Metallica — Metallica

Almost everyone knows Metallica's name. Here's how they got there.

Los Angeles, 1981

James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich formed Metallica in Los Angeles in 1981. The band have been based in San Francisco for most of their career. Their fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive playing made them one of the "big four" of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer.

Dave Mustaine played guitar in the early lineup and was fired in 1983. He went on to form Megadeth. The current lineup is Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo. Past bassists are Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted.

Puppets, Justice and the Black Album

Commercial success came with the third album, Master of Puppets (1986), often cited as one of the best metal albums of all time. ...And Justice for All (1988) brought the band their first Grammy nomination. Its single "One" became one of their best-known songs.

The fifth album, Metallica (1991), changed everything. It moved away from thrash toward a broader audience and has sold more than 16 million copies in the US, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. It includes "Enter Sandman."

Experiments and a return

After experimenting with different directions, Metallica went back toward thrash on Death Magnetic (2008). The troubled making of St. Anger (2003) was captured in the 2004 film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. In 2000 they led the lawsuit against Napster. In 2009 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Australia

Australia has come up a few times in Metallica's recent story. Trujillo and Hammett both talked about new music to Australian outlets in 2019. That year the band announced Australian and New Zealand dates with Slipknot, then postponed them when Hetfield re-entered rehab. The band said he had been "struggling with addiction on and off for many years."

72 Seasons

Metallica released 72 Seasons on April 14, 2023, after the singles "Lux Æterna," "Screaming Suicide" and "If Darkness Had a Son." The M72 World Tour began in Amsterdam on April 27, 2023, and is set to end in Salt Lake City on June 19, 2027.

The numbers

Metallica have sold more than 163 million albums worldwide and won ten Grammy Awards from 26 nominations. Six consecutive studio albums, from Metallica through Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Where to start

"One" for the band at their most ambitious, "Enter Sandman" for the moment they became the biggest metal band in the world.