scorpions - Blackout
 * Sharks - Altar Ego
 * Shiva - Firedance
 * Sinner - Wild 'n' Evil
 * Speed Queen - Speed Queen, aka II
 * Split Beaver - When Hell Won't Have You
 * Squadron - First Mission
 * Stampede - Days of Wine and Roses (EP)
 * Stampede - The Official Bootleg (live)
 * Street Fighter - Feel the Noise
 * Stress - Stress
 * Sweet - Identity Crisis
 * Talas - Sink Your Teeth Into That
 * Tank - Filth Hounds of Hades
 * Tank - Power of the Hunter
 * Teeze (CA) - Teeze (EP)
 * 38 Special - Special Forces
 * TNT - TNT
 * Torch - Fire Raiser (EP)
 * Bernie Tormé – Turn Out the Lights
 * Trance - Break Out
 * Trust - Savage
 * Twisted Sister - Ruff Cuts (EP)
 * Twisted Sister - Under the Blade
 * Tygers of Pan Tang - The Cage
 * Tytan - Blind Men and Fools (EP)
 * UFO - Mechanix
 * Uriah Heep - Abominog
 * Vanadium - Metal Rock
 * Vandenberg - Vandenberg
 * Van Halen - Diver Down
 * Vardis - Quo Vardis
 * Vendetta (US) - Vendetta
 * Venom - Black Metal
 * Virgin Steele - Virgin Steele
 * Viva – Dealers of the Night
 * Voie De Fait - Ange ou Démon
 * Voltz - Knight's Fall
 * Warning - Warning II
 * White Heat – White Heat
 * Whitesnake - Saints & Sinners
 * Witchfinder General – Soviet Invasion (EP)
 * Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
 * Y&T - Black Tiger
 * Zero Nine – Blank Verse
 * Zero Nine – Visions, Scenes and Dreams

Events

 * Iron Maiden's first album with Bruce Dickinson, The Number of the Beast, reaches No.1 in the U.K. music charts.
 * Motörhead's guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke leaves the band and is replaced by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson.
 * Judas Priest's single "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is released. It will go on to become the band's best selling single.
 * Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads dies in an airplane accident on March 19.
 * Iron Maiden's drummer Clive Burr is fired from the band because of personal and tour-schedule problems. Nicko McBrain from Trust is hired to replace him.
 * Ace Frehley, Space Ace and lead guitarist of Kiss, leaves the band. Vinnie Vincent takes his place.
 * Queen departs from their hard rock legacy with the ill-received funk/disco album Hot Space.
 * December: Former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan replaces Ronnie James Dio in Black Sabbath.
 * The band Metallica leaves Los Angeles and relocates to the San Francisco Bay Area.