1992 in heavy metal music

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal in the year 1992.

Newly formed bands

• Black Label Society
• Cruachan
• Edguy
• Esoteric
• Freak Kitchen
• Gorgoroth
• Graveland
• Graveworm
• Lordi
• Machine Head
• Mourning Beloveth
• Moonspell
• Necrophagist
• P.O.D.
• Rudra
• Stone Sour
• Sevendust
• Theatre of Tragedy
• Vince Neil

Albums

• 24-7 Spyz - Strength in Numbers
• AC/DC - Live
• Alice in Chains - Dirt
• Alice in Chains - Sap
• At the Gates - The Red in the Sky Is Ours
• Autopsy - Acts of the Unspeakable
• Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer
• Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
• Blue Cheer - Dining with the Sharks
• Body Count - Body Count
• Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade
• Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith
• Brain Dead - From the Ecstasy
• Cannibal Corpse - Tomb of the Mutilated
• Celtic Frost - Parched With Thirst Am I and Dying
• Danzig - Danzig III: How the Gods Kill
• Def Leppard - Adrenalize
• Deicide - Legion
• Dream Theater - Images and Words
• Eyehategod - In the Name of Suffering
• Exhorder - The Law
• Exodus - Force of Habit
• Extreme - III Sides to Every Story
• Faith No More - Angel Dust
• Fear Factory - Soul of a New Machine
• Gorefest - False
• Hardline - Double Eclipse
• Helmet - In the Meantime
• Hypocrisy - Penetralia
• Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider
• Immortal - Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism
• Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
• Kiss - Revenge
• Kreator - Renewal
• Kyuss - Blues for the Red Sun
• Paradise Lost - Shades of God
• Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Fire and Ice
• Tony MacAlpine - Freedom To Fly
• Malevolent Creation - Retribution
• Manowar - The Triumph of Steel
• Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction
• Ministry - Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
• Monster Magnet - Tab (EP)
• Monstrosity - Imperial Doom
• Motörhead - March or Die
• Napalm Death - Utopia Banished
• Necrophagist - Requiems of Festered Gore (Demo)
• Neurosis - Souls at Zero
• Nine Inch Nails - Broken (EP)
• Nocturnus - Thresholds
• Obituary - The End Complete
• Oomph! - Oomph!
• Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power
• Pitch Shifter - Submit
• Rage - Trapped!
• Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
• Reverend - Live (EP)
• Sadus - A Vision of Misery
• Skid Row - B-Side Ourselves
• Slaughter - The Wild Life
• Sodom - Tapping the Vein
• Stratovarius - Twilight Time
• Spinal Tap - Break Like the Wind
• Suicidal Tendencies - Art of Rebellion
• Tankard - Stone Cold Sober
• Testament - The Ritual
• Tiamat - Clouds
• Trixter - Hear!
• Trouble - Manic Frustration
• Unleashed - Shadows in the Deep
• Vader - The Ultimate Incantation
• W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol
• Warrant - Dog Eat Dog

Disbandments

• Armored Saint
• Atheist
• Britny Fox
• Europe (Hiatus until Dec. 31, 1999, then full reformation with John Norum at guitar on Oct. 2, 2003)
• Nitro
• Ratt
• Stryper
• White Lion

Events

• Alice in Chains release their widely popular concept album, Dirt.
• Motörhead's drummer Phil Taylor finally leaves after recording "Ain't No Nice Guy" for the March or Die album. The drummer on that album is Tommy Aldridge, who was replaced by Mikkey Dee after recording the album.
• Metallica frontman James Hetfield suffers second and third-degree burns due to a pyrotechnic accident during the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour.
• Living Colour's bassist Muzz Skillings leaves and is replaced by Doug Wimbish.
• On April, 20, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert is held. Top heavy metal/hard rock acts such as Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Metallica, Extreme and the heavy metal parody band Spinal Tap perform, as well as heavy metal/hard rock legends such as Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Roger Daltrey (The Who), and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath).
• Body Count sparks nationwide controversy over the song from their self-titled debut album, "Cop Killer".
• Vince Neil leaves Mötley Crüe and is replaced by John Corabi
• Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo is replaced by Paul Bostaph.
• Fanoft Stave Church near Bergen, Norway is destroyed by Varg Vikernes of Burzum on June 6. Other church burnings attributed to black metal musicians also took place throughout Scandinavia.
• Extreme release their third album III Sides to Every Story.