1981 in heavy metal music

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

Newly formed bands

* Anthrax
* Beowülf (known as Black Sheep until 1983)
* Billy Idol
* Dark Angel
* Kerber
* Loudness
* Metallica
* Mötley Crüe
* Pantera
* Queensrÿche
* Slayer
* Steeler

Albums

* AC/DC - "For Those About to Rock We Salute You"
* Accept - "Breaker"
* Alice Cooper - "Special Forces"
* Anvil - "Hard 'N' Heavy"
* Billy Idol - "Don't Stop"
* Black Sabbath - "Mob Rules"
* Blue Öyster Cult - "Fire of Unknown Origin"
* Def Leppard - "High 'n' Dry"
* Electric Sun - "Fire Wind"
* Gillan - "Future Shock"
* Gillan - "Double Trouble"
* Girlschool - "Hit and Run"
* Hanoi Rocks - "Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks"
* Helix - "White Lace & Black Leather"
* Holocaust - "The Nightcomers"
* Iron Maiden - "Killers"
* Judas Priest - "Point of Entry
* Kiss - "Music from "The Elder""
* Kix - "Kix"
* Krokus - "Hardware"
* Loudness - "Birthday Eve"
* Mötley Crüe - "Too Fast for Love"
* Motörhead - "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" (live)
* Ozzy Osbourne - "Diary of a Madman"
* Queen - "Flash Gordon"
* Rush - "Moving Pictures"
* Sammy Hagar - "Standing Hampton"
* Raven - "Rock Until You Drop"
* Samson - "Shock Tactics"
* Saxon - "Denim and Leather"
* Thin Lizzy - "Renegade"
* Van Halen - "Fair Warning"
* Venom - "Welcome to Hell"
* Whitesnake - "Come an' Get It"
* Y&T - "Earthshaker"

Events

* April: AC/DC's album "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" 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".
* André Kisser (Disharmonic Fields drummer) was born in February,19.