Metallicas Heavy Metal Influence Continues On
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Author: Jimmy Cox
Metallica was formed on October 1981 in Los Angeles by drummer
Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, vocals and guitarist, after
placing classified ads on The Recycler.
From the ad they recruited Ron McGovney as bassist, but were
unable to find a fulltime lead guitarist, which resulted in a
number of guitarists like Brad Parker, Jeff Warner and Lloyd
Grant.
The band name Metallica came from an idea by a promoter of the
San Francisco metal scene named Ron Quintana. When Quintana
asked Lars Ulrich to examine a list of names for his new
magazine promoting British and U.S. metal bands, Ulrich picked
Metal Mania for Quintana`s magazine and used Metallica for his
band.
In 1983, Metallica recorded its first album entitled Kill Em All
at Rochester, New York. Although the album did not produce them
instant success, it did gave them exposure and a growing number
of fans in the underground scene.
After a year, Metallica released a major hit song Ride the
Lightning, which features a more introspective, slower and newer
style. Although this song became an instant success, some fans
were discouraged and accused Metallica of selling out.
After the release of Ride the Lightning, major labels wanted
Metallica. However, the band chose Elektra and released Master
of Puppets in 1986. Although Metallica failed to release any
single for the 1986 album, it was still regarded as the album
that gave way to their success breakthrough.
When Metallica was invited to open for Ozzy Osbourne, their
album climbed up to Billboard Top Album Chart #29. Until today,
many people still consider Master of Puppets as the greatest
heavy metal album of all time.
When Cliff Burton was killed by a freak accident in 1986 at a
European show, Metallica discontinued playing for a while until
they decided that Burton would have wanted them to continue
their music. A few weeks after Burton`s funeral, with plenty of
auditions to replace Burton, Metallica finally decided on
picking Jason Newsted.
...And Justice for All was the first album where Newsted played
bass. With much controversy, it was released in 1988. The
following year, Metallica 1988 album was nominated for its first
Grammy. Unfortunately, Jethro Tull`s Crest of a Knave won the
award.
Three years later, the band won a Grammy for Enter Sandman from
Metallica`s 1991 self-titled album, also known as The Black
Album. It instantly became a hit and became the band`s most
popular song to date.
When Metallica entered the mainstream in 1991, they were able to
sell over ten million albums in U.S. alone. It was in 1996 that
Metallica switched to alternative rock for their Load album.
Unfortunately, many fans were discouraged of the sudden change
in music style.
In 1992`s Reload, Metallica produced a major comeback as a metal
group and their worldwide fans hailed their return. Their
success continued throughout the end of 1990s. However, in 2001,
Jason Newsted left the band for personal reasons while James
Hetfield stayed in rehab for a couple of months.
In 2002, Lars Ulrich, the now sober James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett
and their long-time producer Bob Rock who replaced Newsted
continued in creating Metallica`s 11th album entitled St. Anger,
which produced a more mature, honest and heavy sound that fans
worldwide continue to love.
To this day Metallica is considered one of the true pioneers in
heavy metal.
About the Author
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