James Hetfield painting portrait

Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California. It was formed in 1981 when vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield responded to an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper. The band’s current line-up comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Lead guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.

The band’s fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and won critical acclaim with its first four albums; Kill’ Em All (1983), Ride The Lightning (1984), Master Of Puppets (1986) and …And Justice For All (1988). The album Master of Puppets (1986) was described as one of the most influential and heaviest of thrash metal albums.

In 1990, Metallica collaborated with “Bob” Rock, a Canadian musician and record producer best known for producing bands and artists such as Aerosmith, The Cult, Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe. The result of this collaboration was their fifth eponymous album 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. The album has sold over 16 million copies in the United States, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era.

Despite reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger (2003) 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 of St. Anger and the tensions within the band during that time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Metallica has released nine studio albums, four live albums, five extended plays, 26 music videos, and 37 singles. The band has won eight Grammy Awards and five of its albums have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 110 million records worldwide.