Current Members:
- James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981–present)
- Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)
- Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
- Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion (1981–present)
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists. Currently, the spot is held by Robert Trujillo.
Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "big four" of the thrash subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with Metallica (1991), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience.
In 2000, Metallica was among several artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band's copyright-protected material for free without the band members' consent. A settlement was reached, and Napster became a pay-to-use service. Despite reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger alienated many fans with the exclusion of guitar solos and the "steel-sounding" snare drum. A film titled Some Kind of Monster documented the recording process of St. Anger.
Metallica has released nine studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, twenty-four music videos, and forty-five singles. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the only band ever to do so. The band's 1991 album, Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies in the United States, and 22 million copies worldwide, which makes it the 25th-highest-selling album in the country. The band has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide as of the release of their latest album, Death Magnetic. As of September 2008, Metallica is the fourth highest-selling music artist since the Soundscan era began tracking sales on May 25, 1991, selling a total of 51,136,000 albums in the United States alone.
Clifford Burton’s Death:
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During the European leg of the Damage Inc. tour in support of Master of Puppets, the band had complained that the sleeping cubicles on their tour bus were unsatisfactory and uncomfortable. Guitarist Kirk Hammett was arguing with Burton about who was getting the pick of the bunks, so as a solution they drew cards. On the evening of September 26, 1986, Burton had won the game with an Ace of Spades. He was asleep when at several minutes before 7 am (on the 27th), according to the driver, the band's tour bus ran over a patch of black ice, skidded off of the road, and flipped onto the grass in Ljungby Municipality, near Dörarp in rural southern Sweden. Burton was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him causing his death.
James Hetfield later stated that he first believed the bus flipped because the driver was drunk, claiming he had smelled alcohol on the driver's breath after the accident. Hetfield also stated that he himself had walked long distances down the road looking for black ice and had found none. Local freelance photographer, Lennart Wennberg, who had attended the scene of the crash the following morning, when later asked in an interview about the likelihood of black ice being the cause of the accident said that it was 'out of the question', stating that the road had been dry and the temperature around 37 degrees Fahrenheit. This was also confirmed by the police who also found no ice on the road. Ljungby detective, Arne Pettersson was reported in a local newspaper to have said the pattern of the tracks at the accident site were exactly like ones seen at sites where drivers had fallen asleep at the wheel. However the driver stated under oath that he had slept during the day and was fully rested; his testimony was confirmed by the driver of the second tour bus. The driver was determined not to be at fault for the accident and no charges were brought against him.
Burton's body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on the Maxwell Ranch. At the ceremony, the instrumental "Orion" from the album Master of Puppets was played. Burton hadn't played the song live, and Metallica did not perform it until June 3, 2006 at Rock Am Ring Festival, Nurburgring, DEU. Until then, only sections of the song had been used as part of their performance. During the 1990s, Burton's successor, Jason Newsted, would often use the bass line as part of a medley.
Former Members:
- Ron McGovney – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981–1982)
- Dave Mustaine – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983)
- Cliff Burton – bass guitar, backing vocals (1982–1986) Deceased
- Jason Newsted – bass guitar, backing vocals (1986–2001)
Albums:
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