Metallica is an American
heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
by vocalist/guitarist
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
and drummer
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
, and has been based in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
for most of its career.
The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
, alongside
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
,
Anthrax
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
and
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist
Kirk Hammett and bassist
Robert Trujillo. Guitarist
Dave Mustaine
David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
, who formed Megadeth after being fired from the band, and bassists
Ron McGovney
Ronald J. McGovney (born November 2, 1963) is an American semi-retired musician, best known as the original bass guitarist in the heavy metal band Metallica from October 1981 to December 1982.
Having previously played with guitarist James Het ...
,
Cliff Burton and
Jason Newsted are former members of the band.
Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, ''
Master of Puppets'' (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work. The band's next album, ''
...And Justice for All'' (1988), gave Metallica its first
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nomination. Its self-titled fifth album, ''
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. 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 band's fast tempos, instrume ...
'' (1991), was the band's first not to root predominantly in thrash metal; it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling over 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the
SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots with the release of its ninth album, ''
Death Magnetic
''Death Magnetic'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, marking the band's first album since '' ...And Justice for Al ...
'' (2008), which drew similar praise to that of the band's earlier albums. This was followed by the band's 10th studio album, ''
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' (2016), with its 11th album, ''
72 Seasons
''72 Seasons'' is the upcoming eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is set for release on April 14, 2023, by their own label Blackened Recordings. ''72 Seasons'' is produced by Greg Fidelman, who produced the band's ...
'', set for release in 2023.
In 2000, Metallica
led the case against the
peer-to-peer file sharing
Peer-to-peer file sharing is the distribution and sharing of digital media using peer-to-peer (P2P) networking technology. P2P file sharing allows users to access media files such as books, music, movies, and games using a P2P software program tha ...
service
Napster
Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...
, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the service for sharing their copyright-protected material without consent, eventually reaching a settlement. Metallica was the subject of the acclaimed 2004
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
''
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'', which documented the troubled production of the band's eighth album, ''
St. Anger'' (2003), and the internal struggles within the band at the time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
. The band co-wrote the screenplay for and starred alongside
Dane DeHaan in the 2013 concert film ''
Metallica: Through the Never'', in which the band performed live against a fictional
thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
storyline.
Metallica has released 10 studio albums, four live albums (including two performances with the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
), 12 video albums, a cover album, two 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 No. 1 on the
''Billboard'' 200. Metallica ranks as one of the
most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018.
Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', which ranked the band No. 61 on its
''100 Greatest Artists of All Time'' list. As of 2017, Metallica is the third-best-selling music artist since
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
began tracking sales in 1991,
selling a total of 58 million albums in the United States.
History
1981–1984: Formation, early years, and ''Kill 'Em All''
![Metallica wordmark](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Metallica_wordmark.svg)
Metallica was formed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in late 1981 when Danish drummer
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, ''
The Recycler
The Recycler was first published in July, 1973, under the name E-Z Buy E-Z Sell by Canadians Gunter and Nancy Schaldach after they moved to Los Angeles. They modeled their paper after a similar publication in Vancouver.
The Recycler changed the ec ...
'', which read, "Drummer looking for other metal musicians to jam with
Tygers of Pan Tang,
Diamond Head and
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
."
Guitarists
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
and Hugh Tanner of
Leather Charm
Leather Charm was a short-lived American heavy metal band from Downey, California, noteworthy as a forerunner to Metallica. The group rehearsed new wave of British heavy metal covers and original material for a period of months in 1981.
Hist ...
answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...
founder
Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel (born February 14, 1961) is an American music executive. He is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for having initiated the ''Metal Massacre'' series of compilation albums in 1982 ...
if he could record a song for the label's upcoming compilation album, ''
Metal Massacre''. Slagel accepted, and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar.
The band was officially formed on October 28, 1981, five months after Ulrich and Hetfield first met.
The band name came from Ulrich's friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine and was considering ''MetalMania'' or ''Metallica''. After hearing the two names, Ulrich wanted the latter for his band, so he suggested Quintana use ''MetalMania'' instead.
Dave Mustaine
David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
replied to an advertisement for a lead guitarist; Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him after seeing his expensive guitar equipment. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song, "Hit the Lights", for the ''Metal Massacre I'' compilation. Hetfield sang and played both bass and rhythm guitar, while Lars Ulrich played drums and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo.
''Metal Massacre I'' was released on June 14, 1982; early pressings listed the band incorrectly as "Mettallica", angering the band. The song generated
word of mouth
Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
, and the band played its first live performance on March 14, 1982, at Radio City in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
, with newly recruited bassist
Ron McGovney
Ronald J. McGovney (born November 2, 1963) is an American semi-retired musician, best known as the original bass guitarist in the heavy metal band Metallica from October 1981 to December 1982.
Having previously played with guitarist James Het ...
. Their first live success came early; they were chosen to open for British heavy metal band
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
at one gig of their 1982 U.S. tour. This was Metallica's second gig. Metallica recorded its first demo, ''
Power Metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
'', whose name was inspired by Quintana's early business cards in early 1982.
The term "
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
" was coined in February 1984 by ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' journalist
Malcolm Dome in reference to
Anthrax
Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
's song "
Metal Thrashing Mad
''Fistful of Metal'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in January 1984 by Megaforce Records (US only) and Music for Nations internationally. The album includes a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen". This ...
." Prior to this, Hetfield referred to Metallica's sound as "
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
." In late 1982, Ulrich and Hetfield attended a show at the
West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
nightclub
Whisky a Go Go, which featured bassist
Cliff Burton in the band
Trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
*Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source
*Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event
*Traumatic inju ...
. The two were "blown away" by Burton's use of a
wah-wah pedal and asked him to join Metallica. Hetfield and Mustaine wanted McGovney to leave because they thought he "didn't contribute anything, he just followed."
Although Burton initially declined the offer, by the end of the year, he had accepted on the condition that the band move to
El Cerrito in the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
.
Metallica's first live performance with Burton was at the nightclub The Stone in March 1983, and the first recording to feature Burton was the ''Megaforce'' demo (1983).
Metallica was ready to record their debut album, but when Metal Blade was unable to cover the cost, they began looking for other options. Concert promoter
Jonathan "Jonny Z" Zazula, who had heard the demo ''No Life 'til Leather'' (1982), offered to broker a record deal between Metallica and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
–based record labels. After those record labels showed no interest, Zazula borrowed enough money to cover the recording budget and signed Metallica to his own label,
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (w ...
.
![Priest feast 22 - megadeth 05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Priest_feast_22_-_megadeth_05.jpg)
In May 1983, Metallica traveled to
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, to record its debut album, ''Metal Up Your Ass'', which was produced by Paul Curcio. The other members decided to eject Mustaine from the band because of his drug and alcohol abuse and violent behavior just before the recording sessions on April 11, 1983.
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
guitarist
Kirk Hammett replaced Mustaine the same afternoon.
Metallica's first live performance with Hammett was on April 16, 1983, at a nightclub in
Dover, New Jersey, called The Showplace;
the support act was Anthrax's original lineup, which included
Dan Lilker and
Neil Turbin. This was the first time the two bands performed live together.
![Kirk2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Kirk2010.jpg)
Mustaine, who went on to form
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
, has expressed his dislike for Hammett in interviews, saying Hammett "stole" his job. Mustaine was "pissed off" because he believes Hammett became popular by playing guitar leads that Mustaine had actually written. In a 1985 interview with ''
Metal Forces'', Mustaine said, "It's real funny how Kirk Hammett ripped off every lead break I'd played on that ''No Life 'til Leather'' tape and got voted No. 1 guitarist in your magazine."
On Megadeth's debut album, ''
Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'' (1985), Mustaine included the song "Mechanix", which Metallica had previously reworked and retitled "The Four Horsemen" on ''Kill 'Em All''. Mustaine said he did this to "straighten Metallica up" because Metallica referred to Mustaine as a drunk and said he could not play guitar.
Because of conflicts with its record label and the distributors' refusal to release an album titled ''Metal Up Your Ass'', the album was renamed ''
Kill 'Em All''. It was released on Megaforce Records in the U.S. and on
Music for Nations
Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment.
Launched in 1 ...
in Europe, and peaked at No. 155 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 1986.
[ Whitburn, Joel. ''Top Pop Albums'' (2001): 578] Although the album was not initially a financial success, it earned Metallica a growing fan base in the underground metal scene. To support the release, Metallica embarked on the
Kill 'Em All for One
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. 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 band's fast tempos, instru ...
tour with
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
. In February 1984, Metallica supported
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
on the Seven Dates of Hell tour, during which the bands performed in front of 7,000 people at the Aardschok Festival in
Zwolle
Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is o ...
, Netherlands.
1984–1986: ''Ride the Lightning'', ''Master of Puppets'', and Burton's death
Metallica recorded its second studio album, ''
Ride the Lightning
''Ride the Lightning'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at ...
'', at
Sweet Silence Studios in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark, from February to March 1984. It was released in August 1984 and reached No. 100 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
A French printing press mistakenly printed green covers for the album, which are now considered collectors' items. Mustaine received writing credit for "Ride the Lightning" and "The Call of Ktulu."
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
A&R director Michael Alago and co-founder of Q-Prime Management Cliff Burnstein attended a Metallica concert in September 1984; they were impressed with the performance, signed Metallica to Elektra and made the band a client of Q-Prime Management.
Metallica's growing success was such that the band's British label, Music for Nations, released "
Creeping Death" as a limited-edition single, which sold 40,000 copies as an import in the U.S. Two of the three songs on the record – cover versions of Diamond Head's "
Am I Evil?
"Am I Evil?" is a song by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. Released on the band's 1980 debut album ''Lightning to the Nations'', it remains the band's signature song''.'' The song was written by lead vocalist Sean Harris and guitarist ...
" and
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...
's "Blitzkrieg" – appeared on the 1988 Elektra reissue of ''Kill 'Em All''. Metallica embarked on its first major European tour with
Tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
to an average crowd of 1,300. Returning to the U.S., it embarked on a co-headlining tour with
W.A.S.P. and support from
Armored Saint
Armored Saint is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1982. Since 1990, the band has consisted of John Bush on lead vocals, Joey Vera on bass, Jeff Duncan (musician), Jeff Duncan on rhythm guitar and the Sandoval ...
. Metallica played its largest show at the
Monsters of Rock festival at
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
, England, on August 17, 1985, with
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
and
Ratt, playing to 70,000 people. At a show in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, at the
Day on the Green festival, the band played to a crowd of 60,000.
Metallica's third studio album, ''
Master of Puppets'', was recorded at
Sweet Silence Studios from September to December 1985 and released in March 1986. The album reached No. 29 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and spent 72 weeks on the chart. It was the band's first album to be certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
on November 4, 1986, and was certified six times Platinum in 2003. Steve Huey of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
considered the album "the band's greatest achievement." Following the release of the album, Metallica supported
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
on a U.S. tour.
Hetfield broke his wrist while skateboarding; he continued with the tour, performing vocals, with guitar technician
John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
playing rhythm guitar.
On September 27, 1986, during the European leg of Metallica's
Damage, Inc. Tour, members drew cards to determine which bunks on the tour bus they would sleep in. Burton won and chose to sleep in Hammett's bunk. At around sunrise near
Dörarp, Sweden, the bus driver lost control and skidded, which caused the bus to overturn several times. Ulrich, Hammett and Hetfield sustained no serious injuries; however, Burton was pinned under the bus and died. Hetfield said:
I saw the bus lying right on him. I saw his legs sticking out. I freaked. The bus driver, I recall, was trying to yank the blanket out from under him to use for other people. I just went, 'Don't fucking do that!' I already wanted to kill the us driver I don't know if he was drunk or if he hit some ice. All I knew was, he was driving and Cliff wasn't alive anymore.
1986–1994: Newsted joins, ''...And Justice for All'' and ''Metallica''
![13-06-09 RaR Newsted 13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/13-06-09_RaR_Newsted_13.jpg)
Burton's death left Metallica's future in doubt. The three remaining members decided Burton would want them to carry on, and with the Burton family's blessings, the band sought a replacement.
Roughly 40 people – including Hammett's childhood friend,
Les Claypool of
Primus;
Troy Gregory
Troy Gregory (born November 13, 1966) is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker, film composer, solo artist, and member of The Dirtbombs. Since 2018 for his solo Albums he has composed, produced, and performed all instruments by hi ...
of
Prong
Prong or Prongs may refer to:
* Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects
* Prong (band), an American metal band
* Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City
* Prongs, British ...
; and
Jason Newsted, formerly of
Flotsam and Jetsam
In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the r ...
– auditioned for the band to fill Burton's spot. Newsted learned Metallica's entire setlist; after the audition, Metallica invited him to Tommy's Joynt in San Francisco. Hetfield, Ulrich and Hammett decided on Newsted as Burton's replacement; his first live performance with Metallica was at the Country Club in
Reseda, California
Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquakes ...
. The members initiated Newsted by tricking him into eating a ball of
wasabi.
The band finished its tour in February 1987.
After Newsted joined Metallica, the band left their El Cerrito practice space – a suburban house formerly rented by sound engineer
Mark Whitaker and dubbed "the Metalli-mansion" – and relocated to the adjacent cities of
Berkeley
Berkeley most often refers to:
*Berkeley, California, a city in the United States
**University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California
* George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher
Berkeley may also refer ...
and
Albany before eventually settling in the Marin County city of
San Rafael, north of San Francisco. In March 1987, Hetfield again broke his wrist while skateboarding, forcing the band to cancel an appearance on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''. In August 1987, an all-covers
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP), titled ''
The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', was released. The EP was recorded in an effort to use the band's newly constructed recording studio, test Newsted's talents, and to relieve grief and stress following the death of Burton. A video titled ''
Cliff 'Em All'' commemorating Burton's three years in Metallica was released in 1987; the video included bass solos, home videos and pictures.
![Metallica Damaged Justice Tour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Metallica_Damaged_Justice_Tour.jpg)
Metallica's first studio album since Burton's death, ''
...And Justice for All'', was recorded from January to May 1988 and released in September. The album was a commercial success, reaching No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was the band's first album to enter the top 10.
The album was certified Platinum nine weeks after its release. There were complaints about the production, however; Steve Huey of AllMusic said Ulrich's drums were clicking more than thudding, and the guitars "buzz thinly." To promote the album, Metallica embarked on a tour called
Damaged Justice.
In 1989, Metallica received its first
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nomination for ''...And Justice for All'' in the new
Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrument category. Metallica was the favorite to win, but the award was given to
Jethro Tull for the album ''
Crest of a Knave
''Crest of a Knave'' is the sixteenth studio album by British rock band Jethro Tull, released in 1987. The album was recorded after a three-year hiatus caused by a throat infection of vocalist Ian Anderson, resulting in his changed singing sty ...
''.
The award was controversial with fans and the press; Metallica was standing off-stage waiting to receive the award after performing the song "
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
". Jethro Tull had been advised by its manager not to attend the ceremony because he was expecting Metallica to win.
["Rockin' on an Island". ''Kerrang!'' 258. September 30, 1989.] The award was named in ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' "Grammy's 10 Biggest Upsets" list.
Following the release of ''...And Justice for All'', Metallica released its debut music video for the song "One", which the band performed in an abandoned warehouse. The footage was remixed with the film ''
Johnny Got His Gun
''Johnny Got His Gun'' is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist Dalton Trumbo and published in September 1939 by J. B. Lippincott. The novel won one of the early National Book Awards: the Most Original Book of 1939. A 1971 fil ...
''. Rather than organize an ongoing licensing deal, Metallica purchased the rights to the film. The remixed video was submitted to MTV with an alternative, performance-only version that was held back in case MTV banned the remixed version. MTV accepted the remixed version; the video was viewers' first exposure to Metallica. In 1999, it was voted No. 38 in MTV's "Top 100 Videos of All Time" countdown and was featured on the network's 25th-anniversary edition of ''ADD Video'', which showcased the most popular videos on MTV in the last 25 years.
In October 1990, Metallica entered
One on One Recording's studio in North Hollywood to record its next album.
Bob Rock, who had worked with
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
,
The Cult,
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
and
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
, was hired as the producer. ''
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. 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 band's fast tempos, instrume ...
'' – also known as ''The Black Album'' – was remixed three times, cost $1 million (USD), and ended three marriages.
Although the release was delayed until 1991, ''Metallica'' debuted at No. 1 in 10 countries, selling 650,000 units in the U.S. during its first week. The album brought Metallica mainstream attention; it has been certified 16 times Platinum in the U.S., which makes it the 25th-best-selling album in the country.
The making of ''Metallica'' and the following tour was documented in ''
A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica
''A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica'' is a two-part documentary about the process of making the ''Metallica'' album (or "The Black Album") and the following tour. It was produced by Juliana Roberts and directed by Adam Dubin.
''A Year a ...
''. The tour in support of the album, called the
Wherever We May Roam Tour
Wherever We May Roam (mentioned by band members in interviews as Wherever I May Roam) was a concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their eponymous fifth studio album (commonly known as ''The Black Album''). It beg ...
, lasted 14 months and included dates in the U.S., Japan and the U.K.
In September 1991, 1.6 million rock music fans converged in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
to enjoy the first open-air rock concert to be held in the former
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
; it was part of the
Monsters of Rock series. However, in a June 2020 interview, Lars estimated the attendance at about a half million during their time slot. In April 1992, Metallica appeared at
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was a benefit concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis, d ...
and performed a three-song set.
Hetfield later performed "
Stone Cold Crazy" with the remaining members of
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
and
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...
.
[Georg Purvis (2007). "Queen: Complete Works". p. 390. Reynolds & Hearn]
On August 8, 1992, during the co-headlining
Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour
The Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rock bands Guns N' Roses and Metallica during 1992. It took place in the middle of Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion Tour, promoting their ''Use Your Illusio ...
, Hetfield suffered second- and
third-degree burns
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
to his arms, face, hands and legs. There had been some confusion with the new pyrotechnics setup, which resulted in Hetfield walking into a flame during "Fade to Black". Newsted said Hetfield's skin was "bubbling like on ''
The Toxic Avenger''."
Metallica returned to the stage 17 days later with guitar technician and
Metal Church member
John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
replacing Hetfield on guitar for the remainder of the tour, although Hetfield was able to sing. Later in 1993, Metallica went on the
Nowhere Else to Roam Tour, playing five shows in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. ''
Live Shit: Binge & Purge'', the band's first box set, was released in November 1993. The collection contains three live CDs, three home videos, and a book filled with riders and letters.
1994–2001: ''Load'', ''Reload'', Napster controversy and Newsted's departure
![James Hetfield - Cardiff 1996](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/James_Hetfield_-_Cardiff_1996.jpg)
After almost three years of touring to promote ''Metallica'', including a headlining performance at
Woodstock '94, Metallica returned to the studio to write and record its sixth studio album. The band went on a brief hiatus in the summer of 1995 and played a short tour, Escape from the Studio '95, which comprised three outdoor shows, including a headline show at
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
supported by
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
,
Skid Row,
Slash's Snakepit,
Therapy? and
Corrosion of Conformity. The band spent about a year writing and recording new songs, resulting in the release of ''
Load
Load or LOAD may refer to:
Aeronautics and transportation
*Load factor (aeronautics), the ratio of the lift of an aircraft to its weight
*Passenger load factor, the ratio of revenue passenger miles to available seat miles of a particular transpo ...
'' in 1996. ''Load'' debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and
ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
; it was the band's second No. 1 album.
The cover art, ''Blood and Semen III'', was created by
Andres Serrano
Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His '' Piss Christ'' (1987) is a red-tinged photograph of a ...
, who pressed a mixture of his own semen and blood between sheets of plexiglass.
The release marked another change in the band's musical direction and a new image; the band members' hair was cut. Metallica headlined the alternative rock festival
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
festival in mid-1996.
During early production of the album, the band had recorded enough material to fill a double album. It was decided that half of the songs were to be released; the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year. This resulted in follow-up album, titled ''
Reload''. The cover art was again created by Serrano, this time using a mixture of blood and urine.
''Reload'', too, debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached No. 2 on the Top Canadian Album chart.
Hetfield said in the 2004 documentary film ''
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'' that the band initially thought some of the songs on these albums were of average quality; these were "polished and reworked" until judged releasable.
To promote ''Reload'', Metallica performed "
Fuel
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
" and "
The Memory Remains
"The Memory Remains" is a song by American heavy metal music, heavy metal band Metallica, with British singer Marianne Faithfull on backing vocals.
The lead single from Metallica's seventh studio album, ''Reload (Metallica album), Reload'', rel ...
" with
Marianne Faithfull on
NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' in December 1997.
In 1998, Metallica compiled a double album of cover songs, titled ''
Garage Inc.
''Garage Inc.'' is a compilation album of cover songs by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 24, 1998, through Elektra Records. It includes cover songs, B-side covers, and ''The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited'' ...
'' The first disc contained newly recorded covers of songs by
Diamond Head,
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass).
Their first album, ''Ki ...
, the
Misfits,
Thin Lizzy,
Mercyful Fate,
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
and others, and the second disc featured the original version of ''The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited'', which had become a scarce collectors' item. The album entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 2.
On April 21 and 22, 1999, Metallica recorded two performances with the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
, which was conducted by
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician.
Biography Early life
Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...
, who had previously worked with producer Rock on "
Nothing Else Matters
"Nothing Else Matters" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, ''Metallica''. The song peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tra ...
". Kamen approached Metallica in 1991 with the idea of pairing the band's music with a symphony orchestra. Kamen and his staff of over 100 composed additional orchestral material for Metallica songs. Metallica wrote two new Kamen-scored songs for the event: "
No Leaf Clover
"No Leaf Clover" is the eighth song on the live album '' S&M'' by Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. The song (along with "- Human") was one of two new pieces completed for the band's collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony in 1999. ...
" and "-Human". The audio recording and concert footage were released in 1999 as the album and concert film ''
S&M''. It entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 2 and the Australian ARIA charts and Top Internet Albums chart at No. 1.
In 2000, Metallica discovered that a demo of its song "
I Disappear
"I Disappear" is a single (music), single by Metallica from the Music from and Inspired by Mission: Impossible 2, ''Mission: Impossible 2'' soundtrack, which released on May 9, 2000. The music and lyrics were written by James Hetfield and Lars U ...
", which was supposed to be released in combination with the
''Mission: Impossible II'' soundtrack, was receiving radio airplay. Tracing the source of the leak, the band found the file on the
Napster
Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shawn ...
peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer n ...
file-sharing network and also found that the band's entire catalogue was freely available.
Metallica
filed a lawsuit at the
U.S. District Court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
,
Central District of California, alleging that Napster violated three areas of the law:
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
, unlawful use of digital audio interface device and the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
![Lars Ulrich The Rock Copenhagen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Lars_Ulrich_The_Rock_Copenhagen.JPG)
Ulrich provided a statement to the
Senate Judiciary Committee regarding copyright infringement on July 11, 2000.
Federal Judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level.
United States
A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 of ...
Marilyn Hall Patel ordered the site to place a
filter on the program within 72 hours or be shut down. A settlement between Metallica and Napster was reached when German media conglomerate
Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA () is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, and is also active in the service sector and ...
BMG showed interest in purchasing the rights to Napster for $94 million. Under the terms of settlement, Napster agreed to block users who shared music by artists who do not want their music shared. On June 3, 2002, Napster filed for
Chapter 11 protection under U.S. bankruptcy laws. On September 3, 2002, an American bankruptcy judge blocked the sale of Napster to Bertelsmann and forced Napster to liquidate its assets, according to
Chapter 7 Chapter 7 may refer to:
Albums
* ''Chapter Seven'' (album), a 2013 album by Damien Leith.
*''Chapter VII'', a 1973 album by drummer Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drum ...
of the U.S. bankruptcy laws.
At the
2000 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2000 MTV Video Music Awards (stylized as MTV Video Music Awards vma.00) aired live on September 7, 2000, honoring the best music videos from June 12, 1999, to June 9, 2000. The show was hosted by Marlon and Shawn Wayans at Radio City Music Ha ...
, Ulrich appeared with host
Marlon Wayans
Marlon Lamont Wayans (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Wayans began his career portraying a pedestrian in ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1988). He went on to regularly collaborate with his brother Shawn Wa ...
in a skit that criticized the idea of using Napster to share music. Wayans played a college student listening to Metallica's "I Disappear". Ulrich walked in and asked for an explanation, and he responded to Wayans' excuse that using Napster was just "sharing" by saying that Wayans' idea of sharing was "borrowing things that were not yours without asking." He called in the Metallica road crew, who proceeded to confiscate all of Wayans' belongings, leaving him almost naked in an empty room. Napster creator
Shawn Fanning responded later in the ceremony by presenting an award wearing a Metallica shirt that read: "I borrowed this shirt from a friend. Maybe, if I like it, I'll buy one of my own." Ulrich was later booed on stage at the award show when he introduced the final musical act,
Blink-182.
![JunoAwards2009-BobRock (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/JunoAwards2009-BobRock_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Newsted left Metallica on January 17, 2001, just as plans were being made to enter the recording studio. He said he left the band for "private and personal reasons, and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love." During a ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' interview with Metallica, Newsted said he wanted to release an album with his
side project,
Echobrain. Hetfield was opposed to the idea and said, "When someone does a side project, it takes away from the strength of Metallica" and that a side project is "like cheating on your wife in a way."
Newsted said Hetfield had recorded vocals for a song used in the film ''
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', and appeared on two Corrosion of Conformity albums. Hetfield replied: "My name isn't on those records. And I'm not out trying to sell them" and raised questions such as, "Where would it end? Does he start touring with it? Does he sell shirts? Is it his band?"
2001–2006: ''Some Kind of Monster'', ''St. Anger'', and Trujillo joins
In April 2001, filmmakers
Joe Berlinger and
Bruce Sinofsky
Bruce Sinofsky (March 31, 1956 – February 21, 2015) was an American documentary film director, particularly known for his films the '' Paradise Lost'' trilogy, '' Brother's Keeper'' and '' Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'', all created with Joe ...
began following Metallica to document the recording process of the band's next studio album. Over two years they recorded more than 1,000 hours of footage. On July 19, 2001, before preparations to enter the recording studio, Hetfield entered
rehab
Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to:
Health
* Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished
* Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
to treat his "alcoholism and other addictions". All recording plans were put on hold and the band's future was in doubt.
Hetfield left rehab on December 4, 2001,
and the band returned to the recording studio on April 12, 2002. Hetfield was required to limit his work to four hours a day between noon and 4 pm, and to spend the rest of his time with his family.
The footage recorded by Berlinger and Sinofsky was compiled into the documentary ''
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'', which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
in January 2004. In the documentary, Newsted said his former bandmates' decision to hire a therapist to help solve their problems which he felt they could have solved on their own was "really fucking lame and weak".
[''Some Kind of Monster'' feature film, Metallica, January 2004, Paramount Pictures.]
![Robert Trujillo live in London 2008-09-15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Robert_Trujillo_live_in_London_2008-09-15.jpg)
In June 2003, Metallica's eighth studio album, ''
St. Anger'', debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, and drew mixed reactions from critics. Ulrich's "steely" sounding snare drum and the absence of guitar solos received particular criticism.
Kevin Forest Moreau of ''Shakingthrough.net'' said, "the guitars stumble in a monotone of mid-level, processed rattle; the drums don't propel as much as struggle to disguise an all-too-turgid pace; and the rage is both unfocused and leavened with too much narcissistic navel-gazing". Brent DiCrescenzo of ''
Pitchfork'' described it as "an utter mess". However, ''
Blender'' magazine called it the "grimiest and grimmest of the band's Bob Rock productions", and ''
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...
'' called it "utterly raw and rocking".
The title track, "
St. Anger", won the
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2004; it was used as the official theme song for
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
's ''
SummerSlam 2003''.
For the duration of ''St. Anger''s recording period, producer Bob Rock played bass on the album and in several live shows at which Metallica performed during that time.
Once the record was completed, the band started to hold auditions for Newsted's permanent replacement. Bassists
Pepper Keenan
Pepper J. Keenan (born May 8, 1967) is an American guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until the ...
,
Jeordie White,
Scott Reeder,
Eric Avery,
Danny Lohner, and
Chris Wyseamong othersauditioned for the role. After three months of auditions,
Robert Trujillo, formerly of
Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne's band, was chosen as the new bassist.
Newsted, who had joined Canadian thrash metal band
Voivod by that time, was Trujillo's replacement in Osbourne's band during the 2003
Ozzfest tour, which included Voivod.
Before the band's set at the 2004
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
, Ulrich was rushed to the hospital after having an anxiety seizure and was unable to perform. Hetfield searched for last-minute volunteers to replace Ulrich. Slayer drummer
Dave Lombardo
David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer. He is currently playing drums with Testament, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle ...
and
Slipknot drummer
Joey Jordison
Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, as well as the guitarist for the horror punk s ...
volunteered. Lombardo performed "Battery" and "The Four Horsemen", Ulrich's drum technician Flemming Larsen performed "Fade to Black", and Jordison performed the remainder of the set. Having toured for two years in support of ''St. Anger'' on the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003 and the
Madly in Anger with the World Tour, with multi-platinum rock band
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...
in support, Metallica took a break from performing and spent most of 2005 with friends and family. The band opened for
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
at
SBC Park
Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...
in San Francisco on November 13 and 15, 2005.
2006–2013: ''Death Magnetic'' and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
In February 2006, Metallica announced on its official website that after 15 years, long-time producer Bob Rock would not be producing the band's next studio album. Instead, the band chose to work with producer
Rick Rubin. Around the same time, a petition signed by 1,500 fans was posted online in an attempt to encourage the band to prohibit Rock from producing Metallica albums, saying he had too much influence on the band's sound and musical direction. Rock said the petition hurt his children's feelings; he said, "sometimes, even with a great coach, a team keeps losing. You have to get new blood in there."
In December 2006, Metallica released a DVD titled ''
The Videos 1989–2004
''The Videos 1989–2004'' is a video album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on DVD in December 2006. It features all of the band's videos from 1989 to 2004. In its first week of release, the DVD sold 28,000 copies. The menus of th ...
'', which sold 28,000 copies in its first week and entered the ''Billboard'' Top Videos chart at number three. Metallica recorded a guitar-based interpretation of
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
's "
The Ecstasy of Gold
"The Ecstasy of Gold" ( it, L'estasi dell'oro) is a musical composition by Ennio Morricone, part of his score for the 1966 Sergio Leone film ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly''. It is played while Tuco (Eli Wallach) is frantically searching a ce ...
" for a tribute album titled ''
We All Love Ennio Morricone
''We All Love Ennio Morricone'' is a 2007 tribute album honoring noted film composer Ennio Morricone. It features a diverse lineup of artists including Andrea Bocelli, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, and Celine Dion. Also, industry ...
'', which was released in February 2007. The track received a Grammy nomination at the
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...
for the category "
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance was an honor presented to recording artists for quality instrumental rock performances at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...
". A recording of "The Ecstasy of Gold" has been played to introduce Metallica's performances since the 1980s.
![Metallica London 2008-09-15 Kirk and James](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Metallica_London_2008-09-15_Kirk_and_James.jpg)
Metallica scheduled the release of the album ''
Death Magnetic
''Death Magnetic'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, marking the band's first album since '' ...And Justice for Al ...
'' as September 12, 2008, and the band filmed a music video for the album's first single, "
The Day That Never Comes". On September 2, 2008, a record store in France began selling copies of ''Death Magnetic'' nearly two weeks before its scheduled worldwide release date, which resulted in the album being made available on peer-to-peer clients. This prompted the band's UK distributor
Vertigo Records to officially release the album on September 10, 2008. Rumors of Metallica or Warner Bros. taking legal action against the French retailer were unconfirmed, though drummer Lars Ulrich responded to the
leak by saying, "...We're ten days from release. I mean, from here, we're golden. If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me", and, "By 2008 standards, that's a victory. If you'd told me six months ago that our record wouldn't leak until 10 days out, I would have signed up for that."
''Death Magnetic'' debuted at number one in the U.S. selling 490,000 units; Metallica became the first band to have five consecutive studio albums debut at number one in the history of the ''Billboard'' 200. A week after its release, ''Death Magnetic'' remained at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and the European album chart; it also became the fastest selling album of 2008 in Australia. ''Death Magnetic'' remained at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart for three consecutive weeks. Metallica was one of two artists whose albumthe other being
Jack Johnson's album ''
Sleep Through the Static''remained on the ''Billboard'' 200 for three consecutive weeks at number one in 2008. ''Death Magnetic'' also remained at number one on ''Billboards Hard Rock, Modern Rock/Alternative and Rock album charts for five consecutive weeks. The album reached number one in 32 countries outside the U.S., including the UK, Canada, and Australia. In November 2008, Metallica's record deal with Warner Bros. ended and the band considered releasing its next album through the internet.
On January 14, 2009, it was announced that Metallica would be inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
on April 4, 2009, and that former bassist Jason Newstedwho left the band in 2001would perform with the band at the ceremony. Initially, it was announced that the matter had been discussed and that bassist Trujillo had agreed not to play because he "wanted to see the Black Album band". However, during the band's set of "Master of Puppets" and "Enter Sandman", both Trujillo and Newsted were on stage. Ray Burton, father of the late Cliff Burton, accepted the honor on his behalf. Although he was not to be inducted with them, Metallica invited Dave Mustaine to take part in the induction ceremony. Mustaine declined because of his touring commitments in Europe.
![Metallica at the O2 Arena, March 28th 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Metallica_at_the_O2_Arena%2C_March_28th_2009.jpg)
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax performed on the same bill for the first time on June 16, 2010, at
Warsaw Babice Airport
Warsaw-Babice (ICAO code: EPBC, IATA code: QEB) is an airport in Warsaw, located in the residential district of Bemowo, near the border with the district of Bielany. It is also unofficially known as Bemowo.
The airport is administered by the ...
,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, as a part of the
Sonisphere Festival series. The show in Sofia, Bulgaria, on June 22, 2010, was broadcast via satellite to cinemas. The bands also played concerts in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
on June 26, 2010, and
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
on June 27, 2010. On June 28, 2010, ''Death Magnetic'' was certified double platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. Metallica's
World Magnetic Tour
The World Magnetic Tour was a 2008–2010 concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of the band's ninth studio album, ''Death Magnetic'', which was released on September 12, 2008.
The tour officially kicked off in October 2 ...
ended in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
on November 21, 2010. The band had been touring for over two years in support of ''Death Magnetic''. To accompany the final tour dates in Australia and New Zealand, a live, limited edition EP of past performances in Australia called ''
Six Feet Down Under'' was released. The EP was followed by ''
Six Feet Down Under (Part II)
''Six Feet Down Under Part II'' is a limited edition commemorative live EP by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the second part of the band's previous live EP, '' Six Feet Down Under'', and was released exclusively in Australia and ...
'', which was released on November 12, 2010. Part 2 contains a further eight songs recorded during the first two Oceanic Legs of the World Magnetic Tour. On November 26, 2010, Metallica released a live EP titled ''
Live at Grimey's'', which was recorded in June 2008 at Grimey's Record Store, just before the band's appearance at
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...
that year.
In a June 2009 interview with Italy's Rock TV, Ulrich said Metallica was planning to continue touring until August 2010, and that there were no plans for a tenth album. He said he was sure the band would collaborate with producer Rick Rubin again. According to
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001; in October ...
, the band was considering recording its next album in the second half of 2011. In November 2010, during an interview with The Pulse of Radio, Ulrich said Metallica would return to writing in 2011. Ulrich said, "There's a bunch of balls in the air for 2011, but I think the main one is we really want to get back to writing again. We haven't really written since, what, '06, '07, and we want to get back to kind of just being creative again. Right now we are going to just chill out and then probably start up again in, I'd say, March or April, and start probably putting the creative cap back on and start writing some songs."
![Metallica3425](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Metallica3425.jpg)
On November 9, 2010, Metallica announced it would be headlining the
Rock in Rio festival in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
on September 25, 2011. On December 13, 2010, the band announced it would again play as part of the "big four" during the Sonisphere Festival at
Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, on July 8, 2011. It was the first time all of the "big four" members played on the same stage in the UK. On December 17, 2010, Another "big four" Sonisphere performance that would take place in France on July 9 was announced. On January 25, 2011, another "big four" performance on April 23, 2011, at the Empire Polo Club in
Indio, California
Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, Califo ...
, was announced. It was the first time all of the "big four" members played on the same stage in the U.S. On February 17, 2011, a show in
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...
, Germany, on July 2, 2011, was announced. On February 22, a "big four" show in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
on July 6, 2011, was announced. On March 2, 2011, another "big four" concert, which took place in
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
on July 3, 2011, was announced. The final "big four" concert was in New York City, at Yankee Stadium, on September 14, 2011.
In an interview at the April 2011 Big Four concert, Robert Trujillo said Metallica will work with Rick Rubin again as producer for the new album and were "really excited to write some new music. There's no shortage of riffage in Metallica world right now." He added, "The first album with Rick was also the first album for me, so in a lot of ways, you're kind of testing the water. Now that we're comfortable with Rick and his incredible engineer,
Greg Fidelman
Greg Fidelman (born September 4, 1965) is an American record mixer, engineer and record producer. He is a frequent collaborator of producer Rick Rubin, and has worked with many bands in various genres, including Metallica, Slayer, High on Fire, B ...
, who worked with Slayer, actually, on this last recordit's my heroit's a great team. And it's only gonna better; I really believe that. So I'm super-excited." In June 2011, Rubin said Metallica had begun writing its new album.
On June 15, 2011, Metallica announced that recording sessions with singer-songwriter
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
had concluded. The album, which was titled ''
Lulu'', was recorded over several months and comprised ten songs based on
Frank Wedekind
Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the de ...
's "Lulu" plays ''
Earth Spirit'' and ''
Pandora's Box''.
The album was released on October 31, 2011. The recording of the album was problematic at times; Lars Ulrich later said Lou Reed challenged him to a "street fight". On October 16, 2011, Robert Trujillo confirmed that the band was back in the studio and writing new material. He said, "The writing process for the new Metallica album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during the most of next year."
![Metallica (6350334052)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Metallica_%286350334052%29.jpg)
Metallica was due to make its first appearance in India at the "India Rocks" concert, supporting the
2011 Indian Grand Prix. However, the concert was canceled when the venue was proven to be unsafe. Fans raided the stage during the event and the organizers were later arrested for fraud. Metallica made its Indian debut in Bangalore on October 30, 2011. On November 10, it was announced that Metallica would headline the main stage on Saturday June 9, 2012, at the Download Festival at Donington Park and that the band would play ''The Black Album'' in its entirety. Metallica celebrated its 30th anniversary by playing four shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco in December 2011. The shows were exclusive to Met Club members and tickets were charged at $6 each or $19.81 for all four nights. The shows consisted of songs from the band's career and featured guest appearances by artists who had either helped or had influenced Metallica. These shows were notable because Lloyd Grant, Dave Mustaine, Jason Newsted,
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns t ...
, Ozzy Osbourne,
Jerry Cantrell,
Apocalyptica, members of Diamond Head, and
King Diamond joined Metallica on stage for all appropriate songs. In December 2011, Metallica began releasing songs that were written for ''Death Magnetic'' but were not included on the album online. On December 13, 2011, the band released ''
Beyond Magnetic'', a digital EP release exclusively on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
. It was released on CD in January 2012.
On February 7, 2012, Metallica announced that it would start a new music festival called
Orion Music + More, which took place on June 23 and 24, 2012, in Atlantic City. Metallica also confirmed that it would headline the festival on both days and would perform two of its most critically acclaimed albums in their entirety: ''The Black Album'' on one night, and ''Ride the Lightning'' on the other. In a July 2012 interview with Canadian radio station
99.3 The Fox, Ulrich said Metallica would not release its new album until at least early 2014.
In November 2012, Metallica left Warner Bros. Records and launched an
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
, Blackened Recordings, which will produce the band's future releases. The band acquired the rights to all of its studio albums, which were all reissued through the new label. Blackened releases were licensed through Warner subsidiary
Rhino Entertainment in North America and internationally through
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
.
On September 20, 2012, Metallica announced via its official website that a new DVD containing footage of shows it performed in Quebec in 2009 would be released that December; fans would get the chance to vote for two setlists that would appear on the DVD. The film, titled ''
Quebec Magnetic
''Quebec Magnetic'' is a live concert video album by Metallica, documenting two shows the band played at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada, on October 31 and November 1, 2009, on their World Magnetic Tour, released on December 11, 2012. The ...
'', was released in the U.S. on December 10, 2012.
2013–2019: ''Metallica: Through the Never'' and ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct''
![Metallica 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Metallica_2013.jpg)
In an interview with ''
Classic Rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
'' on January 8, 2013, Ulrich said regarding the band's upcoming album, "What we're doing now certainly sounds like a continuation
f ''Death Magnetic''. He also said, "I love Rick
ubin
Pulau Ubin, also simply known as Ubin, is an island situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. The granite quarry used to be supported by a few thousand settlers on Pulau Ubin in the 1960s, but only about 38 villagers ...
We all love Rick. We're in touch with Rick constantly. We'll see where it goes. It would stun me if the record came out in 2013." Also in 2013, the band starred in a 3D concert film titled ''
Metallica: Through the Never'', which was directed by
Antal Nimród Antal may refer to:
* Andal, 8th-century poet saint of South India
* Antal (given name)
* Antal (surname) Antal is clan (gotra) of Jats found mainly in Punjab besides it is also surname of Hungarian origin.Notable people with the surname include: ...
and was released in
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
theaters on September 27.
In an interview dated July 22, 2013, Ulrich told ''Ultimate Guitar'', "2014 will be all about making a new Metallica record"; he said the album will most likely be released during 2015. Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo later confirmed the band's intention to enter the studio. At the second Orion Music + More festival held in Detroit, the band played under the name "Dehaan"a reference to actor
Dane DeHaan, who starred in ''Metallica: Through the Never''. The band performed its debut album ''Kill 'Em All'' in its entirety, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its release.
On December 8, 2013, the band played a show called "Freeze 'Em All" in Antarctica, becoming the first band to play on all seven continents. The performance was filmed and released as a live album the same month.
At the
56th Annual Grammy Awards
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid comp ...
in January 2014, Metallica performed "One" with Chinese pianist
Lang Lang
Lang Lang (; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in China, North America, Europe, and elsewhere. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, ...
. In March 2014, Metallica began a tour called "Metallica By Request", in which fans request songs for the band to perform. A new song, titled "Lords of Summer" was written for the concerts and released as a "first take" demo in June 2014. In June 2014, the band headlined the
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
in an attempt to attract new fans. Ulrich said, "We have one shot, you never know if you'll be invited back". In November 2014, Metallica performed at the closing ceremony of
BlizzCon 2014
BlizzCon is an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to promote its major franchises including ''Warcraft'', '' StarCraft'', '' Diablo'', '' Hearthstone'', ''Heroes of the Storm,'' and ''Overwatch''.
The first BlizzCon was he ...
. In January 2015, Metallica announced a "Metallica Night" with the
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
, which featured a Q&A session with the band and a charity auction benefiting the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club, but no performances. They were announced to headline Lollapalooza in March 2015, returning to perform there for the first time in 20 years. On May 2, 2015, Metallica performed their third annual Metallica Day at
AT&T Park. Metallica were also announced to play at
X Games
The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
for the first time at
X Games Austin 2015
X Games Austin 2015 was an action sporting event that took place June 4–7, 2015, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
This Summer X Games is the second in a row to be held in Austin and the third full X Games event to be held in ...
in Austin, Texas. On June 14, 2015, Hetfield and Hammett performed
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
live via electric guitars prior to game 5 of the
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
between the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
and
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
at
Oracle Arena
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. In late October, the band unveiled a new website with an introduction from Ulrich containing footage from the studio of the band working on new material. On November 2, Metallica were announced to play "The Night Before"
Super Bowl 50 at AT&T Park. Metallica announced they would be opening the
U.S. Bank Stadium
U.S. Bank Stadium is an enclosed stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Built on the former site of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the indoor stadium opened in 2016 and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Footbal ...
on August 20, 2016, with
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...
and
Volbeat
Volbeat are a Danish rock band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll, heavy metal, and rockabilly. Their current line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Michael Poulsen, guitarist Rob Caggiano, drummer Jon Lars ...
as support.
In April 2016, during the week leading up to
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
, for which the band was its ambassador for 2016, Ulrich told ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' that the band's expanded role within the music industry had played a part in the amount of time that it had taken to write and record the album. "The way we do things now is very different than the way we did things back in the days of ''Kill 'Em All'' and ''Ride the Lightning''. Nowadays we like to do so many different things." Ulrich was also optimistic that production of the album had almost reached its completion. "Unless something radical happens it would be difficult for me to believe that it won't come out in 2016". On August 18, 2016, the band announced via their website that their tenth studio album, ''
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', would be released worldwide on November 18, 2016, via their independent label, Blackened Recordings. They also unveiled the track listing, album artwork, and released a music video for the album's first single, "Hardwired". The album was released as scheduled and debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Metallica announced they would be touring the US in summer of 2017 for the
WorldWired Tour
The WorldWired Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their tenth studio album '' Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', which was released on November 18, 2016. It is also their first worldwide tour after the Wo ...
. The stadium tour also includes Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat and
Gojira Gojira (ゴジラ) is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise.
It may also refer to:
Films
* ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as ''ゴジラ'' (''Gojira'') in Japan
** ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), rele ...
as supporting acts. On August 7, 2017, Metallica was invited by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
again for the fifth annual "Metallica Night" with Hammett and Hetfield performing the national anthem. In January 2018, the band announced that they would be reissuing ''The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited'' on April 13 for
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
, and the sixth annual "Metallica Night" was also announced a few weeks later, this time in April, with all proceeds going to the All Within My Hands Foundation, which the band created in late 2017. In February 2018, the band announced a second set of North American tour dates, most of which for cities that they had not visited in up to thirty years.
2019–present: Further activity and ''72 Seasons''
![Metallica at Ippodromo San Siro, Milan, May 8th, 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Metallica_at_Ippodromo_San_Siro%2C_Milan%2C_May_8th%2C_2019.jpg)
In an interview with Australian magazine ''
The Music''s official podcast in March 2019, Trujillo said that Metallica had begun jamming on new material for its next studio album. "I'm excited about the next record because I believe it will also be a culmination of the two
reviousrecords and another journey. There's no shortage of original ideas, that's the beauty of being in this band." He estimated that the album would be released "a lot sooner than the previous two did... this time around I think we'll be able to jump on it a lot quicker and jump in the studio and start working. We've all vowed to get this one going sooner than later." In an interview with Australian magazine ''Mixdown'' the following month, Hammett said that the band had tentative plans to enter the studio after the conclusion of its WorldWired Tour. He stated, "We're in our third year since ''Hardwired''. Maybe we can get a bit more focus and go into the studio a bit sooner." After not contributing any writing to ''Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'', Hammett said regarding his ideas for the new album, "I have a ton of material. I've over-compensated, so I'm ready to go anytime."
In March 2019, Metallica announced that its WorldWired Tour would continue into Australia and New Zealand in October with Slipknot in support. Later that month, the band announced that it would perform at the grand opening of San Francisco's new
Chase Center with the San Francisco Symphony in September to celebrate the twenty-year anniversary of ''S&M''. The commemorative shows, titled ''S&M2'', were screened in over 3,000 theaters worldwide on October 9;
the event featured arrangements from the original ''S&M'' concerts as well as new arrangements for songs recorded since then
and a cover of the
Alexander Mosolov piece ''
Iron Foundry'', and were conducted by
Edwin Outwater
Edwin Maurice Outwater (born 12 April 1971) is an American conductor from Santa Monica, California.
About
From September 2007 until 2017, he served as the music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada.
From 2001 to 200 ...
and San Francisco Symphony music director
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy based in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of ...
. ''S&M2'' went on to earn $5.5 million at the box office, making it the biggest global rock event cinema release of all time; a second screening was later announced for October 30 as a result. In August 2020, the band announced that they would release the ''S&M2'' performances as an album, DVD and box set.
In July 2019, Metallica announced a set of South American tour dates for April 2020 with
Greta Van Fleet in support. In September, ahead of that year's
Global Citizen Festival, it was announced that Metallica would perform at the following year's festival in September 2020 alongside artists such as
Billie Eilish,
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
and
Coldplay, in what would be the final event of
Global Poverty Project
Global Citizen, also known as Global Poverty Project, is an international education and advocacy organization working to catalyze the movement to end extreme poverty and promote social justice and equity through the lens of intersectionality. The ...
's year-long Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream campaign. The following day, on September 27, Metallica announced that Hetfield had re-entered a rehabilitation program and that its Australia/New Zealand tour would be postponed.
In a statement by Ulrich, Hammett and Trujillo, the band spoke of the devastation of the news, saying that Hetfield "
adbeen struggling with addiction on and off for many years" and that all tickets would be fully refunded.
Ulrich later added that Hetfield was "in the process of healing himself", and that the band hoped to return to Australia and New Zealand in 2020. The band's other commitments, including a benefit concert in March 2020, were still expected to continue as planned;
a further five US festival appearances were announced in October. These shows were later postponed or cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and to support Hetfield's recovery.
In March 2020, the band began a series on YouTube and Facebook called ''#MetallicaMondays'', where they streamed full archived shows every Monday to relieve boredom while staying home and social distancing amid the pandemic. In May 2020, while in quarantine, Metallica performed a virtual acoustic version of "Blackened", titled "Blackened 2020", which was later made available for download.
In an interview with
Marc Benioff in April 2020, Ulrich stated that Metallica could work on its next studio album while in quarantine. Trujillo told ''The Vinyl Guide'' in June that the band was "excited about cultivating new ideas" for its new album. "We communicate every week, which is really great, so we have our connection intact
..what we've started doing is basically just really concentrating on our home studios and being creative from our homes and navigating through ideas and building on new ideas. And that's where we're at right now". He also said that the band was working towards eventually entering a studio to record the album.
On August 10, 2020, Metallica played a show at Gundlach-Bundschu Winery in
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's p ...
, which was only attended by a few crew members, and it was recorded and played for drive-in movies across the U.S. and Canada on August 29.
In May 2021, the band announced that they would do one more ''#MetallicaMondays'' on May 24 to benefit their All Within My Hands Foundation.
The concert dates to September 6, 2018, in
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
.
On Labor Day, September 6, 2021, the band's All Within My Hands Foundation raised $377,450. Metallica teamed up with workwear brand Carhartt on the initiative, with the clothing brand donating all of their sales proceeds on the holiday to the band's Metallica Scholars initiative, which provides opportunities to people interested in pursuing essential workforce jobs.
On November 28, 2022, the band released the single "Lux Æterna", announcing their eleventh studio album ''
72 Seasons
''72 Seasons'' is the upcoming eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is set for release on April 14, 2023, by their own label Blackened Recordings. ''72 Seasons'' is produced by Greg Fidelman, who produced the band's ...
'', slated for release on April 14, 2023.
Style and lyrical themes
Metallica's sound has been described as
heavy metal,
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
,
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
,
and
speed metal
Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...
. Metallica was influenced by early heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
,
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
,
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
,
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
,
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
,
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
,
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
and by
new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands
Raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
,
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
,
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
,
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
,
Diamond Head,
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...
, and
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
as well as European bands
Scorpions,
Accept
Accept may refer to:
* Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc.
* Accept (band), a German heavy metal band
** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979
* ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970
* ACCEPT (or ...
and
Mercyful Fate. Early
punk rock bands
Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
,
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
, and the
Misfits also influenced Metallica's style as did
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
band
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass).
Their first album, ''Ki ...
and
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
acts
Discharge
Discharge may refer to
Expel or let go
* Discharge, the act of firing a gun
* Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer
* Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...
,
GBH and
Suicidal Tendencies. Lars Ulrich has cited Iron Maiden as probably the biggest influence on Metallica's career. The band's early releases contained fast tempos, harmonized leads, and nine-minute instrumental tracks. Steve Huey of AllMusic said ''Ride the Lightning'' featured "extended, progressive epics; tight, concise groove-rockers".
Huey said Metallica expanded its compositional technique and range of expression to take on a more aggressive approach in following releases, and lyrics dealt with personal and socially conscious issues.
Religious and military leaders, rage, insanity, monsters, and drugsamong other themeswere explored on ''Master of Puppets''.
In 1991, Huey said Metallica with new producer Bob Rock simplified and streamlined its music for a more commercial approach to appeal to mainstream audiences.
Robert Palmer of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' said the band abandoned its aggressive, fast tempos to expand its music and expressive
range
Range may refer to:
Geography
* Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands
* Range, a term used to i ...
.
The change in direction proved commercially successful; ''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
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
movement of the early 1990s. In ''Load''—an album that has been described as having "an almost
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
" approach—the band changed musical direction again and focused on non-metal influences.
Metallica's new lyrical approach moved away from drugs and monsters, and focused on anger, loss, and retribution. Some fans and critics were not pleased with this change, which included haircuts, the cover art of ''Load'', and headlining the
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
festival of 1996.
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
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
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 solos were excluded from the album, leaving a "raw and unpolished sound".
The band used
drop C tuning
Drop C tuning is an alternative guitar tuning where at least one string has been lowered to a C, but most commonly refers to CGCFAD, which can be described as D tuning with a 6th string dropped to C, or drop D tuning transposed down a whole st ...
; Ulrich's snare drum received particular criticism. ''New York Magazine''s Ethan Brown said it "reverberates with a thwong". The album's lyrics deal with Hetfield's drug rehabilitation and include references to the devil, anti-drug themes, claustrophobia, impending doom, and religious hypocrisy.
At the advice of producer Rick Rubin, for its ninth studio album ''Death Magnetic'', the band returned to
standard tuning and guitar solos.
As a return to Metallica's thrash roots, ''Death Magnetic'' was a
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
-oriented album featuring intense guitar solos and subtle lyrics dealing with suicide and redemption.
Legacy and influence
Metallica has become one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time and is credited as one of the "big four" of thrash metal, along with Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. The band has sold more than 125 million records worldwide,
including an RIAA-certified 66 million and
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
-reported 58,000,000 in the US, making Metallica one of
the most commercially successful bands of all time. The writers of ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' said Metallica gave heavy metal "a much-needed charge". Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Greg Prato of Allmusic said Metallica "expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume not for their own sake, but to enhance their intricately structured compositions", and called the band "easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s, responsible for bringing the music back to Earth".
Jonathan Davis of
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
said he respects Metallica as his favorite band; he said, "I love that they've done things their own way and they've persevered over the years and they're still relevant to this day. I think they're one of the greatest bands ever."
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...
drummer
Shannon Larkin said Metallica has been the biggest influence on the band, stating, "they really changed my life when I was 16 years oldI'd never heard anything that heavy".
Chuck Billy
Charles Billy (born June 23, 1962) is an American singer who is best known as the lead vocalist for thrash metal band Testament.
Career
Testament
Billy joined Legacy in 1986, replacing vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza who would later join Exod ...
of
Testament has also cited Metallica as an influence on the band, as well as Hetfield as "an inspiration with clever lyrics"; he added, "When I first started hearing Metallica it was something new to me the way his cadence of vocal styles sang to the music." Vocalist and guitarist
Robb Flynn of
Machine Head
A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...
said that when creating the band's 2007 album, ''
The Blackening'', "What we mean is an album that has the power, influence and epic grandeur of that album ''Master of Puppets''and the staying powera timeless record like that".
Gojira Gojira (ゴジラ) is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise.
It may also refer to:
Films
* ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as ''ゴジラ'' (''Gojira'') in Japan
** ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), rele ...
lead guitarist
Christian Andreu said it was while listening to ''Ride the Lightning'' that he started making music; saying "we find on the album 'Fade to Black', 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', emblematic pieces".
Trivium
The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the ...
guitarists
Corey Beaulieu and
Matt Heafy
Matthew Kiichi Heafy (born January 26, 1986) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for heavy metal band Trivium. He was also the lead vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason ...
said that when they heard Metallica they wanted to start playing guitar.
M. Shadows
Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in th ...
of
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...
said touring with Metallica was the band's career highlight, and said, "Selling tons of records and playing huge shows will never compare to meeting your idols ''Metallica''".
God Forbid
God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996.
History Early career (1999-2004)
Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...
guitarists Doc and Dallas Coyle were inspired by Metallica as they grew up, and the band's bassist John Outcalt admires Burton as a "rocker".
Ill Niño drummer
Dave Chavarri said he finds early Metallica releases are "heavy, raw, rebellious. It said, 'fuck you'", and
Adema drummer Kris Kohls said the band is influenced by Metallica.
On April 4, 2009, Metallica were inducted into the
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
. They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the second year they were eligible and first year they were nominated. Metallica's induction into the Hall included its current lineup,
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
,
Kirk Hammett,
Robert Trujillo, and
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
, and former members
Jason Newsted and
Cliff Burton.
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
ranked Metallica the third "Greatest Heavy Metal Band in History".
Metallica was ranked 42nd on
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", was listed fifth on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock", and the band was number one on VH1's "20 Greatest Metal Bands" list. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' placed the band 61st on its list of "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time"; its albums ''Master of Puppets'' and ''Metallica'' were ranked at numbers 167 and 252 respectively on the magazine's list of ''
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time''. ''Master of Puppets'' was named in ''Q Magazine'' "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time", and was ranked number one on IGN's "Top 25 Metal Albums", and number one on Metal-rules.com's "Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums" list. "
Enter Sandman" was ranked number 399 on ''Rolling Stone'' "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
''
Kerrang
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off ...
!'' released a tribute album titled ''Master of Puppets: Remastered'' with the April 8, 2006, edition of the magazine to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ''Master of Puppets''. The album featured cover versions of Metallica songs by Machine Head,
Bullet for My Valentine,
Chimaira,
Mastodon
A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...
,
Mendeed
Mendeed was a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Dumbarton, in 2000 and disbanded in 2007.
History
The band's members met at school in Dumbarton. In 2002 they self-released their first EP '' Killing Something Beautiful''. In 2003 the band r ...
, and Triviumall of which are influenced by Metallica. At least 15 Metallica tribute albums have been released. On September 10, 2006, Metallica guest starred on ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' eighteenth-season premiere, "
The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer
"The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" is the first episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 10, 2006. In the episode, ...
". Hammett's and Hetfield's voices were used in three episodes of the animated television series ''
Metalocalypse''. Finnish
cello metal
Cello rock and cello metal are subgenres of rock music characterized by the use of cellos (as well as other bowed string instruments such as the violin and viola) as primary instruments, alongside or in place of more traditional rock instruments ...
band Apocalyptica released a tribute album titled ''
Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
''Plays Metallica by Four Cellos'' is the debut album by Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released in 1996. It features eight instrumental Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles b ...
'', which features eight Metallica songs played on cellos. A parody band named
Beatallica
Beatallica is a mash-up band that plays music made from combinations of songs of the Beatles and Metallica. A Beatallica song is typically a blend of a Beatles song and a Metallica song with a related title (e.g. "The Thing That Should Not L ...
plays music using a combination of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and Metallica songs. Beatallica faced legal troubles when
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
, which owns The Beatles' catalog, issued a
cease and desist
A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
order, claiming "substantial and irreparable injury" and ordering the group to pay damages. Ulrich, a fan of Beatallica, asked Metallica's lawyer Peter Paterno to help settle the case.
On March 7, 1999, Metallica was inducted into the San Francisco Walk of Fame. The mayor of San Francisco,
Willie Brown, proclaimed the day "Official Metallica Day". The band was awarded the
MTV Icon
''MTV Icon'' is a series of annual television specials produced by MTV between 2001 and 2004, each paying homage to a musical artist or band selected as a cultural icon, in a format similar to the network's annual Video Music Awards and Movie ...
award in 2003, and a concert paying tribute to the band with artists performing its songs was held. Performances included
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...
and a medley of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Enter Sandman", and "Master of Puppets".
Staind
Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...
covered "Nothing Else Matters",
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
played "Fuel", hip-hop artist
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
performed "Sad but True",
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
played "
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
", and
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
performed "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)".
The ''
Guitar Hero'' video game series included several of Metallica's songs. "One" was used in ''
Guitar Hero III''. The album ''Death Magnetic'' was later released as purchasable, downloadable content for the game. "Trapped Under Ice" was featured in the sequel, ''
Guitar Hero World Tour
''Guitar Hero World Tour'' (initially referred to as ''Guitar Hero IV'' or ''Guitar Hero IV: World Tour'') is a music rhythm video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' ...
''. In 2009, Metallica collaborated with the game's developers to make ''
Guitar Hero: Metallica'', which included a number of Metallica's songs.
Harmonix' video game series ''
Rock Band
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
'' included "Enter Sandman" and "Battery"; "Ride the Lightning", "Blackened", and "...And Justice for All" were released as downloadable tracks. In 2013, due to expiring content licenses, "Ride the Lightning", "Blackened", and "...And Justice for All" are no longer available for download.
In October 2020,
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
announced that she was planning on recording a Metallica covers album and on January 7, 2021, she announced that she has recorded a cover version of "
Nothing Else Matters
"Nothing Else Matters" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, ''Metallica''. The song peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tra ...
" that would feature Elton John on piano, drummer Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The song was produced by Andrew Watt (record producer), Andrew Watt.
Band members
Current members
*
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar
(1981–present)
*
Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals
(1983–present)
*
Robert Trujillo – bass, backing vocals
(2003–present)
*
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
– drums
(1981–present)
Former members
*
Dave Mustaine
David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
– lead guitar, backing vocals
(1981–1983)
*
Ron McGovney
Ronald J. McGovney (born November 2, 1963) is an American semi-retired musician, best known as the original bass guitarist in the heavy metal band Metallica from October 1981 to December 1982.
Having previously played with guitarist James Het ...
– bass, backing vocals
(1981–1982)
*
Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals
(1982–1986; died 1986)
*
Jason Newsted – bass, backing vocals
(1986–2001)
Session musicians
*
Bob Rock – bass, backing vocals
(2001–2003)
Timeline
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Kill 'Em All'' (1983)
* ''
Ride the Lightning
''Ride the Lightning'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at ...
'' (1984)
* ''
Master of Puppets'' (1986)
* ''
...And Justice for All'' (1988)
* ''
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. 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 band's fast tempos, instrume ...
'' (1991)
* ''
Load
Load or LOAD may refer to:
Aeronautics and transportation
*Load factor (aeronautics), the ratio of the lift of an aircraft to its weight
*Passenger load factor, the ratio of revenue passenger miles to available seat miles of a particular transpo ...
'' (1996)
* ''
Reload'' (1997)
* ''
St. Anger'' (2003)
* ''
Death Magnetic
''Death Magnetic'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, marking the band's first album since '' ...And Justice for Al ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' (2016)
* ''
72 Seasons
''72 Seasons'' is the upcoming eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is set for release on April 14, 2023, by their own label Blackened Recordings. ''72 Seasons'' is produced by Greg Fidelman, who produced the band's ...
'' (2023)
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
* 1990: Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance – "
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
"
* 1991: Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance – "
Stone Cold Crazy"
* 1992: Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance – ''
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. 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 band's fast tempos, instrume ...
''
* 1999: Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance – "Better than You (Metallica song), Better than You"
* 2000: Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, Best Hard Rock Performance – "Whiskey in the Jar"
* 2001: Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Best Rock Instrumental Performance – "S&M (album), The Call of Ktulu" (with
Michael Kamen
Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician.
Biography Early life
Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...
and the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
)
* 2004: Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance – "
St. Anger"
* 2009: Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, Best Metal Performance – "My Apocalypse"
* 2009: Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, Best Recording Package – ''
Death Magnetic
''Death Magnetic'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, marking the band's first album since '' ...And Justice for Al ...
''
See also
* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
* List of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area
* List of best-selling music artists
* List of heavy metal bands
* List of highest-grossing live music artists
* List of Metallica concert tours
* List of people from California
* List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
* List of thrash metal bands
Notes
References
General sources
*
*
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metallica
Metallica
Heavy metal musical groups from California
Thrash metal musical groups from California
American speed metal musical groups
Musical groups from San Francisco
1981 establishments in California
Musical groups established in 1981
Megaforce Records artists
Elektra Records artists
Warner Records artists
Vertigo Records artists
Universal Music Group artists
Grammy Award winners
Kerrang! Awards winners
NME Awards winners
Musical quartets
Articles which contain graphical timelines