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This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1978.
Bands formed
- Ángeles del Infierno
- Amebix
- Anvil (as Lips)
- Blind Illusion
- Bodine
- Cockney Rejects
- E.F. Band
- Earthshaker
- Electric Sun
- Exciter
- Fist
- Fortune
- Gamma
- Gillan
- Girlschool
- Grand Prix
- Hades
- Leño
- London
- Mama's Boys
- Messiah Prophet
- Mystery Blue
- New England
- Nightwing
- Pagan Altar
- Pendragon
- Plasmatics
- Savage
- Survivor
- Trespass
- The Exploited
- The Next Band
- Tygers of Pan Tang
- Vanexa
- Venom
- Whitesnake
- Wild Horses
- Wrathchild America
- Yngwie Malmsteen
Bands disbanded
Events
- Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne had a change of heart and returned to Black Sabbath after leaving abruptly the year before.
- Gary Moore embarked on his third and final stint as Thin Lizzy's guitarist, replacing Brian Robertson.
- Paul Di'Anno took over as Iron Maiden's vocalist, succeeding Dennis Wilcock.
- Original Def Leppard drummer Tony Kenning departed the band, making way for Rick Allen, who, at just 15 years old, became their permanent drummer.
- Uli Jon Roth parted ways with Scorpions due to creative differences, leading to Matthias Jabs joining as his replacement.
- Guitarist Michael Shenker left UFO and rejoined Scorpions.
Deaths
- January 23 – Terry Alan Kath, founder and guitarist of Chicago, died from an unintentional self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the age of 31.
- September 7 – Keith John Moon, founding member and drummer of The Who, died from an overdose of clomethiazole at the age of 32.
Albums
February
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Judas Priest | Stained Class |
| Van Halen | Van Halen | |
| 17 | Budgie | Impeckable |
March
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Quiet Riot | Quiet Riot |
April
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Jethro Tull | Heavy Horses |
| 14 | Rainbow | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll |
May
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | AC/DC | Powerage |
June
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Thin Lizzy | Live and Dangerous |
| Whitesnake | Snakebite | |
| 23 | UFO | Obsession |
| Yesterday and Today | Struck Down |
August
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Boston | Don't Look Back |
| Scorpions | Tokyo Tapes (live album) | |
| 18 | The Who | Who Are You |
| Magnum | Kingdom of Madness |
September
October
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Wishbone Ash | No Smoke Without Fire |
| 13 | AC/DC | If You Want Blood You've Got It |
| Whitesnake | Trouble | |
| 24 | Rush | Hemispheres |
| 30 | Krokus | Pain Killer |
November
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Judas Priest | Killing Machine |
| 10 | Queen | Jazz |
| The Clash | Give 'Em Enough Rope | |
| Heavy Load | Full Speed at High Level | |
| Rose Tattoo | Rose Tattoo |
December
| Day | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Quiet Riot | Quiet Riot II |
| 20 | Bow Wow | Guarantee |
| Alice Cooper | From the Inside |
Unknown release date
| Artist | Album |
|---|---|
| Golden Earring | Grab It for a Second |
| Lucifer's Friend | Good Time Warrior |
| Ram Jam | Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram |
| Preceded by1977 | Heavy Metal Timeline 1978 |
Succeeded by1979 |
References
- "Anvil Bio". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
- Popoff, Martin (2016). The Deep Purple Family (2nd ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-908724-42-7.
- "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.
| Timeline of heavy metal and hard rock music | |
|---|---|
| 20th century | |
| 21st century | |