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

Contents 1 Newly formed bands 2 Albums 3 Disbandments 4 Events

[edit] Newly formed bands

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

[edit] Albums

• AC/DC - Back in Black
• Accept - I'm a Rebel
• Alice Cooper - Flush the Fashion
• Angel Witch - Angel Witch
• Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
• Blue Öyster Cult - Cultösaurus Erectus
• Def Leppard - On Through the Night
• Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
• Gamma - Gamma 2
• Gillan - Glory Road
• Girlschool - Demolition
• Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
• Judas Priest - British Steel
• Kiss - Unmasked
• Krokus - Metal Rendez-vous
• Motörhead - Ace of Spades
• Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
• Queen - The Game
• Rush - Permanent Waves
• Samson - Head On
• Saxon - Wheels of Steel
• Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law
• Scorpions - Animal Magnetism
• Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
• Tygers Of Pan Tang - Wild Cat
• UFO - No Place to Run
• Van Halen - Women and Children First
• Whitesnake - Ready An' Willing

[edit] Disbandments

• Led Zeppelin

[edit] Events

• Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC, dies at 33 on February 19 after a binge of heavy drinking.
• August : 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 1: Brian Johnson joins AC/DC replacing Bon Scott as lead singer.
• Peter Criss, drummer of Kiss, leaves the band. Eric Carr takes his place.

Preceded by: 1979

Heavy Metal Timeline 1980

Followed by: 1981