1980 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1980.

Newly formed bands

• Exodus
• Grave Digger
• Manowar
• Mercyful Fate
• Michael Schenker Group
• Overkill
• Rough Cutt
• Sound Barrier
• Zodiac Mindwarp

Albums

• AC/DC - Back in Black
• Accept - I'm a Rebel
• Alice Cooper - Flush the Fashion
• The Angels aka Angel City - Dark Room
• Angel Witch - Angel Witch
• Blackfoot - Tomcattin'
• Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
• Blue Öyster Cult - Cultösaurus Erectus
• Budgie - If Swallowed Do Not Induce Vomiting (EP)
• Budgie - Power Supply
• Cirith Ungol - Frost and Fire
• Def Leppard - On Through the Night
• Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
• Ethel The Frog - Ethel the Frog
• Fist - Turn The Hell On
• Gamma - Gamma 2
• Gillan - Glory Road
• Girl - Sheer Greed
• Girlschool - Demolition
• Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
• Judas Priest - British Steel
• Kiss - Unmasked
• Krokus - Metal Rendez-vous
• Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - What's Next
• Michael Schenker Group - The Michael Schenker Group
• Molly Hatchet - Beatin' the Odds
• Gary Moore - G-Force
• Motörhead - Ace of Spades
• Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
• Quartz - Stand Up and Fight
• Queen - The Game
• Rush - Permanent Waves
• Samson - Head On
• Saxon - Wheels of Steel
• Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law
• Scorpions - Animal Magnetism
• Shakin' Street - Shakin' Street
• Ted Nugent - Scream Dream
• Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
• Triumph - Progressions of Power
• Trust - Repression
• Tygers Of Pan Tang - Wild Cat
• UFO - No Place to Run
• Van Halen - Women and Children First
• Whitesnake - Ready An' Willing
• White Spirit - White Spirit
• Wild Horses - The First Album
• Witchfynde - Give 'em Hell
• Witchfynde - Stagefright

Disbandments

• Led Zeppelin

Events

• Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, dies at 33 on February 19 after a binge of heavy drinking.
• October: Iron Maiden comp guitarist Dennis Stratton leaves and is replaced by Adrian Smith.
• John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin, dies at 32 on September 25, after a binge of heavy drinking. His death was similar to Bon Scott's, and caused Led Zeppelin to disband.
• April: Brian Johnson joins AC/DC replacing Bon Scott as lead singer.
• May 18: Peter Criss, drummer of Kiss, leaves the band. Eric Carr takes his place.