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.

Preceded by 1983

Heavy Metal Timeline 1984

Succeeded by 1985