Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, whose releases include fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the founding "big four" of thrash metal alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax.They formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. As of 2003, the line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett (who joined the band in 1983) and bassist Robert Trujillo (a member since 2003) alongside Hetfield and Ulrich. Previous members of the band are lead guitarist Dave Mustaine (who went on to found the band Megadeth), and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted. The band also had a long collaboration with producer Bob Rock, who produced all of its albums from 1990 to 2003 and served as a temporary bassist between the departure of Newsted and the hiring of Trujillo.
The band earned a growing fan-base in the underground music community and critical acclaim with its third album Master of Puppets (1986), described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. Metallica achieved substantial commercial success with their eponymous fifth album (also known as The Black Album), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience.
In 2000, Metallica was among a number of artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band's copyright-protected material for free without any band member's consent.A settlement was reached, and Napster became a pay-to-use service. Despite reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger (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 process 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, three live albums, five extended plays, 24 music videos, and 45 singles. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200,making Metallica the first band to do so; this record was later matched by the Dave Matthews Band. The band's 1991 album, Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies in the United States, and 28 million copies worldwide, which makes it the 25th-best-selling album in the country.In December 2009, it became the best-selling album of the SoundScan era, surpassing 1997's Come on Over by country artist Shania Twain.The band has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide as of the release of their latest album, Death Magnetic (2008). As of December 2009, Metallica is the fourth best-selling music artist since the SoundScan era began tracking sales on May 25, 1991, selling a total of 52,672,000 albums in the United States alone. As of 2011, Metallica is working on a new album.
Metallica at The O2 Arena in 2008. From left to right: Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo.
Background information
Origin:Los Angeles, California, United StatesGenres:Heavy metal, thrash metal, hard rock, speed metal
Years active:1981–present
Labels:Elektra, Vertigo, Megaforce, Universal Music, Warner Bros.
Associated acts: Bob Rock, Megadeth, Echobrain, Spastik Children, Leather Charm, Exodus, Trauma, Flotsam and Jetsam, San Francisco Symphony, Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies, Lou Reed
Website: metallica.com
Members
James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich
Kirk Hammett
Robert Trujillo
Past members
Ron McGovney
Dave Mustaine
Cliff Burton
Jason Newsted
List of awards and nominations received by Metallica
Grammy Awards:
1990: Best Metal Performance – "One"
1991: Best Metal Performance – "Stone Cold Crazy"
1992: Best Metal Performance – Metallica
1999: Best Metal Performance – "Better than You"
2000: Best Hard Rock Performance – "Whiskey in the Jar"
2001: Best Rock Instrumental Performance – "The Call of Ktulu" with Michael Kamen and the San Francisco Symphony
2004: Best Metal Performance – "St. Anger"
2009: Best Metal Performance – "My Apocalypse"
MTV Video Music Awards:
1992: Best Metal Video – "Enter Sandman"
1996: Best Metal Video – "Until It Sleeps"
American Music Awards:
1996: Favorite Artist: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock: Metallica – Load
1996: Favorite Metal/Hard Rock Song – "Until It Sleeps"
Billboard Music Awards:
1997: Billboard Rock and Roll Artist of the Year – Metallica (RIAA Diamond Award)
1999: Catalogue Artist of the Year – Metallica
1999: Catalogue Album of the Year – Metallica
Kerrang! Awards:
2003: Hall of Fame – Metallica
2003: Best International Band – Metallica
2004: Best Band on the Planet – Metallica
2008: Inspiration Award Winner – Metallica
2009: Best Album – Death Magnetic
Current members:
James Hetfield – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1981–present)
Lars Ulrich – Drums (1981–present)
Kirk Hammett – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1983–present)
Robert Trujillo – Bass, Backing Vocals (2003–present)
Former members:
Ron McGovney – Bass Guitar (1982)
Dave Mustaine – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1982–1983)
Cliff Burton – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals (1982–1986)
Jason Newsted – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals (1986–2001)
Description
Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield playing at Metallica show at The O2 Arena, London, England
Date 15 September 2008
Posted in: Metallica
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