Metallica

 Metallica is an American Thrash Metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981.
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The band was founded when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while having had a number of bassists (Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, and Jason Newsted). The bassist is currently Robert Trujillo. The band's original lead guitarist, before Hammett, was current Megadeth guitarist and lead vocalist Dave Mustaine.

Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "big four" of the Thrash Metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth , and Anthrax , during the genre's development into a popular style. The band earned a growing fan base in the Underground Music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band 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.

In 2000, Metallica was among several artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band's copyright-protected material for free without any band member's 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 alienated many 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 and the turmoil within the band during that time.

Metallica has released nine studio albums, three live albums, two EPs, 24 music videos, and 45 singles. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the first band to do so; this record was later matched by the Dave Matthews Band. The band's 1991 album, Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies in the United States, and 22 million copies worldwide, which makes it the 25th-highest-selling album in the country. In December 2009, it became the highest-selling album of the SoundScan era, surpassing 1997's Come on Over by country artist Shania Twan. The band has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide as of the release of their latest album, Death Magnetic. As of December 2009, Metallica is the fourth best-selling music artist since the SoundScan era began tracking sales on May 25, 1991, selling a total of 52,672,000 albums in the United States alone.

Style & Lyrical Themes
Influenced by early heavy metal and hard rock bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Scorpions, New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands such as Venom, Motorhead, Diamond Head, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden, and early Punk Rock bands such as The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Misfits, early Metallica releases contained fast tempos, harmonized leads, and nine-minute instrumentals. Steve Huey of AllMusic said that Ride the Lightning featured "extended, progressive epics; tight, concise groove-rockers". Huey felt Metallica expanded its compositional technique and range of expression to take on a more aggressive approach in following releases, and lyrics dealt with more personal and socially conscious issues. Lyrical themes explored on Master of Puppets included religious and military leaders, rage, insanity, monsters, and drugs.

In 1991, with new producer Bob Rock, Huey felt Metallica simplified and streamlined its music for a more commercial approach to appeal to the mainstream audience. The band abandoned its aggressive, fast tempos to expand its music and expressive range, said Robert Palmer of Rolling Stone. The change in direction proved commercially successful as Metallica was the band's first album to peak at number one on the Billboard 200. Metallica noticed changes to the rock scene created by the grunge movement of the early 1990s. In what has been described as "an almost alternative rock" approach, the band focused on non-metal influences and changed musical direction. Moving away from lyrical themes dealing with drugs and monsters, Metallica's new lyrical approach focused on anger, loss, and retribution. Some fans and critics were not pleased with this change, which included haircuts, the cover of Load, and headlining the alternative rock concert Lollapalooza. David Fricke of Rolling Stone described the move as "goodbye to the moldy stricture and dead-end Puritanism of no-frills thrash" and called Load the heaviest record of 1996. With the release of ReLoad in 1997, the band displayed more blues and early hard rock influences, incorporating more rhythm and harmony in song structures.

St. Anger marked another large change in the band's sound. Guitar Solo's were omitted from the album, leaving a "raw and unpolished sound".The band used drop C tuning, and Ulrich's snare drum received particular criticism. New York Magazine's Ethan Brown noted it "reverberates with a thwong". Lyrics on the album dealt with Hetfield's stint in rehab, including references to the devil, anti-drug themes, claustrophobia, impending doom, and religious hypocrisy. At the advice of producer Rick Rubin, for their ninth studio album,Death Magnetic, the band returned to E tuning (though all songs were tuned half step down live) and guitar solos, and adapted Middle Eastern influences.'

Origin

 * Los Angeles, California, United States

Years Active

 * 1981 - Present

Current and Past Members
Current:
 * James Hetfield - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1981 - Present)
 * Kirk Hammett - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1983 - Present)
 * Robert Trujillo - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals (2003 - Present)
 * Lars Ulrich - Drums, Percussion (1981 - Present)

Past Members:

 * Ron McGovney - Bass Guitar (1981 - 1982)
 * Dave Mustaine - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1982 - 1983)
 * Cliff Burton - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals (1982 - 1986)
 * Jason Newsted - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals (1986 - 2001)

Releases
CD: (Albums) CD: (Collaborations)  CD: (Live) CD: (EP's)  CD: (Demo's) CD: (Box Sets) Video's:  Other 
 * Kill 'Em All - 1983
 * Ride The Lightning - 1984 Metallica.jpg
 * Master of Puppets - 1986
 * ...And Justice for All - 1988
 * Metallica - 1991
 * Load - 1996
 * ReLoad - 1997
 * Garage Inc. - 1998
 * St. Anger - 2003
 * Death Magnetic - 2008
 * Lulu - 2011
 * Live Shit: Binge & Purge - 1993
 * S&M - 1999
 * Orgullo, Pasion y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de Mexico - 2009
 * Six Feet Down Under - 2010
 * Six Feet Down Under (Part II) - 2010
 * Live at Grimey's - 2010
 * The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited - 1987
 * Some Kind of Monster (EP) - 2004
 * Ron McGovney's '82 Garage Demo - 1982
 * Power Metal (Demo) - 1982
 * No Life til' Leather (Demo) - 1982
 * Metal Up Your Ass (Live) - 1982
 * Megaforce Demo - 1983
 * The Good, the Bad and the Live - 1990
 * Metallica: Vinyl Box Set - 2004
 * The Metallica Collection - 2009
 * Cliff 'Em All - 1987
 * 2 of One - 1989
 * A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica - 1992
 * Live Shit: Binge & Purge - 1993
 * Cunning Stunts - 1998
 * S&M - 1999
 * Classic Albums: Metallica--Metallica - 2001
 * Some Kind of Monster (Film) - 2004
 * The Videos 1989--2004 - 2006
 * Francais Pour Une Nuit - 2009
 * Orgullo, Pasion y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de Mexico - 2009
 * The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria - 2010
 * Guitar Hero: Metallica - 2009


 * I Disappear - 2000

Tours

 * Kill 'Em All for One - 1983
 * Seven Dates of Hell - 1984
 * Bang That Head That Dosn't Bang - 1984
 * Ride the Lightning Tour - 1985
 * Damage, Inc. Tour - 1986
 * Monsters of Rock '87 - 1987
 * Monsters of Rock '88 - 1988
 * Damaged Justice - 1988
 * Tour 1990 - 1990
 * Monster of Rock '91 - 1991
 * Wherever We May Roam Tour - 1991
 * Guns 'N Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour - 1992
 * Nowhere Else to Roam - 1993
 * Shit Hits the Sheds - 1993
 * Escape from the Studio '95 - 1995
 * Lollapalooza No. 6 Tour - 1996
 * Poor Touring Me - 1996
 * Blitzkreig '97 - 1997
 * Re-Load Promo Tour - 1997
 * Poor Re-Touring Me - 1998
 * Garage Inc Promo Tour - 1998
 * Garage Remains the Same - 1999
 * M2K Mini Tour - 1999
 * Summer Sanitarium - 2000
 * Summer Sanitatium 2003 - 2003
 * Madly in Anger with the World Tour - 2003
 * Escape from the Studio '06 - 2006
 * Sick of the Studio '07 - 2007
 * 2008 European Vacation - 2008
 * World Magnetic Tour - 2008

Bands:

 * Megadeth
 * Anthrax
 * Slayer
 * Exodus
 * Flotsam and Jetsam
 * Papa Wheelie
 * Voivod
 * Echobrain
 * Ozzy Osbourne
 * Spastik Children
 * Leather Charm
 * Suicidal Tendencies
 * Infectious Grooves
 * Black Label Society
 * Jerry Cantrell (Band)
 * Glenn Tipton (Band)
 * EZ - Street
 * Trauma
 * Phantasm
 * MD.45

Other:

 * Metal Blade Records
 * Elektra Records
 * Vertigo Records
 * Megaforce Records
 * Warner Bros. Records
 * ESP Guitars
 * Gibson Guitars
 * Zemaitis Guitars
 * Fender Guitars
 * Ken Lawrence Guitars
 * Jackson Guitars
 * Ibanez Guitars
 * Fernandes Guitars
 * Warwick Guitars
 * MusicMan Guitars
 * Marshall Amps
 * Blackstar Amps
 * Roland Amps
 * Ernie Ball Strings
 * Shure Microphones
 * Tama Drums
 * Zildjian Cymbals
 * Remo Drums
 * Drum Workshop Drums
 * Ahed Sticks
 * Thrash "Big Four"

Links

 * Myspace
 * Official Fan Club
 * Last FM
 * Official Store
 * Facebook