1972 in heavy metal music explained

This is a timeline documenting the events of heavy metal music in the year 1972.

Bands formed

• Baumstam
• Beck, Bogert & Appice
  • Bleak House Bonfire (as Cacumen)
• Frankenstein
• Geordie (featuring Brian Johnson on vocals)
• The Handsome Beasts
• Heavy Metal Kids (featuring Gary Holton on vocals)
• Jerusalem
• Magnum
• Mother's Finest
• Petra
• Poobah
• Pop Mašina
• Progresiv TM
• Resurrection Band
• Tarkus
  • Tempest The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
• Styx
• The Tubes
• Twisted Sister (as Silver Star)
• Urchin
• Van Halen (as Genesis, later Mammoth)
• West, Bruce and Laing

Bands reformed

• The Stooges

Bands disbanded

• Cactus
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• MC5 (reformed in 1974)
• Steppenwolf (reformed in 1974)
• The Jeff Beck Group
• Van der Graaf Generator (reformed in 1975)

Albums

• Bang – Bang
• Night Sun – Mournin
• Warpig – Warpig

January

Day	Artist	Album
	Blue Öyster Cult	Blue Öyster Cult^[1]
	Lucifer's Friend	...Where the Groupies Killed the Blues

February

Day	Artist	Album
9	Scorpions	Lonesome Crow
10		Made in Japan

March

Day	Artist	Album
3	Jethro Tull	Thick as a Brick
10	Thin Lizzy	Shades of a Blue Orphanage
24	Jerusalem	Jerusalem
30	Deep Purple	Machine Head^[2]
	Humble Pie	Smokin'

April

Day	Artist	Album
4	Zz top	Rio Grande Mud
24	Mountain
28	Wishbone Ash	Argus^[3]

May

Day	Artist	Album
19	Uriah Heep	Demons & Wizards^[4]
31	James Gang	Straight Shooter

June

Day	Artist	Album
2	Pink Floyd	Obscured by Clouds
13	Alice Cooper	School's Out
16	Golden Earring	Together
23	Emerson, Lake & Palmer	Trilogy
	Buffalo	Dead Forever
	Tarkus	Tarkus

August

Day	Artist	Album
28	Cactus	'Ot 'n' Sweaty
	Elf	Elf

September

Day	Artist	Album
1	Budgie	Squawk
8	Yes	Close to the Edge
15	Grand Funk Railroad	Phoenix^[5]
	Black Sabbath	Vol. 4^[6]

November

Day	Artist	Album
24	Hawkwind	Doremi Fasol Latido
	Bang	Mother / Bow to the King
	Uriah Heep	The Magician's Birthday^[7]

December

Day	Artist	Album
15	Status Quo	Piledriver
22	Deep Purple	Made in Japan^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r30964|pure_url=yes}} Blue Öyster Cult]. Allmusic. 2008-04-25.
2. Web site: Machine Head 50 yrs.
3. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r22119|pure_url=yes}} Argus]. Allmusic. 2008-04-25.
4. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r20889|pure_url=yes}} Demons and Wizards]. Allmusic. 2008-04-25.
5. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r8493|pure_url=yes}} Phoenix ]. Allmusic. 2006-07-02.
6. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2001|pure_url=yes}} Black Sabbath, Vol. 4]. Allmusic. 2008-04-25.
7. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r20882|pure_url=yes}} The Magician's Birthday]. Allmusic. 2008-04-25.
8. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r5334|pure_url=yes}} Made in Japan]. Allmusic. 2008-04-25.