1984 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1984.

Newly formed bands

• Agent Steel
• Annihilator
• Atheist
• Blind Guardian (under the name "Lucifer's Heritage" until 1988)
• Candlemass
• Celtic Frost
• Death
• Eudoxis
• King Kobra
• Living Colour
• Nepal
• Nuclear Assault
• Primus
• Rage (under the name "Avenger" until 1986)
• Razor
• Sadus
• Sepultura
• Soundgarden
• Stratovarius
• The Cult
• Tony MacAlpine
• Uncle Slam (known as The Brood until 1987)
• Warrant
• Whiplash
• Yngwie Malmsteen

Albums & EPs

Lee Aaron - Metal Queen AC/DC - '74 Jailbreak Alcatrazz - Live Sentence The Angels - Two Minute Warning Anthrax - Fistful of Metal Armed Forces - Let There Be Metal EP Armored Saint - March of the Saint Avenger (UK) - Blood Sports Axe Victims - Another Victim Axewitch - Visions of the Past Baron Rojo - Barón al Rojo Vivo Bathory - Bathory Battleaxe - Power From The Universe Black Death - Black Death Black Lace - Unlaced Black 'n Blue - Black 'n Blue Black Rose - Boys Will Be Boys; Black Rose EP Bloody Six - In the Name of Blood Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi Brocas Helm - Into Battle Cacumen - Down to Hell Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales Chariot - The Warrior Chateaux - Fire Power Childhood's End - Childhood's End EP Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead Cloven Hoof - Cloven Hoof Crisis - Armed to the Teeth EP Crossfire - See You In Hell Crown - Red Zone; All That Rock & Roll Music The Cult - Dreamtime Cutty Sark - Die Tonight Dark Age (US) - Dark Age EP Dark Heart - Shadows of the Night Demon - Wonderland EP Demon Eyes - Rites of Chaos Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers Destruction - Sentence of Death Dio - The Last in Line Dokken - Tooth And Nail Elessar - Defy the King EP Earthshaker - Fugitive Eric Steel - Eric Steel Europe - Wings of Tomorrow Evil - Evil's Message EP Exciter - Violence & Force Faithful Breath - Gold 'n' Glory Fastway - All Fired Up Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken Flatbacker - Minagoroshi Lita Ford - Dancin' on the Edge Rhett Forrester - Gone With The Wind Gilgamesj - Take One EP Glory Bells - Century Rendezvous Gotham City - The Unknown Grave Digger - Heavy Metal Breakdown Graven Image - People In Hell Want Ice Water EP Great White - Great White Griffin - Flight of the Griffin Grim Reaper - See You in Hell Sammy Hagar - VOA Hammerhead - Heart Made of Steel EP Hammers Rule - Show No Mercy Hanoi Rocks - All Those Waisted Years Hanoi Rocks - Two Steps from the Move Hawaii - Loud, Wild and Heavy H-Bomb - Attaque Helix - Walkin' the Razor's Edge Hellanbach - The Big H Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids EP Hellion (NY) - Dangerous Maneuvers Helstar - Burning Star Hexx - No Escape Highway Chile - For the Wild and Lonely EP Holocaust - No Man's Land Icon - Icon Incubus (UK) - To the Devil A Daughter Iron Maiden - Powerslave Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction Jaguar - This Time Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith Keel - Lay Down the Law Kick Axe - Vices Killer (Swi) - Stronger Than Ever Killer (Bel) - Shock Waves KISS - Animalize Krokus - The Blitz Lääz Rockit - City's Gonna Burn Leatherwolf - Leatherwolf EP Le Griffe - Breaking Strain EP Legs Diamond - Out On Bail Limelight - Ashes to Ashes, aka Limelight (1980) Living Death - Vengeance of Hell Lizzy Borden - Give 'Em the Axe EP Loudness - Disillusion Madam X - We Reserve the Right Mad Max - Rollin' Thunder Madison - Diamond Mistress Maineeaxe - Shout It Out Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Rising Force Mama's Boys - Mama's Boys Manowar - Hail to England, Sign of the Hammer Medieval Steel - Medieval Steel EP Mercy - Mercy Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath Metal Church - Metal Church Metallica - Ride the Lightning Millennium - Millennium Gary Moore - We Want Moore! Motörhead - No Remorse

MSG - Rock Will Never Die Nemesis - Day of Retribution EP Obsession - Marshall Law EP Obus - El Que Más Omen - Battle Cry Ostrogoth - Ecstasy and Danger Overdrive - Swords and Axes Overkill - Overkill EP Pantera - Projects in the Jungle Picture - Traitor Pretty Maids - Red Hot and Heavy Proud - Fire Breaks the Dawn Q5 - Steel the Light Queensrÿche - The Warning Quiet Riot - Condition Critical Oz - III Warning Rail - Rail EP Railway - Railway Rapid Tears - Cry For Mercy EP Ratt - Out of the Cellar Raven - Live at the Inferno Razor - Armed & Dangerous EP Reckless - Heart of Steel The Rods - Let Them Eat Metal Rose Tattoo - Southern Stars Ruffkut - Fight For The Right EP Running Wild - Gates to Purgatory Rush - Grace Under Pressure Ruthless - Metal Without Mercy EP S.A.D.O. - Shout! Sacred Rite - Sacred Rite Saint Vitus - Saint Vitus Satan Jokers - Trop Fou Pour Toi Samson - Don't Get Mad, Get Even Savatage - The Dungeons Are Calling Saxon - Crusader Scorpions - Love at First Sting Shok Paris - Go For The Throat Silver Mountain - Universe Sinister Angel - Sinister Angel EP Sinner - Danger Zone Six Feet Under (Swe) - Eruption Slayer - Haunting the Chapel EP Sodom - In the Sign of Evil EP Sortilège - Métamorphose Sound Barrier - Born to Rock EP Spartan Warrior - Spartan Warrior Spinal Tap - This Is Spinal Tap Splitcrow - Rockstorm Jack Starr - Out of the Darkness Steeler (Ger) - Steeler Steeltower - Night of the Dog Stone Fury - Burns Like A Star Stormwitch - Walpurgis Night Stryper - The Yellow and Black Attack Stygian Shore - Stygian Shore EP Taist of Iron - Resurrection Tank - Honour & Blood Third Stage Alert - Third Stage Alert EP Thrust - Fist Held High TKO - In Your Face TNT - Knights of the New Thunder Tokyo Blade - Night of the Blade; Midnight Rendezvous EP Torch - Electrikiss Trauma - Scratch and Scream Triumph - Thunder Seven Trouble - Psalm 9; Assassin EP Trust - Man's Trap T.T. Quick - TT Quick EP Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry 220 Volt - Powergames Tyran' Pace - Eye to Eye Tyrant (Ger) - Mean Machine Tyrant (Aus) - Never Too Loud EP Tysondog - Beware of the Dog Tyton - Castle Donington Upper Echelon - Surface Tension EP Steve Vai - Flex-Able Valhalla (US) - Valhalla EP Vanadium - Game Over Van Halen - 1984 Vengeance (Hol) - Vengeance Venom - At War with Satan Viva - Apocalypse Voivod - War and Pain Vow Wow - Beat of Metal Motion Vulcain - Rock'n'Roll Secours Warhead (Bel) - Speedway Warlord - And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun... Warning - Metamorphose Warriors - Warriors W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. Warlock - Burning the Witches Waysted - Waysted EP Whitesnake - Slide It In Wild Dogs - Man's Best Friend Wildfire - Summer Lightning Witch - The Hex Is On EP Witch Cross - Fit For Fight Witchfynde - Lords of Sin Witchkiller - Day of the Saxons EP Wizz - Crazy Games Wolf - Edge of the World Wendy O. Williams - WOW Wrathchild (UK) - Stakk Attakk Wyzard - Knights of Metal EP Xcursion - Ready to Roll Y&T - In Rock We Trust Zebra - No Tellin' Lies Znowhite - All Hail to Thee EP

Events

• Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen loses his left arm in a car accident on December 31.
• Deep Purple reunite.
• Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle is killed in an automobile accident in early December. The driver of the car is Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe.
• The debut albums of both Saint Vitus (Saint Vitus) and Trouble (Psalm 9) are released.