1983 in music
By location
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By genre
country heavy metal hip hop jazz Latin
By topic
List of albums released

(table)

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This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in 1983.

Newly formed bands

Alcatrazz
Alisa
Artch
Assassin
Autograph
Bad News
Bad Steve
Bathory
Bride
Carnivore
Child'ƨ Play
Coroner
The Cult
Darxon
Death
The Dogs D'Amour
Elixir
Excel (known as Chaotic Noise until 1985)
Fastway
Fifth Angel
Forced Entry
Gastunk
Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve
Halloween
Heir Apparent
Hurricane
Impaler
Jetboy
Kabát
King Kobra
Korzus
Lillian Axe
Lion
Lizzy Borden
L.A. Guns
Malhavoc
Master
Megadeth
Melvins
Michael W. Smith
Mind Over Four
Morbid Angel
MX
My Bloody Valentine
Nasty Savage
Necronomicon
Necrophagia
Nothing Sacred
Omen
Parabellum
Poison
Possessed
Q5
Razor
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Renegade
Rigor Mortis
Rogue Male
S.O.B.
Sacrifice
Samhain
Santa
Shy
Stratus
Stryper
Taramis
Testament (known as Legacy until 1986)
Tigertailz
Titan Force
Trixter
Vader
Vengeance
Warrant
White Lion

Albums & EPs

AC/DC – Flick of the Switch
Accept – Balls to the Wall
Ace Lane – See You In Heaven
Acid – Maniac
Alcatrazz – No Parole from Rock N' Roll
Alice Cooper – DaDa
Alien (US) – Cosmic Fantasy (EP)
The Angels, aka Angel City – Watch the Red
Anvil – Forged in Fire
Argus - Argus (EP)
Armored Saint – Armored Saint (EP)
Ashbury – Endless Skies
Atomic Rooster – 'Headline News
Axe Witch - The Lord of Flies
Barón Rojo – Metalmorfosis
Battleaxe – Burn This Town
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Bitch – Be My Slave
Bitches Sin – No More Chances (EP)
Black Angels – Kickdown
Blackfoot – Siogo
Black Sabbath – Born Again
Blowin Free - Enemy
Blue Öyster Cult – The Revölution by Night
Bodine – Three Times Running
Bow Wow – Holy Expedition - Live
Bullet (Ger) – No Mercy
Cacumen – Bad Widow
Chateaux – Chained and Desperate
Cobra – First Strike
Coney Hatch – Outta Hand
Culprit – Guilty as Charged!
Cutty Sark – Hardrock Power (EP)
Dark Lord – Dark Lord (EP)
Dedringer – Second Arising
Def Leppard – Pyromania
Demon – The Plague
Diamond Head – Canterbury
Dio – Holy Diver
Dokken – Breaking the Chains (US release)
Earthshaker – Earthshaker
Easy Action – Easy Action
Europe – Europe
Exciter – Heavy Metal Maniac
Fastway – Fastway
Fighter – No Pain No Gain
Fist (Can) – In the Red
Lita Ford – Out for Blood
Girlschool – Play Dirty
Gotham City - Black Writs (EP)
Grand Prix - Samurai
Great White – Out of the Night (EP)
Grim Reaper – See You in Hell
HSAS – Through the Fire
Hanoi Rocks – Back to Mystery City
Hawaii – One Nation Underground
H-Bomb – Coup de Metal (EP)
Headpins – Line of Fire
Heavy Load – Stronger Than Evil
Heavy Pettin – Lettin' Loose
Hellanbach – Now Hear This
High Power – High Power
Highway Chile – Storybook Heroes
Highway Chile – Fever (EP)
Helix – No Rest for the Wicked
Hellion – Hellion (EP)
Holocaust – Live (Hot Curry & Wine)
Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind
Jade – Teasing Eyes
Jag Panzer – Tyrants (EP)
Joshua – The Hand Is Quicker Than the Eye (EP)
Key West - First Invasion
Killer (Swi) – Stronger Than Ever
Killer Dwarfs – Killer Dwarfs
KISS – Lick It Up
KIX – Cool Kids
Krokus – Headhunter
Lady Killer – Lady Killer
Leather Angel – We Came to Kill (EP)
Le Griffe – Fast Bikes (EP)
Le Mans – On the Streets
Greg Leon Invasion - Greg Leon Invasion
Loudness – The Law of Devil's Land
Loudness – Live-Loud-Alive: Loudness in Tokyo
Magnum – The Eleventh Hour
Mama's Boys – Turn It Up
Manilla Road – Crystal Logic
Manowar – Into Glory Ride
Mass (Ger) - Metal Fighter
Max Havoc – Max Havoc
Max Lynx – Take One
McCoy – McCoy (EP)
Mercyful Fate – Melissa
Metallica – Kill 'Em All
Metal Massacre - Metal Massacre III (Compilation, various artists)
Metal Massacre - Metal Massacre IV (Compilation, various artists)
Mindless Sinner – Master of Evil (EP)
Molly Hatchet – No Guts...No Glory
Gary Moore – Dirty Fingers
Gary Moore – Victims of the Future
Gary Moore – Rockin' Every Night – Live in Japan
Gary Moore – Live at the Marquee
Mötley Crüe – Shout at the Devil
Motörhead – Another Perfect Day
MSG – Built to Destroy
Night Ranger – Midnight Madness
Nightwing – Stand Up and Be Counted
No Bros – Our Own Way
Aldo Nova – Subject
Onslaught - What Lies Ahead (Demo)
Ostrogoth – Full Moon's Eyes (EP)
Overdrive – Metal Attack
Oz – Fire in the Brain
Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
Pandemonium – Heavy Metal Soldiers
Pantera – Metal Magic
Picture – Eternal Dark
Pretty Maids – Pretty Maids (EP)
Quartz – Against All Odds
Queensrÿche – Queensrÿche (EP)
Quiet Riot – Metal Health
Rage (UK) – Run for the Night
Rated X - Rock Blooded
Raven – All for One
Ratt – Ratt (EP)
Riff Raff – Give the Dead Man Some Water
Riot – Born in America
Ritual – Widow
Roadrunner - Teenage Warcry (EP)
Rock Goddess – Rock Goddess
Rock Goddess – Hell Hath No Fury
The Rods – In the Raw
The Rods – Live (live)
Satan – Court in the Act
Satan Jokers – Les Fils du Métal
Savage – Loose 'N Lethal
Savage Grace – The Dominatress (EP)
Savatage – Sirens
Saxon – Power & the Glory
Shy – Once Bitten... Twice...
Silver Mountain – Shakin' Brains
Sinner – Fast Decision
Six Feet Under (Swe) – Six Feet Under
Slayer (S.A. Slayer) – Prepare to Die (EP)
Slayer – Show No Mercy
Sledgehammer – Blood on Their Hands
Sortilège – Sortilège (EP)
Sound Barrier – Total Control
Spartan Warrior – Steel n' Chains
Stampede – Hurricane Town
Starfighters – In-Flight Movie
Steeler – Steeler
Suicidal Tendencies – Suicidal Tendencies
Takashi – Kamikaze Killers (EP)
Talas – Live Speed on Ice
Tank – This Means War
Terraplane – I Survive (EP)
Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning
Thin Lizzy – Life - Live
Thor – Unchained (EP)
Thunderstick – Feel Like Rock'n'Roll? (EP)
Tokyo Blade – Tokyo Blade
Torch – Torch
Bernie Tormé – Electric Gypsies
Trance – Power Infusion
Triumph – Never Surrender
Twisted Sister – You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
220 Volt – 220 Volt
UFO – Making Contact
Vanadium – A Race with the Devil
Vandenberg – Heading for a Storm
Vardis – The Lion's Share (comp)
Vault – No More Escape
Victim – Power Hungry
Virgin Steele – Guardians of the Flame
Virgin Steele – Wait for the Night (EP)
Vixen – Made in Hawaii (EP)
Warlord – Deliver Us (EP)
Warriors – Warriors
White Heat – Krakatoa
Wild Dogs – Wild Dogs
Wildfire – Brute Force and Ignorance
Winterkat – Winterkat (EP)
Witchfinder General – Friends of Hell
Witchfynde – Cloak and Dagger
Xcursion – Xcursion (EP)
Y&T – Mean Streak
Zebra – Zebra
Zero Nine – Headline

Events

Yngwie Malmsteen starts performing in the band Steeler. Also in that band was vocalist Ron Keel (later on Keel) and former W.A.S.P. bassist Rik Fox. The band produced only one album, Steeler.
April 11: Metallica fires lead guitarist Dave Mustaine for substance abuse issues, replacing him with Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett; Mustaine subsequently forms the band Megadeth.
KISS ends the use of makeup in their act.
November 19: the single by Quiet Riot "Cum on Feel the Noize" is No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
April 17: Mountain bassist, and Cream producer, Felix Pappalardi is shot and killed by his wife Gail Collins Pappalardi.
Metallica and Slayer both release their debut albums Kill 'Em All and Show No Mercy.
After his song "Runaway" becomes a surprise hit on New York radio station WAPP-FM, Jon Bon Jovi forms the band Bon Jovi.

References

Preceded by1982 Heavy Metal Timeline 1983 Succeeded by1984

v t e Timeline of heavy metal and hard rock music
Heavy metal music before 1970
20th century	... 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025