1987 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1987.

Newly formed bands

• Arcturus
• Asphyx
• Autopsy
• Burzum
• Cynic
• Danzig
• Darkthrone
• Deicide
• Disharmonic Orchestra
• Entombed
• Follow for Now
• Meshuggah
• Nitro
• Phantom Blue
• Pink Cream 69
• Primordial
• Rollins Band
• Skid Row
• Therion
• U.D.O.
• Winger

Albums & EPs

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation Agent Steel - Unstoppable Force Alice Cooper - Raise Your Fist and Yell Anthem - Bound to Break Anthrax - Among the Living, I'm the Man EP Anvil - Strength of Steel Apocrypha - The Forgotten Scroll Armored Saint - Raising Fear Baron Rojo - Tierra de Nadie Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark Bitch - The Bitch Is Back Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol Blood Feast - Kill for Pleasure; Face Fate EP Bloodgood - Detonation Bonfire - Fireworks Breaker (US) - Get Tough Burning Starr - Blaze of Glory Cacophony - Speed Metal Symphony Candlemass - Nightfall Carnivore - Retaliation Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium Paul Chain Violet Theatre - Opera 4th Chastain - The 7th of Never Chrome Molly - Stick It Out Commander - The High N' Mighty Coroner - R.I.P. The Cult - Electric Crying Steel - On the Prowl D.R.I. - Crossover Death - Scream Bloody Gore Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence Death Row (Ger) - Raging Steel Def Leppard - Hysteria Devastation - Violent Termination Dio - Dream Evil Dokken - Back for the Attack Emerald - Armed For Battle EP ESP - The Future Is Now Excel - Split Image Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh Faith No More - Introduce Yourself Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat Frehley's Comet - Frehley's Comet Geisha - Phantasmagoria Great White - Once Bitten Grim Reaper - Rock You To Hell Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction Hades - Resisting Success Hammerwitch - Return to Salem EP Heathen - Breaking the Silence Helix - Wild In The Streets Hellion - Screams in the Night Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 1 Holy Moses - Finished with the Dogs Intruder - Live to Die Ion Britton - Eat Metal EP Judas Priest - Priest...Live! Kane Roberts - Kane Roberts Keel - Keel Killers (Fra) - Mise aux Poings King Diamond - Abigail Kiss - Crazy Nights Kreator - Terrible Certainty Lääz Rockit - Know Your Enemy Leatherwolf - Leatherwolf Liege Lord - Burn to My Touch Lion - Dangerous Attraction Lizzy Borden - Terror Rising EP, Visual Lies

Loudness - Hurricane Eyes Tony MacAlpine - Maximum Security Mad Max - Night of Passion Manowar - Fighting the World Masi - Fire in the Rain McAuley Schenker Group - Perfect Timing Metallica - The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited Vinnie Moore - Mind's Eye Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls Motörhead - Rock 'n' Roll Napalm Death - Scum Nasty Savage - Indulgence John Norum - Total Control Obsession - Methods of Madness Omen - Nightmares EP Ozzy Osbourne - Tribute Overlorde - Overlorde EP Overkill - Taking Over Paganini - It's a Long Way to the Top Pentagram (US) - Day of Reckoning Possessed - The Eyes of Horror EP Pretty Maids - Future World Protector - Misanthropy EP Prong - Primitive Origins EP Racer X - Second Heat Rage - Execution Guaranteed Railway - Climax Raven - Life's a Bitch Rollins Band - Life Time Running Wild - Under Jolly Roger Rush - Hold Your Fire Sacred Child - Sacred Child Sacrifice - Forward to Termination Saint Vitus - Born Too Late Sanctuary - Refuge Denied Satanic Rites - No Use Crying Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King Seikima-II - Big Time Changes Shok Paris - Steel and Starlight Sinner - Dangerous Charm Suicidal Tendencies - Join The Army Joey Tafolla - Out of the Sun Tankard - Chemical Invasion Taramis - Queen of Thieves Testament - The Legacy Tigertailz - Young and Crazy Trouble - Run to the Light Twisted Sister - Love Is For Suckers Tygers of Pan Tang - Burning in the Shade Tyrant (US) - Too Late to Pray Tyrants Reign - Year of the Tyrants EP Tyton - Mind Over Metal U.D.O. - Animal House Vengeance (Hol) - Take It or Leave It Venom - Calm Before the Storm Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator Victory - Hungry Hearts Voivod - Killing Technology Vow Wow - V Warlock - Triumph And Agony W.A.S.P. - Live...In the Raw Whiplash - Ticket to Mayhem White Lion - Pride Whitesnake - Whitesnake Y&T - Contagious Zodiac Mindwarp - Tattooed Beat Messiah

Disbandments

• Alcatrazz
• Sound Barrier
• Twisted Sister
• Grim Reaper

Events

• Udo Dirkshneider departs Accept citing management issues and later the same year forms U.D.O.
• Bon Jovi headlined 1987's Monsters of Rock festival with Dio, Metallica, Anthrax, W.A.S.P. and Cinderella. Dee Snider, Bruce Dickinson and Paul Stanley joined Bon Jovi to perform "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk.
• Motörhead's drummer Pete Gill leaves the band and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor returns.
• Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls peaked at No. 2 in the Billboard charts.
• The show Headbangers Ball debuts on MTV on April 18, 1987.
• Bon Jovi's album Slippery When Wet topped the Billboard charts for eight weeks.
• In December 1987, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx suffers a near-fatal heroin overdose.
• Bassist Louiche Mayorga leaves Suicidal Tendencies and is replaced by Bob Heathcote. At the same time, the band becomes a five piece as they hire former No Mercy guitarist Mike Clark as their rhythm guitarist.