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This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1978.
Newly formed bands
- Ángeles del Infierno
- Amebix
- Anvil [1]
- Blind Illusion
- Bodine
- E.F. Band
- Earthshaker
- Electric Sun
- Exciter
- Fist
- Fortune
- Gamma
- Gillan
- Girlschool
- Grand Prix
- Leño
- London
- Yngwie Malmsteen
- Mama's Boys
- Messiah Prophet
- New England
- The Next Band
- Nightwing
- Pagan Altar
- Pendragon
- Plasmatics
- Savage
- Survivor
- Trespass
- Tygers of Pan Tang
- Vanexa
- Venom
- Whitesnake
- Wild Horses
- Wrathchild America
Albums
January
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Double Live Gonzo! | Ted Nugent | Live |
February
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Stained Class | Judas Priest | |
| Van Halen | Van Halen | ||
| 17 | Impeckable | Budgie | |
| Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush – Live | Mahogany Rush | Live |
April
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll [2] | Rainbow | |
| 28 | Powerage [3] | AC/DC |
June
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Live and Dangerous | Thin Lizzy | Live |
| Snakebite | Whitesnake | EP [4] | |
| 20 | Double Vision | Foreigner | |
| ? | Obsession | UFO | |
| Struck Down | Yesterday and Today |
August
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Don't Look Back [5] | Boston | |
| Tokyo Tapes | Scorpions | Live | |
| ? | Kingdom of Madness | Magnum |
September
October
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | If You Want Blood You've Got It | AC/DC | Live |
| 24 | Hemispheres | Rush | [7] |
| 19 | Trouble | Whitesnake | Debut |
| 30 | Pain Killer | Krokus |
November
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Killing Machine | Judas Priest | UK |
| 10 | Jazz | Queen | |
| ? | Rose Tattoo | Rose Tattoo |
December
| Day | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Quiet Riot II | Quiet Riot | Japan |
| ? | From the Inside | Alice Cooper |
Release date unknown
Disbandments
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.
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.
- ^ "Certification for the UK".
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2016). The Deep Purple Family, vol 1 (2nd ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-908724-42-7.
- ^ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "RIAA".
- ^ "Hemispheres".