Progressive Metal Timeline

1980 Apr 14 Iron Maiden Release Their Debut Album, "Iron Maiden"
Iron Maiden, released on April 14, 1980, is the debut album by heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released by EMI in the UK, reaching number 4 in the UK album charts. The album was rele...
1981 Feb 2 "Killers" by Iron Maiden Is Released
Killers is the second album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on February 2, 1981 in the UK, and June, 1981 in the US. The album was the first of their albums to feature g...
1982 Queensrÿche release their self-titled EP
Queensrÿche is an EP by the American progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released in 1982 and again one year later. It was originally released independently by 206 Records (run in part by...
1982 Mar 29 "The Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden Is Released
The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The album was released on March 29, 1982 through EMI. This was the debut of vocalist Bruce Dicki...
1983 May 16 "Piece of Mind" by Iron Maiden Is Released
Piece of Mind is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was originally released in 1983 (see 1983 in music) on EMI, and on Capitol in the US; it was reissued ...
1984 Aug 10 Voivod release their debut album, War and Pain
War and Pain is the debut album from Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod, which was released on August 10, 1984 through Metal Blade Records. According to a 1986 TV intervi...
1984 Sep 3 "Powerslave" by Iron Maiden Is Released
Powerslave is the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on September 3, 1984 on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US (it was re-...
1984 Sep 7 Queensrÿche release The Warning
The Warning is the first full-length album by Queensrÿche, released on 7 September 1984. The original tracklisting for the album was changed by mix engineer Val Garay under orders from...
1984 Sep 9 Fates Warning releases Night on Bröcken
Night on Bröcken is the debut album by Fates Warning, released in September 1984. In 2002, Metal Blade Records released a remastered version of this album which contained bonus tracks. ...
1985 Oct 15 Fates Warning releases The Spectre Within
The Spectre Within is the second studio album by Fates Warning, released in 1985. It was re-released by Metal Blade Records in 2002 with four bonus tracks.
1986 Mar 14 Voivod release Rrröööaaarrr
Rrröööaaarrr is the second album by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 1986 on Noise Records.
1986 Jun 27 Queensrÿche release Rage for Order
Rage for Order is the second studio album by heavy metal band Queensrÿche, released in 1986 on EMI America Records.
1986 Jun 29 "Somewhere in Time" by Iron Maiden Is Released
Somewhere in Time is the sixth studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 29 June, 1986 on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US (it was re-r...
1986 Nov 10 Fates Warning releases Awaken the Guardian
Awaken the Guardian is the third album by Fates Warning. It was first released in 1986, and was later re-released as a double album with No Exit in 1992. It would be the band's last studi...
1987 Apr 3 Voivod release Killing Technology
Killing Technology is the third album from Canadian Thrash metal/Progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 1987 on Noise Records and was the first to add the progressive sound in ...
1987 Sep 28 Savatage release Hall of the Mountain King
Hall of the Mountain King is an album by the progressive metal group Savatage, released in 1987 under the direction of Paul O'Neill. It is their first album produced by O'Neill, who was a...
1987 Nov Cacophony Releases "Speed Metal Symphony"
Speed Metal Symphony is the debut album of Neo-classical metal band Cacophony released in 1987 (see 1987 in music) on Shrapnel Records.
1988 Mar 30 Fates Warning releases No Exit
No Exit is the fourth album by the progressive metal group Fates Warning, released in 1988. Lyrically, No Exit proved a radical departure from Fates Warning's last three albums, as the al...
1988 Apr 11 "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" by Iron Maiden Is Released
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is a concept album by heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 1988 as the band's seventh studio album on EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records ...
1988 May 3 Queensrÿche release Operation: Mindcrime
Operation: Mindcrime is a concept album by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche. Released on May 3, 1988, it is the band's third full-length album. A rock opera, its story follows ...
1988 Jun 29 Voivod release Dimension Hatröss
Dimension Hatröss is the fourth album from the Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released on June 29, 1988 on Noise Records. The Batman theme's cover only appear...
1989 Aug 29 Fates Warning releases Perfect Symmetry
Perfect Symmetry was an album by progressive metal band Fates Warning released in 1989. It was the first album with Mark Zonder on drums. The album has been re-released as a special editi...
1989 Sep 5 Annihilator release Alice in Hell
Alice in Hell is the first album by the Canadian thrash metal band Annihilator, released in 1989. The album was re-released twice: 1998 with 3 demo tracks as bonus tracks and again on Sep...
1989 Sep 18 Coroner release No More Color
No More Color is Coroner's third album. It is the release where they started to truly 'progress', as the songs are still similar to their older, speedy, European thrash metal but start to...
1989 Oct 13 Voivod release Nothingface
Nothingface is the fifth album by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released by Mechanic/MCA Records on October 13, 1989. The album marked a change for the band,...
1989 Dec 1 Savatage release Gutter Ballet
Gutter Ballet is the sixth album produced by the progressive metal band Savatage. This was the second album created under the direction of producer Paul O'Neill and was initially released...
1990 Aug 20 Queensrÿche release Empire
Grammy Nominated Empire is the fourth full-length album by Queensrÿche, released on August 20, 1990. The power ballad "Silent Lucidity" was a cross-over hit, reaching #1 on the Mainstream...
1990 Sep 12 Annihilator release Never, Neverland
Never, Neverland is the second album by heavy metal band Annihilator. It was released on September 12, 1990 under the label Roadrunner. The album was re-released twice: 1998 with 4 demo t...
1990 Oct 1 "No Prayer for the Dying" by Iron Maiden Is Released
No Prayer for the Dying is the eighth studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the first album recorded following the departure of guitarist Adrian Smith who left t...
1991 Aug 12 Coroner release Mental Vortex
Mental Vortex is the fourth album of the Swiss thrash metal trio Coroner. It is probably their most progressive and mature achievement and marks an improvement in the production compared ...
1991 Oct 4 Savatage release Streets: A Rock Opera
Streets: A Rock Opera (often simply shortened to Streets) is a concept album by Savatage, dealing with the rise and fall of the musician DT Jesus. It was originally released in October 19...
1991 Oct 22 Death releases Human
Human is the fourth album by death metal band Death, released in 1991. The album marked the beginning of a major stylistic change for Death. The actual sound of the album is much more tec...
1991 Oct 29 Fates Warning releases Parallels
Parallels is the sixth album by progressive metal band Fates Warning, released in 1991. It has sold over 150,000 copies due to the success of the singles "Eye to Eye", "Point of View", an...
1991 Nov 12 Voivod release Angel Rat
Angel Rat is the sixth album released by the Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. Produced by Terry Brown of Rush fame, it was released in 1991 by Mechanic/MCA Records and...
1992 Mar 10 Tool release Opiate
Opiate is an EP by American progressive metal band Tool. Released in 1992, it was the result of some two years of the band playing together after their formation in 1990. "Opiate" precede...
1992 May 11 "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden is Released
Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album released by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It topped the UK albums chart. Released on 11 May 1992, it was the final studio album to featu...
1993 Apr 2 Savatage release Edge of Thorns
Edge of Thorns is an album by Savatage, released in 1993 on Atlantic Records. It was the last album to contain the talents of the late guitarist Criss Oliva. It is also the first Savatage...
1993 Apr 6 Tool release Undertow
Undertow is the debut full-length album by American progressive metal band Tool, released in 1993. At the time, grunge was at the height of its popularity, and pop punk was slowly beginni...
1993 Jun 22 Death releases Individual Thought Patterns
Individual Thought Patterns is the fifth album by the death metal band Death, released in 1993. The album continues to expand on the technical, progressive style that began with Human, an...
1993 Aug 3 Voivod release The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits is the seventh album released by Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, issued via Mechanic/MCA Records in 1993. This was the final album to feature vocalist Denis Bélanger un...
1993 Sep 10 Coroner release Grin
Grin is the fifth and most recent studio album by the Swiss thrash metal band Coroner, and was followed by their self-titled compilation album, Coroner. It is the result of the progressio...
1993 Sep 14 Cynic releases Focus
Focus is the debut album by Cynic, released September 14, 1993 through Roadrunner Records.
1994 Jul 26 Fates Warning releases Inside Out
Inside Out is an album released in 1994 by Fates Warning. The album continues with the commercial sound that Parallels left off. It was the last to feature long-time members Frank Aresti ...
1994 Aug 16 Savatage release Handful of Rain
Handful of Rain is a heavy metal album by Savatage that was released in 1994. The first album since the death of their lead guitarist, Criss Oliva, the music is often dark in reflection o...
1994 Oct 18 Queensrÿche release Promised Land
Promised Land was the fifth studio album by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche and their highest charting record to date. It was released by EMI on 18 October 1994, 4 years after...
1995 Mar 21 Death releases Symbolic
Symbolic is the sixth album by American death metal band Death. The album was released on March 21, 1995 through Roadrunner Records. The album was remastered and reissued on April 1, 2008...
1995 Sep 1 Michael Angelo Batio Releases "No Boundaries"
No Boundaries is the debut studio album by American shred guitarist Michael Angelo Batio, released on September 1, 1995. The album was released through one of M.A.C.E. Music's external di...
1995 Oct 2 "The X Factor" by Iron Maiden Is Released
The X Factor is the tenth studio album by Iron Maiden, released in 1995. It is the band's first album to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinso...
1995 Oct 24 Savatage release Dead Winter Dead
Dead Winter Dead is a concept album by Savatage, released in 1995 dealing with a Serb boy and a Muslim girl who fall in love. The story of the album also focused on the Bosnian War, which...
1995 Nov 21 Voivod release Negatron
Negatron was the eighth album released by Canadian thrash metal/progressive metal band Voivod. It was released in 1995 on Hypnotic Records. It is also the first album to feature Eric Forr...