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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.

Preceded by: 1980

Heavy Metal Timeline 1981

Followed by: 1982

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