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Metallica Band‘s “40 anniversary is 2021. when the legendary American thrash metal band was formed on October 28, 1981 and their self-titled album, one of the world’s best-selling records, was released 10 years later.
40 years of success and loss
The ad, by a 16-year-old from Denmark named Lars Ulrich, reads: “A drummer is looking for other metal artists to form a band. Influential Bands: Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden.
He was then invited to audition for a band that was being planned by another name, James Hetfield. James Hetfield was initially unconvinced by the young Dane he had just met and many years later admitted in a Rolling Stones interview that he had “run away”, leaving Lars Ulrich to pay the bill for the gym.
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How did Metallica Band get started?
In the early days of its establishment, the group went through many ups and downs, the band members changed many times before having the current lineup. When Ulrich, Hetfield and guitarist Dave Mustaine met bassist Cliff Burton, they wanted Burton to join the band so much that they all agreed to move to San Francisco in his favor. That’s where Metallica started developing its new sound.
Metallica was named Metallica when Ron Quintana, a San Francisco metal supporter, asked Ulrich to choose a name for his new magazine (a magazine promoting British and American metal bands). . Quintana offered a list with Metallica’s name on it, but Lars suggested choosing “Metal Mania” and… taking the name Metallica back for the band.
At that time, British bands such as Iron Maiden, Venom or Motorhead were already famous as part of the new British heavy metal wave. However, the boys from the US wanted to “heaviest”. . Drawing on the music of their British idols, bands such as Metallica, Anthrax, Exodus or Slayer created a brutal sound, characterized by aggression and fast tempo. Their thrash metal moved beyond anything called hard rock in the early 1980s.
Right before the recording of Kill ‘Em All, guitarist Dave Mustaine was kicked out of the band for being drunk – although the other members of the group weren’t really sober either. At one point they were nicknamed Alcoholica.
When Master Of Puppets was released in 1986, Metallica reached the pinnacle of rock music. But sad things happened during the European tour to promote this album. The band had a tragic bus accident and lost their bassist, Cliff Burton. Since then, Metallica has always remembered their former bassist at their concerts.
Top milestones
In 1990, Metallica released the song One, which was up to 7 minutes long. Despite its unusual length by commercial standards, its video still peaked at #1 on MTV. Metallica won its first Grammy in 1990, for Best Metal and Hard Rock Performance. And then, the band “won” 8 more Grammy Awards.
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Their fifth studio album Metallica was released in 1991. The album is also known as The Black Album because of its cover, which included the megahits Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters. The intense recording process with producer Bob Rock drove the band almost crazy. They spent a year working in the studio, while the 3 members of the band were going through a divorce.
But their hard work paid off. Metallica has conquered the charts in 10 countries, including the US. The album has been managed by the band members to create a balance, serving the common people but still making metal fans feel “early”. Their music is still challenging, fast, and technically impressive, but it’s also more catchy, lithe, and at times softer.
That’s how Nothing Else Matters became the first metal “anthem” to play on commercial radio stations.
Thirty years after the release of Nothing Else Matters, Sir Elton John recorded a “cover” of the song for his new album. When the British superstar said in an interview that it was “one of the best songs ever written”, James Hetfield broke down in tears. As it turns out, even the frontman of the world’s toughest rock band can get emotional when his work is honored by a pop icon of chivalry.
This “cover” featuring Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith is included in The Metallica Blacklist – a commemorative album with multiple versions of Black Album songs. The Metallica Blacklist includes 53 versions of the 12 songs on the Black Album, which sold more than 30 million copies in 1991. In addition to Elton John and Miley Cyrus, Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan and pianist Igor Levit also featured. in a version of Nothing Else Matters. Meanwhile, Weezer, Colombian singer Juanes and R&B singer Alessia Cara are performing artists for Enter Sandman.
There is also a version of Sad But True that combines hip-hop, disco and Mexican rock. Australian punk trio The Chats reinterpret Holier Than You in their own style. Kamasi Washington performs My Friend Of Misery in jazz style. The Man (USA) presents a version of Don’t Tread On Me.
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While it’s not an album to enjoy in one sitting, the diverse collection of “covers” will help shorten the wait until the release of Metallica’s next authentic album. It’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct – the band’s 10th studio album, released 5 years ago.
There is no such thing as retirement
Busy with creating new songs, Metallica is said to be “in a very healthy period” after James Hetfield entered rehab in 2019. After taking a break from touring due to the pandemic, the band has begun promoting its first concerts, and larger performances are also planned, such as a performance at the Hockenheimring festival in Germany in June 2022.
Metallica also shared that they have no intention of stopping anytime soon. As James Hetfield said a few years ago: “Look, musicians never retire. They just became less famous. That’s what I do on this planet. And if I stop doing this, a part of me will die. We’ll do what we can until the body can’t take it anymore.”