Metallica formed in Los Angeles in 1981 around James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich and became the biggest of thrash metal's Big Four. Master of Puppets (1986) is the genre's high-water mark, and the Black Album (1991) sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Shop Metallica vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Metallica formed in Los Angeles in October 1981 around drummer Lars Ulrich (a Danish immigrant) and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield. Dave Mustaine was the band's lead guitarist from 1982 to April 1983 before being fired and forming Megadeth; Kirk Hammett (formerly of Exodus) replaced him. Cliff Burton joined as bassist in late 1982 and shaped the band's musical direction with his classical music influences. They are widely cited as one of the Big Four of American thrash metal alongside Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. Burton died in a tour bus accident in Sweden on September 27, 1986 at age 24; he was replaced by Jason Newsted. Their 1991 self-titled fifth album (the Black Album) became one of the highest-selling rock albums of all time with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. Newsted departed in 2001; Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne) joined as bassist in 2003. They launched their own Blackened Recordings label in 2012. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Their foundational influence on heavy metal and broader rock music is widely documented.
Metallica's sound is foundational to thrash metal and broader heavy metal - combining thrash metal, heavy metal, hard rock, speed metal, and (in their post-1991 catalog) hard rock and alternative metal with Hetfield's distinctive vocal delivery, Ulrich's drumming, Hammett's lead guitar work, and varied compositional approaches across their multi-decade catalog. Their foundational influence on heavy metal as a recognized genre is widely documented.
Original Megaforce and Elektra pressings of the 1980s Metallica catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues, and the comprehensive Blackened Recordings reissue programs have been released. The Black Album has received multiple anniversary edition treatments.
Listeners new to Metallica typically start with Master of Puppets (1986) or Metallica (the Black Album, 1991).
