It
all
started
in
1981
with
an
ad
placed
in
a
local
LA
newspaper
by
a
16-year-old
from
Denmark
called
Lars
Ulrich,
which
read:
"Drummer
looking
for
other
metal
musicians
to
jam
with.
Influences:
Tygers
of
Pan
Tang,
Diamond
Head
and
Iron
Maiden." He
was
then
invited
to
audition
for
a
band
being
planned
by
a
certain
James
Hetfield,
who
wasn't
convinced
at
first
and
admitted
years
later
in
a
Rolling
Stones
interview
that
they
actually
ran
away
from
the
rented
rehearsal
studio,
letting
the
drummer
pick
up
the
bill.
Still,
Lars
Ulrich
did
not
give
up.
Even
before
having
formed
a
band,
he
managed
to
convince
the
producers
of
a
metal
compilation
album
titled
Metal
Massacre
to
let
him
record
a
song
for
it,
and
then
had
Hetfield
join
him.
Metallica
was
officially
formed
on
October
28,
1981.
40
Years
Of
Successes
And
Losses
There
were
ups
and
downs
at
the
beginning;
band
members
changed
several
times
before
the
group's
line-up
was
found.
When
Ulrich,
Hetfield
and
guitarist
Dave
Mustaine
finally
met
bassist
Cliff
Burton,
they
wanted
him
in
the
band
so
badly
that
they
all
agreed
to
move
to
San
Francisco
to
join
him.
That's
where
they
began
to
develop
their
new
sound.
At
the
time,
bands
from
England
such
as
Iron
Maiden,
Venom
or
Motörhead
were
already
famous
as
part
of
the
new
wave
of
British
heavy
metal
(commonly
abbreviated
as
NWOBHM).
The
guys
from
the
US
wanted
to
be
even
heavier.
Building
on
the
music
of
their
British
idols,
bands
like
Metallica,
Anthrax,
Exodus
or
Slayer
unleashed
a
brutal
sound,
characterized
by
overall
aggression
and
fast
tempos.
Their
thrash
metal
went
beyond
anything
known
as
hard
rock
in
the
early
80s.
And
so
the
four
members
of
Metallica
started
thrashing
through
the
music
scene
of
the
West
Coast
of
the
United
States
and
became
the
secret
music
tip
of
the
time.
Their
debut
album
was
released
in
1983:
Kill
'Em
All
was
praised
as
one
of
the
fastest
and
heaviest
albums
ever
recorded.
Just
before
recording
it,
guitarist
Dave
Mustaine
was
kicked
out
of
the
band
because
of
his
alcohol
problem
-
even
though
the
other
members
of
the
group
weren't
exactly
sober
either.
At
times
they
were
nicknamed
Alcoholica.
When
Master
of
Puppets
came
out
in
1986,
Metallica
had
reached
the
pantheon
of
rock.
It
was
during
the
European
tour
for
that
album
that
they
had
the
tragic
bus
accident
that
killed
their
bassist,
Cliff
Burton.
Metallica
has
been
commemorating
their
former
bass
player
at
their
concerts
ever
since.
Despite
Their
Loss,
The
Band
Continued
The
song
"One"
was
released
in
1990.
Even
though
the
seven-minute
track
was
unusually
long
by
commercial
standards,
its
video
ranked
at
number
one
on
MTV.
They
obtained
their
first
Grammy
in
1990,
for
best
metal
performance.
Many
more
followed.
Their
fifth
studio
album
came
out
in
1991.
Metallica,
also
called
The
Black
Album
because
of
its
cover,
included
the
megahits
"Enter
Sandman"
and
"Nothing
Else
Matters."
The
intense
recording
process
with
producer
Bob
Rock
drove
the
entire
band
nearly
crazy.
They
spent
a
year
working
in
studio,
all
while
three
of
the
band
members
were
going
through
a
divorce.
But
their
hard
work
paid
off.
Metallica
conquered
the
charts
in
10
countries,
including
the
USA.
The
album
managed
the
difficult
balance
of
catering
to
the
mainstream
as
well
as
metal
fans.
The
music
was
still
challenging,
fast
and
technically
impressive,
but
it
was
also
more
catchy,
groovy
and
sometimes
even
softer.
That's
how
"Nothing
Else
Matters"
became
the
first
metal
anthem
to
play
on
commercial
radio
stations.
The
Metallica
Blacklist
Thirty
years
after
the
release
of
"Nothing
Else
Matters,"
Sir
Elton
John
recorded
a
cover
of
the
song
on
his
new
album.
When
the
British
superstar
said
in
an
interview
that
it
was
"one
of
the
best
songs
ever
written,"
James
Hetfield
teared
up.
Even
the
leader
of
the
world's
hardest
rock
band
can
get
emotional
when
his
work
is
honored
by
a
knighted
icon
of
pop
music.
The
cover
by
Miley
Cyrus
featuring
Watt,
Elton
John,
Yo-Yo
Ma,
Robert
Trujillo
and
Chad
Smith
is
among
the
songs
on
The
Metallica
Blacklist,
an
anniversary
album
revisiting
the
songs
of
the
Black
Album.
It
includes
53
versions
of
the
12
songs
that
originally
led
to
more
than
30
million
record
sales
in
1991.
In
addition
to
Elton
John
and
Miley
Cyrus,
Depeche
Mode
singer
Dave
Gahan
and
pianist
Igor
Levit
have
also
contributed
to
one
of
the
12
versions
of
"Nothing
Else
Matters."
Weezer,
Colombian
singer
Juanes
and
R&B
singer
Alessia
Cara
are
among
the
musicians
reinterpreting
"Enter
Sandman."
One
version
of
"Sad
But
True"
combines
Mexican
hip
hop,
dance
hall
and
rock.
The
Australian
punk
trio
The
Chats
revisit
"Holier
Than
You"
in
their
own
style.
Kamasi
Washington
jazzes
up
"My
Friend
Of
Misery"
and
Volbeat
and
Portugal.
The
Man
offer
their
versions
of
"Don't
Tread
On
Me."
Even
though
it's
not
a
work
to
be
enjoyed
in
one
listening
session,
the
eclectic
collection
of
covers
will
shorten
the
wait
until
the
release
of
the
next
real
Metallica
album
following
Hardwired...
To
Self-Destruct,
which
came
out
five
years
ago.
Busy
creating
new
songs,
the
band
is
said
to
be
"in
a
very
healthy
place"
after
James
Hetfield's
renewed
stint
in
rehab
in
2019.
After
their
touring
pause
due
to
the
pandemic,
they
have
started
playing
their
first
concerts
again,
with
larger
shows
being
planned
as
well,
such
as
a
performance
at
the
Hockenheimring
festival
in
Germany
in
June
2022.
The
band
has
also
made
it
clear
they
have
no
intention
of
stopping
anytime
soon.
And
as
James
Hetfield
said
some
years
back:
"Look,
musicians
never
retire.
They
just
become
less
popular,"
he
explained.
"It's
what
I
do
on
this
planet.
That's
why
I've
been
put
here,
I
believe.
And
if
I
stop
that,
part
of
me
dies.
There's
no
retirement.
So
we
do
what
we
do
until
physically
we
can't
do
it."
Photo
and
Text
by
DW
News