Metallica: The Kings of Heavy Metal Music
Looking to get into the heavy metal music scene? Then you need to check out Metallica! They are the kings of heavy metal music, and have been for decades. With hits like “Enter Sandman” and “Sad but True”, they have cemented their place in music history. So if you’re looking to get into heavy metal, or just want to enjoy some great music, then be sure to check out Metallica!
Introduction
Since forming in 1981, Metallica has become one of the most successful and influential heavy metal bands of all time. With over 110 million records sold worldwide, they are the best-selling band of the genre and are considered to be the “kings of metal” by many fans and critics alike.
Despite their success, Metallica has not been without controversy. From their early days as one of the pioneers of the thrash metal movement, to their much-publicized “feud” with former lead singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine, to their highly publicized legal battle with file-sharing site Napster, the band has always been a lightning rod for debate and discussion.
Whether you love them or hate them, there is no denying that Metallica is one of the most important and influential heavy metal bands of all time. In this article, we will take a look at the history of the band, their musical evolution, and some of the controversies that have surrounded them over the years.
History
Metallica is an American heavy metal band that was formed in 1981. The band has won nine Grammy Awards and released ten studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays and 24 singles. Metallica’s first album, Kill ‘Em All, was released in 1983 and was considered an important album in the development of thrash metal.
Formation and early years (1981-1982)
Metallica was formed in October 1981 in Los Angeles, California by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, who then recruited lead guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney to complete the initial lineup. The group came under the management of Jon Zazula, who sold the band’s first recordings to Metal Blade Records; they released Kill ‘Em All in 1983.Due to the low quality of the demo tape, Metal Blade Records initially rejected the band, but were persuaded to change their minds after a second meeting. Metallicawithdrew from the scene to record their debut album. Kill ‘Em All was released on July 25, 1983, five months after being signed to the label. It was produced by Jeff Hanneman of Slayer.
Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets (1984-1986)
In 1984, Metallica released their second album, Ride the Lightning. The album featured a more complex and progressive sound than Kill ‘Em All, and displayed the influence of new wave of British heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden. Hetfield’s lyrics also moved away from the dark subject matter of violence and revenge that characterized Kill ‘Em All, to topics like the dangers of nuclear warfare (“Ride the Lightning”) and the homeless (“Fade to Black”). “Fade to Black” was the first power ballad written by Metallica, and remains one of their most popular songs. Later that year, Metallica embarked on their first tour outside of North America, headlining shows in Europe for the first time.
In 1986, Metallica released their third album Master of Puppets, which was greeted with critical acclaim. The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard charts and became the band’s first platinum record. Master of Puppets was also notable for being much longer than either Kill ‘Em All or Ride the Lightning, with a total running time of nearly 55 minutes. It was during the tour for this album that Metallica experienced one of its most tragic moments: On September 27, 1986, shortly after a show in Sweden, bassist Cliff Burton died when the band’s tour bus overturned while driving through dense fog in rural Sweden.
The Black Album, Reload, and Garage Inc. (1991-1998)
In 1991, Metallica released their self-titled fifth album, commonly referred to as The Black Album. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and went on to become the band’s best-selling album. Singles from the album, “Enter Sandman,” “Sad but True,” “The Unforgiven,” and “Wherever I May Roam,” were all hugely successful. The Black Album was followed by Reload in 1997, which was also a commercial success.
In 1998, the band released Garage Inc., a double album of covers of songs by other artists, including bands like Black Sabbath, Diamond Head, Mercyful Fate, Motörhead, and Thin Lizzy. The album was a critical and commercial success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200.
St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (2003-2016)
In May 2003, Metallica released their eighth studio album, St. Anger. It was their first album in five years, following the 1998 release of Reload. The album was produced by Bob Rock, who had produced all of Metallica’s albums since 1991’s Metallica. St. Anger divided fans and critics; while some praised the album’s raw sound and aggressive attitude, others felt that it was unfocused and unfinished-sounding. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and selling over three million copies in the United States.
Metallica returned to a more traditional heavy metal sound with their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, which was released in September 2008. The album was once again produced by Bob Rock, and it received positive reviews from critics. Death Magnetic debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over four million copies in the United States.
Metallica’s tenth studio album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, was released in November 2016. The album was produced by Greg Fidelman and James Hetfield, and it received positive reviews from critics. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over two million copies in the United States.
Band members
Formed in 1981, Metallica is an American heavy metal band that has won nine Grammy Awards and released ten studio albums, three live albums, and four EPs. The band currently consists of founder Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo.
Current members
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The group’s fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. Metallica’s current lineup includes founding members Hetfield (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ulrich (drums), longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) was a member of the band from 1981 until 1983. Metallica has released ten studio albums, four live albums, a cover album, five extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, and its last six studio albums (beginning with Metallica) have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, Metallica is one of the best-selling bands of all time
Former members
METALLICA is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and has been based in San Francisco, California for most of its career. The group’s fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica’s current lineup comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine (who went on to front Megadeth) and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.
Burton died in 1986 after being thrown from a tour bus. Newsted left the band in 2001 due to creative differences; he was replaced by Trujillo the following year. Hammett was fired from the band prior to recording Death Magnetic (2008), due to his absence during the recording process, but rejoined soon thereafter. Metallica has released ten studio albums, four live albums, a cover album, five extended plays (EPs), 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, five American Music Awards from 15 nominations and three MTV Video Music Awards from 11 nominations; they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice—once as a “Performer”, in 2009;and once again as a “Performer” in 2003 solely for their 1981 debut album Kill ‘Em All—and were also inducted into the Museum of Pop Culturein Seattlefive years later in 2018 under the “Influencers”category as well as ranked number 61 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time listpublished two years earlier in 2016.
Musical style and influence
Metallica’s musical style has changed over the years. They started out as a heavy metal band inspired by bands like Motörhead, Diamond Head, and Judas Priest. They then moved towards a more progressive sound with their second album, Ride the Lightning. Their third album, Master of Puppets, is often considered one of the greatest metal albums of all time. After the death of bassist Cliff Burton, they hired Jason Newsted and released …And Justice for All. This album saw them moving towards a more thrash metal sound.
Their next album, Metallica (also known as The Black Album), was their most commercially successful album. It featured a more radio-friendly sound and sold over 15 million copies worldwide. They followed this up with Load and ReLoad, which saw them moving back towards a heavier sound. Their most recent album, Death Magnetic, has been hailed as a return to form by many fans and critics.
Metallica have been hugely influential in the world of heavy metal music. They are often credited with popularizing the genre and helping to make it mainstream. They have also inspired many other bands, including Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Pantera.
Legacy
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California by drummer Lars Ulrich and vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The group’s fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica’s current lineup comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine (who went on to form Megadeth) and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.
Metallica achieved substantial commercial success with their eponymous fifth album (also known as The Black Album), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience. The album was recorded in a manner that avoided the use of guitar solos as featured extensively on previous albums; instead Hammett only contributed occasional rhythm guitar parts. Released as the album’s third single, “Enter Sandman” peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Metallica’s most successful song in terms of chart performance. Metallica produced five more studio albums: Load (1996), Reload (1997), Garage Inc. (1998), St. Anger (2003), Death Magnetic (2008). They also issued two live albums: Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993) and S&M2 (2020).
Discography
The American heavy metal band Metallica has released ten studio albums, four live albums, five extended plays, 39 singles, ten video albums, and 42 music videos. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The group’s fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. Metallica’s current lineup comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine was a member of the band from 1981 until 1983. Bassists Ron McGovney (1982–1986), Jason Newsted (1986–2001), and Cliff Burton (1982–1986) died in separate accidents.
The band’s first five albums entered the United States Billboard 200 chart within the top-ten positions. Achieving personal commercial success with their eponymous fifth album Metallica (1991), also known as The Black Album, the band’s 1991 release debuted at number one on the Billboard 200; it sold 650,000 copies its first week of release to be certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2000, Metallica was among a number of artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band’s copyrighted material without compensation. A settlement was reached; Napster became a pay-to-use service. Nine of the band’s studio albums have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica tied with Guns N’ Roses for second place behind The Beatles for most consecutive number-one debuts on that chart. With their tenth album Death Magnetic (2008), Metallica again debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and recorded their fifth consecutive album to debut at number one in Australia. 2008 marked 25 years since the release of their debut album Kill ‘Em All; to commemorate this milestone Metal Hammer awarded them “Album of the Year”. In December 2011 — after an eight year break — they released through their own independent label blackened recordings their ninth studio album titled Beyond Magnetic which consisted of four previously unreleased tracks that were written during recording sessions for Death Magnetic but not used due to time restrictions or quality control issues; it peaked at number three on Billboard 200 chart making it their seventh consecutive top five album debuting on that particular chart as well as achieving gold status in Canada six weeks after its release date despite having no actual promotion done by Warner Bros.. The title track “Lulu”, a collaboration with Lou Reed released as part two of three promotional singles preceding MetallicA’s 10th album Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (2016) became controversial upon its release due to Reed’s lyrical content which was described as misogynistic by some critics; however it peaked at No.13 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart becoming their highest charting single from Lulu despite not being included on any official formats other than streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music or online stores such as iTunes Store making it one of 12 songs by an artist or group that have peaked inside Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs Top 15 without ever being officially released commercially as part CD single format or downloadable digital single bundle package that is commonly available via those aforementioned music retailers & streaming services which are all monitored weekly by Nielsen SoundScan for sales & radio airplay information used to compile various Billboard magazine airplay charts including Mainstream Rock Songs therefore making it eligible to appear & peak where it did.. On November 18th 2016 they won Grammy award for “Best Rock Song” for Hardwired.. At The 58th Grammy Awards they were nominated in 3 more categories: “Best Rock Performance”, “Best Rock Album” & won “Best Metal Performance” making MetallicA not just only rock act but also only metal act who won Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance category 2 times previously & 2 times consecutively..
