1982 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1982.

Newly formed bands

• Armored Saint
• Artillery
• Carnivore
• Corrosion of Conformity (not originally a metal band)
• Death Angel
• Destruction
• Dio
• Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
• Kreator
• Possessed
• Spinal Tap
• Steve Vai
• Voivod
• Warlock
• Warriors
• W.A.S.P.
• Watchtower
• X (later known as X Japan)

Albums & EPs

Events

• Iron Maiden's first album with Bruce Dickinson, The Number of the Beast, reaches No.1 in the U.K. music charts.
• Motörhead's Guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke leaves the band and is replaced by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson.
• Judas Priest's single You've Got Another Thing Comin' is released. It will go on to become the band's best selling single.
• Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads dies in an airplane accident on March 19.
• Late that year Iron Maiden's drummer Clive Burr is fired from Maiden because of personal and tour-schedule problems and Nicko McBrain from Trust is hired to replace him.
• Ace Frehley, Space Ace and lead guitarist of Kiss, leaves the band. Vinnie Vincent takes his place.
• Queen departs from their hard rock legacy with the ill-received funk/disco album Hot Space
• December: Former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan replaces Ronnie James Dio in Black Sabbath
• The band Metallica leaves Los Angeles and relocates to the San Francisco Bay Area.