Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. Metallica has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades, and are considered one of the "Big Four" pioneers of thrash metal, along with Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth. The band has sold more than 90 million records worldwide, including 57 million albums in the United States alone.
Metallica was formed by guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and Danish-born drummer Lars Ulrich, after both had placed classified advertisements in the publication “The Recycler” about forming a band. The early incarnation of the band went through a number of members, including Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney.
Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s, responsible for bringing the music back to Earth. Instead of playing the usual rock star games of metal stars of the early '80s, the band looked and talked like they were from the street. Metallica expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume not for their own sake, but to enhance their intricately structured compositions.
The release of 1983's “Kill 'Em All” marked the beginning of the legitimization of heavy metal's underground, bringing new complexity and depth to thrash metal. With each album, the band's playing and writing improved; James Hetfield developed a signature rhythm playing that matched his growl, while lead guitarist Kirk Hammett became one of the most copied guitarists in metal. Lars Ulrich's thunderous, yet complex, drumming clicked in perfectly with Cliff Burton's innovative bass playing. After releasing their masterpiece Master of Puppets in 1986, tragedy struck the band when their tour bus crashed while traveling in Sweden, killing Burton. When the band decided to continue, Jason Newsted was chosen to replace Burton.
In 1988 the band released the conceptually ambitious “And Justice for All”, which hit the Top Ten without any radio play and very little support from MTV. But Metallica completely crossed over into the mainstream with 1991's Metallica, which found the band trading in their long compositions for more concise song structures; it resulted in a number one album that sold over seven million copies in the U.S. alone. The band launched a long, long tour which kept them on the road for nearly two years.
By the '90s, Metallica had changed the rules for all heavy metal bands; they were the leaders of the genre, respected not only by head bangers, but by mainstream record buyers and critics. No other heavy metal band has ever been able to pull off such a trick. However, the group lost some members of their core audience with their long-awaited follow-up to Metallica, 1996's “Load”. For “Load”, the band decided to move toward alternative rock in terms of image -- they cut their hair and had their picture taken by Anton Corbijn. Although the album was a hit upon its summer release -- entering the charts at number one and selling three million copies within two months -- certain members of their audience complained about the shift in image, as well as the group's decision to headline the sixth Lollapalooza. Re-“Load”, which combined new material with songs left off of the “Load” record, appeared in 1997; despite poor reviews, it sold at a typically brisk pace through the next year. Garage Inc., a double-disc collection of B-sides, rarities, and newly recorded covers, followed in 1998.
In 1999, Metallica continued their flood of product with S&M, documenting a live concert with the San Francisco Symphony; it debuted at number two, reconfirming their immense popularity.
In January 2001, bassist Jason Newsted announced his amicable departure from the band. Shortly after the band appeared at the ESPN awards in April of the same year, Hetfield, Hammett, and Ulrich entered the recording studio to begin work on their next album, with producer Bob Rock lined up to handle bass duties for the sessions (with rumors of former Ozzy Osbourne/Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez being considered for the vacated position). In July, Metallica surprisingly dropped their lawsuit against Napster, perhaps sensing that their controversial stance did more bad than good to their "band of the people" image.
In late summer 2001, the band's recording sessions (and all other band-related matters) were put on hold as Hetfield entered an undisclosed rehab facility for alcoholism and other addictions. He completed treatment and rejoined the band and they headed back into the studio in 2002 to record St. Anger, released in mid-2003. The recording of St. Anger was capped with the search for a permanent replacement for Newstead. After a long audition process, former Ozzy Osbourne/Suicidal Tendencies bass player Robert Trujillo was selected and joined Metallica for their 2003/2004 world tour. The growing pains the band experienced during the recording process of St. Anger were captured in the celebrated documentary Some Kind of Monster which saw theatrical release in 2004.
Metallica were ranked by MTV the 3rd "Greatest Heavy Metal Band in History", and was listed at no 5 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and at no 1 on VH1's "20 Greatest Metal Bands.In 2006, in Kerrang magazine, Metallica achieved the place of the third most important band in the past twenty-five years; also in Kerrang! during 2006, three of Metallica's albums appeared in the "100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever": Ride the Lightning (no 80), Metallica (no 15) and Master of Puppets (no 2).
The band will be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
