Metallica Biography

Metallica is an American heavy metal band
that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Founded when drummer Lars
Ulrich posted an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, Metallica's
original line-up consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James
Hetfield, lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and bassist Ron McGovney. McGovney
and Mustaine were later ejected from the band, in favor of Cliff Burton and
Kirk Hammett, respectively. The ejection of Mustaine has subsequently
resulted in a feud between him and Metallica. In 1986, Metallica's tour
bus skidded out of control, and Burton was crushed under the bus and was
killed. Jason Newsted replaced him, although he left the band in 2001 and
was replaced by Robert Trujillo in 2003.



Metallica's early
releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship
that placed them as one of the "big four" of the thrash metal genre. The
band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community, and some
critics say the 1986 release Master of Puppets is one of the most
influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band rose to fame with its
1991 self-titled album Metallica, which peaked at number one on the
Billboard 200. Some critics and fans believed the band changed its musical
direction to appeal to the mainstream audience.



With the
release of Load in 1996, Metallica distanced itself from earlier releases
in what has been described as "an almost alternative [rock] approach", and
the band faced accusations of "selling out". Metallica filed a lawsuit in
2000 against Napster for sharing the band's copyrighted material for
free without the members' consent. A settlement was reached, and
Napster became a pay-to-use service. Despite reaching number one on the
Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger in 2003 disappointed some critics
and fans with the exclusion of guitar solos, and the "steel-sounding" snare
drum. A film titled Some Kind of Monster documented the recording process
of St. Anger.



Metallica has released eight studio albums, two
live albums, two EPs, nine videos, and is working on a ninth studio album.
The band has become one of the most commercially successful and influential
musical acts. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, including 57
million in the United States, the band has won seven Grammy Awards, and has
had four albums peak at number one on the Billboard 200. The band's
1991 album Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies, which makes it the
25th highest selling album in the United States.