Metallica

• James Hetfield - Vocals, rhythm guitar
• Kirk Lee Hammett - Lead guitar
• Robert Trujillo - Bass guitar
• Lars Ulrich - Drums
• Dave Mustaine - Lead guitar (fired in 1983)
• Cliff Burton - Bass guitar (died in 1986)
• Jason Newsted - Bass guitar (left 2001)
• Ron McGovney- Bass guitar (left in 1982)

The long history of the million selling metal band Metallica goes something like this: 25 years ago, 3 young upstarts formed a band after placing adverts in an American publication. Two of the members would stay on to sell over 100 million albums, a record which would surpass any expectations from fans that would see them on the club circuit in western America.

In 1982, early bassist Ron McGovney left the band because of the arrival of Dave Mustaine; A talented guitarist with drink and drug problems. Mustaine contributed to some of Metallica's early songs, but his increasingly dangerous behaviour led to Ron packing it all in. It didn't take long for the rest of the band to follow suit, arriving to the decision that they should carry on without Mustaine.

By the time of 1983, Metallica had released their debut album Kill 'Em All, and recruited bassist Cliff Burton and guitarist Kirk Hammett. Inspired by the new wave of British heavy metal, Metallica's debut was full of heavy metal riffs, coupled with a fast paced rhythm section courtesy of Lars Ulrich. Two albums followed, Ride the Lightning and Master Of Puppets, with the latter being released on major label Elektra following critical and commercial success.

In September 1986, Metallica went on tour in support of Master Of Puppets but tragically suffered the loss of influential bassist Cliff Burton when their tour bus crashed. Soon after, Jason Newsted was recruited for playing the bass parts in the band. Another album followed; ...And Justice for All. The bands popularity was constantly rising, and they were developing as musicians, which showed in the aforementioned 4th album, and their self titled 5th album.

The album Metallica marked the point where the quartet became a household name, and the biggest metal band in the world. 'Enter Sandman', one of their most popular songs dominated the charts worldwide, and gave teenagers the drive to pick up the guitar and play metal themselves. Predictably, this spawned another two albums from Metallica, but unfortunately was met with less acclaim from fans and critics. Load and Reload didn't keep to the traditional thrash formula, because the band felt a need to experiment with a softer rock sound.

Entering the millennium was a tricky time for the pioneers of the metal scene. Fans illegally downloading off p2p software Napster were attacked by the band, and many were sued, which consequently angered the people that had supported Metallica for so long. To add to the shaky start, bassist Jason Newsted left, and James Hetfield entered rehabilitation.

Fast forward to 2003, and things were starting to look up. Rob Trujillo was recruited to fill Jason's shoes, and St. Anger was seen as a return to form by many fans.

Rick Rubin is to produce Metallica's 9th full length album, which is due for release in early 2007.

"There is something powerful in Metallica, a will, a drive." - James Hetfield (USA today)