1978 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1978.

Newly formed bands

• Ángeles del Infierno
• Anvil
• Dokken
• Earthshaker
• Electric Sun
• Exciter
• Fist
• Gamma
• Gillan
• Girlschool
• Leño
• London
• Yngwie Malmsteen
• Mama's Boys
• The Next Band
• Nightwing
• Pagan Altar
• The Rods
• Saint Vitus
• Samson
• Savatage
• Thor
• Trespass
• Tygers of Pan Tang
• Whitesnake
• Wild Horses
• Wrathchild America

Albums

• AC/DC - Powerage
• AC/DC - If You Want Blood You've Got It
• Alice Cooper - From the Inside
• Black Sabbath - Never Say Die!
• Blue Öyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening
• Budgie - Impeckable
• Foreigner - Double Vision
• Judas Priest - Stained Class
• KISS - Ace Frehley
• KISS - Gene Simmons
• KISS - Paul Stanley
• KISS - Peter Criss
• Krokus - Painkiller
• Magnum - Kingdom of Madness
• Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - Live
• Molly Hatchet - Molly Hatchet
• Gary Moore - Back on the Streets
• Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo!
• Ted Nugent - Weekend Warriors
• Queen - Jazz
• Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
• Ram Jam - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram
• Rose Tattoo - Rose Tattoo
• Rush - Hemispheres
• Scorpions - Taken by Force
• Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes
• Shakin' Street - Vampire Rock
• Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
• UFO - Obsession
• Van Halen - Van Halen
• Whitesnake - Snakebite
• Whitesnake - Trouble
• Y&T - Struck Down

Events

• Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen joins at 15 as a permanent member.
• The Who's Keith Moon dies of a drug overdose at 32.

Preceded by 1977

Heavy Metal Timeline 1978

Succeeded by 1979