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Metallica

Biography

Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s. Responsible for bringing the genre back to Earth, the bandmates looked and talked like they were from the street, shunning the usual rockstar games of metal musicians during the early '80s. Metallica also 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. To complete the package, 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. Burton died in the accident. When the band decided to continue, Jason Newsted was chosen to replace Burton; two years later, 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, a self-titled effort that found the band trading in their long compositions for more concise song structures. Peppered with hits like "Wherever I May Roam" and "Enter Sandman", it resulted in a number one album that sold over seven million copies in the U.S. alone. To support the record, Metallica launched a long tour that kept the musicians 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 headbangers, but by mainstream record buyers and critics. No other heavy metal band has ever been able to pull off such a feat. However, the group lost a portion of their core audience with their long-awaited follow-up to Metallica, 1996's Load. The album moved the band 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 fanbase 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 original Load record, appeared in 1997; despite poor reviews, it sold at a typically brisk pace and spun off several successful singles, including "Fuel" and "The Memory Remains." Garage Inc., a double-disc collection of B-sides, rarities, and newly recorded covers, followed in 1998. The band's take on Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" helped maintain their presence in the charts, and Metallica continued their flood of product with 1999's S&M, which documented a live concert with the San Francisco Symphony. It debuted at number two, reconfirming the group's immense popularity.

Metallica spent most of 2000 embroiled in controversy by spearheading a legal assault against Napster, a file-sharing service that allowed users to download music files from each other's computers. Aggressively targeting copyright infringement of their own material, the band notoriously had over 300,000 users kicked off the service, creating a widespread debate over the availability of digital music that raged for most of the year. 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 (meanwhile, rumors swirled 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. That same summer, 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 as they headed back into the studio in 2002 to record St. Anger, which was later 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 that the band experienced during the recording of St. Anger were captured in the celebrated documentary Some Kind of Monster, which saw theatrical release in 2004. Four years later, the band returned with Death Magnetic, an energized album that returned the band to its early-'80s roots. Former Slayer producer Rick Rubin helmed the album, having replaced the band's longtime producer Bob Rock, while Kirk Hammett (who was forbidden to play guitar solos on St. Anger) peppered the record with metallic riffs and frenetic solos. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Continued…

Selected Discography

Death Magnetic
2008

Some Kind Of Monster
2004

St. Anger
2003

S&M (Live)
1999

Garage Inc.
1998

Reload
1997

Load
1996

Metallica
1991

...And Justice For All
1988

Master Of Puppets
1986

Ride The Lightning
1984

Kill 'Em All
1983

In The Beginning... Live (Live)

Similar Artists

AC/DC
Ozzy Osbourne
Black Sabbath
Alice In Chains
Disturbed

Mauricio says:

11-19-2009

Death magnetic is boring... HAIL!! the "true" Metallica (1983/1991) R.I.P.

ezak says:

11-19-2009

this page is moving nowhere. check out the new wave of thrash; bands include:
gama bomb, fueld by fire, bonded by blood, toxic holocaust, municipal waste, merciless death, hexen, sss, vortex, warbringer, and others. LONG LIVE THRASH

VampireQueen 7 2 1 says:

edited on 11-17-2009

Thanks Plaque of Uni-Horned Equestrian Quadrupeds.
Purpleeater: I like their screaming better too. A few of their new songs like Seize the Day and Dear God are ok... but their two screaming albums Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Waking the Fallen are kick a**!

ezak says:

11-16-2009

austrian death machine and satyricon... l o v e them

BLACK CROW....ON A TOMBSTONE!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Plague of Uni-Horned Equestrian Quadrupeds says:

11-16-2009

@VampireQuee n : the Austrian Death Machine is worth checking out, Officer Negative's 'The Death Campaign' album is also respectable, The Agonist, As Blood Runs Black...actu a l l y , the last two are more deathcore, but to be honest, hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore are all pretty similar, if you ask me.

Purpleeater says:

edited on 11-16-2009

Ehh...I liked it back when A7X screamed. Have to agree with ABR and AILD. F**king AWESOME.

...And Justice For All & Master of Puppets were the best. New s**t sucks.

Moomoo007 says:

11-16-2009

Satyricon! Get their newest album. It's dope on a rope.

August Burns Red is good, so is As I Lay Dying.

VampireQueen 7 2 1 says:

11-16-2009

I agree with Moomoo, A7X is good but different... Does any one know of any really good more hard core bands?

Moomoo007 says:

11-16-2009

Iowa was the only decent slipknot album.

A7X is good, they are different now, but still good.

B says:

11-15-2009

First 4 albums genius, Black Album on was more melodic and is not quite the the Metallica I always had known

ezak says:

11-15-2009

you obviously have not heard their real first one mate feed kill repeat. think 50 times more experimental metal with a phil anselmo type singer and some heavy industrial leanings. the rest of their material sucks nuts

gringitis99 says:

11-14-2009

Slipknot Sux poser band only one ok album their self-titled debut
the rest suckk so bad they try to convince people with their stupid screams as if metal were about screaming

ezak says:

11-14-2009

slipknot had one good album and it had a different singer and sound different altogether too....its called mate feed kill repeat

.:☼:.My.†.Fa n g i r l . † . N o e l . : ★ : . says:

edited on 11-14-2009

that's probably best. KSE and Slipknot give me enough annoyance, so A7X might fall in that category as well.

Plague of Uni-Horned Equestrian Quadrupeds says:

11-14-2009

@Fangirl: Save yourself the pain and never hear A7X.

.:☼:.My.†.Fa n g i r l . † . N o e l . : ★ : . says:

11-13-2009

I am soo sorry for my memory problems, Moomoo. *rolls eyes*

not to sound rude, VampireQueen 7 2 1 , but in my opinion Senses Fail has one or two good songs, the rest are extremely bland and dry. I am yet to hear A7X though.

VampireQueen 7 2 1 says:

edited on 11-13-2009

Metallica is f**king kick a**!!!! Ya'll should try listening to Senses Fail and Avenged Sevenfold... They ain't as great but their still pretty f**king awesome! LOL. >=)

Moomoo007 says:

11-13-2009

Actually I was at your place of employment, Wallmart. You were in the dairy section eating a stick of butter when I punched you. You gave chase, but I hid in the one place you'd never find me, under the celery.

.:☼:.My.†.Fa n g i r l . † . N o e l . : ★ : . says:

11-12-2009

*laughs a** off* wow, dudes! a fist just came out of my computer and punched me!

yeah... you keep telling yourself that. -_-

ethanroberts 8 says:

11-12-2009

i love you guys go metallica

Moomoo007 says:

11-12-2009

Well, I did it. Fangirl walked by me so I punched her in the boob. She's so fat that chololate milk came out!!!!!

Dirty Focker says:

11-12-2009

All I can say is that you're wrong.

michael_t_le w i s says:

edited on 11-11-2009

all i can say is that they suck after and justice for all

Chocolate Thunda!! The God-Slayer says:

11-09-2009

S**T IS F**KED UP....i dont much i dont know too much but i know this, s**t is F**KED UP!!!!

NEDMAN71 says:

11-09-2009

Shut the Fuk Up!! All of you!
Metal is the sword that cuts you and dont bleed. Its in yer heart.

.:☼:.My.†.Fa n g i r l . † . N o e l . : ★ : . says:

11-09-2009

the s**t continues to pile up...

cl0ckw0rk0rn g e says:

11-09-2009

lol mmmmm fat chick boobs

Moomoo007 says:

11-09-2009

This music is so bad. I'm going to punch the next fat chick I see right in the boob!

.:☼:.My.†.Fa n g i r l . † . N o e l . : ★ : . says:

11-08-2009

hiya, Thunda.

and look who pissed to mark his territory. too bad he hasn't changed his usual spot... we stopped caring about it.

ezak says:

11-08-2009

yay your back

Chocolate Thunda!! The God-Slayer says:

11-08-2009

Ehh im back too tho =) yay yeah!!!!

Loud music on the weekends isnt that what lifes about?

+THE OFFSPRING+

ezak says:

11-08-2009

willows bakc-oh s**t

Chocolate Thunda!! The God-Slayer says:

11-08-2009

WHAT THE F**K WILLOW!!!!!! ! ! I DIDNT EVEN GET AN HONORABLE MENTION!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! WHAT THE FU CK!!!!!!!!!! !

I AM SERIOUSLY PISSED OFF RIGHT NOW!!! LOL (pay no attention to the lol)

..........un l e s s the last one was me then its all cool =)
+DEATH TO YOUR GODS+