Death Magnetic (2008)

In 2006, Metallica announced on its official website that after 15 years, long-time producer Bob Rock was stepping down and would not be producing Metallica's next studio album. Metallica chose to work with producer Rick Rubin, who has produced albums for the bands Danzig, Slayer, Slipknot and System of a Down. Metallica set the release date for the album Death Magnetic as September 12, 2008, and they filmed a music video for the first single "The Day That Never Comes".


On September 2, 2008, a French record store began selling copies of Death Magnetic nearly two weeks ahead of its scheduled worldwide release date, which resulted in the album being made available on peer-to-peer clients. This prompted the band's United Kingdom distributor, Vertigo Records, to officially release the album two days ahead of schedule, on September 10, 2008. It is currently unconfirmed whether Metallica or Warner Bros. will be taking any action against the retailer, though drummer Lars Ulrich who has made such responses to the leak as, "…We're ten days from release. I mean, from here, we're golden. If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me," and, "By 2008 standards, that's a victory. If you'd told me six months ago that our record wouldn't leak until 10 days out, I would have signed up for that."

Death Magnetic debuted at number one in several countries to make it top the Australian, Canadian, Mexican and European album chart. Selling 490,000 units in the United States to debut at number one, Metallica became the first band to have five consecutive studio albums debut at number one in the history of the Billboard 200. After a week of its release, Death Magnetic remained at number one on the Billboard 200, the European album chart, and became the fastest selling album in Australia for 2008.



Death Magnetic stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart for three consecutive weeks. Metallica became the only artist, aside from Jack Johnson with the release of the album Sleep Through the Static, to remain on the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks at number one this year. Death Magnetic had also remained at number one on Billboard's Hard Rock, Modern Rock/Alternative and Rock album charts for five consecutive weeks. Internationally, the album peaked at number one in 32 countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

The World Magnetic Tour is a current concert tour by Metallica, taking place in 2008 and 2009 in support of Death Magnetic.In an interview, Lars Ulrich announced that the band would be staying on tour until early 2010.



Death Magnetic
1)That Was Just Your Life
2)The End of The Line
3)Broken, Beaten and Scarred
4)The Day That Never Comes
5)All Nightmare Long
6)Cyanide
7)The Unforgiven III
8)The Judas Kiss
9)Suicide and Redemption
10)My Apocalypse

Jason Newsted's replacement: Robert Trujillo

Metallica held auditions for Newsted's permanent replacement in early 2003, after St Anger's completion, for which Bob Rock recorded bass. Bassists that auditioned included Pepper Keenan, Jeordie White, Scott Reeder, Eric Avery, Danny Lohner, and Chris Wyse. Following three months of auditions, Robert Trujillo, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne's band, was chosen as the new bassist.

In a scene from the documentary "Some Kind Of Monster" after Robert Trujillo's audition, guitarist Kirk Hammett notes that he uses his fingers to play, rather than a pick and mentions that it "hasn't been that way since Cliff (Burton)".

Some Kind Of Monster (2001 - 2004)

In April 2001, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky began following Metallica to document the recording process of the next studio album. Over two years, more than 1,000 hours of footage was recorded. The footage recorded by Berlinger and Sinofsky was compiled into the documentary, Some Kind of Monster, which premiered at the Sundance film festival.

What began as a simple documentary of the making of an album (St. Anger) turned into a much more personal exploration of the band's relationships with each other, and struggles with the creative process.

"This is not a film about Metallica - it's a film about relationships," explains 40-year-old drummer Lars Ulrich. Originally planned as a behind-the-scenes promo to accompany the band's new album, Some Kind Of Monster quickly spiralled into some kind of nightmare, as the band teetered on the verge of acrimony and collapse in the recording studio. Bickering, backstabbing, and all-out slanging matches were the result as the three surviving band members - Hetfield, Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett - prove that monsters of rock often have monstrous egos to match.

St Anger (2003)

Five and a half years elapsed between the release of the band's previous studio album, Reload, and the recording of St. Anger, which began in 2002. Many factors contributed to this delay, including the departure of bassist Jason Newsted, the band's feud with file-sharing service Napster, and vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield's several months in rehab for alcoholism and other unspecified addictions.

The band began initial writing for the album in January 2001, when they rented out and converted an army barrack in The Presidio in San Francisco, California, into a makeshift studio. Uncomfortable with the idea of bringing in an immediate replacement for Newsted, the band opted to have producer Bob Rock play bass guitar for the recording of the album, with plans to find a fulltime bass player upon the record's completion. Recording came to a halt in July 2001 when the band announced via its website that James Hetfield had entered a rehab center for treatment of alcoholism and other addictions.

When Hetfield returned on December 4, 2001, the band returned to the recording studio and Hetfield was required to work four hours a day, noon to 4 PM, and spend the rest of his time with his family.

In June 2003, Metallica's eighth studio album, St. Anger, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and drew mixed reaction from critics.

St. Anger

1)Frantic

2)St. Anger

3)Some Kind Of Monster

4)Dirty Window

5)Invisible Kid

6)My World

7)Shoot Me Again

8)Sweet Amber

9)The Unnamed Feeling

10)Purify
11)All Within My Hands

Jason Newsted's Departure (2001)

In 2000, Newsted co-founded a side project known as Echobrain. They entered a studio in May to rerecord their demos with help from several musicians including Newsted's then-colleague and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, and former Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin. The project was funded by Newsted which he later claimed he lost a great deal of money in. The fact that Newsted began to focus his efforts on a side project created tension within Metallica.

As plans were being made to enter the recording studio, Newsted left Metallica on January 17, 2001. His statement revealed his departure was based on "private and personal reasons and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love." During a Playboy interview with Metallica, Newsted revealed intentions he wanted to release an album with Echobrain. Hetfield was against the idea and said, "When someone does a side project, it takes away from the strength of Metallica." Newsted countered his statement by citing Hetfield's contributions to other musical outlets. Hetfield replied, "My name isn't on those records. And I'm not out trying to sell them," and pondered questions such as, "Where would it end? Does he start touring with it? Does he sell shirts? Is it his band?"

S&M (1999)

On April 21 and April 22, 1999, Metallica recorded two performances with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. Kamen, who had previously worked with producer Rock on "Nothing Else Matters", approached the band in 1991 with the idea of pairing Metallica's music with a symphony orchestra. Kamen and his staff of over 100 composed additional orchestral material for Metallica songs. Metallica wrote two new Kamen-scored songs for the event, "No Leaf Clover" and "Minus Human". The audio recording and concert footage were released in 1999 as the album and concert film S&M. It entered the Billboard 200 at number two, and the Australian ARIA charts and Top Internet Albums chart at number one.

S&M

1)The Ecstasy of Gold

2)The Call Of Ktult

3)Master Of Puppets

4)Of Wolf And Man

5)The Thing That Should Not Be

6)Fuel

7)The Memory Remains

8)No leaf Clover

9)Hero Of THe Day

10)Devil's Dance

11)Bleeding Me

12)Nothing Else Matters

13)Until It Sleeps

14)From Whom The Bells Toll

15)Human

16)Wherever I May Roam

17)Outlaw Torn

18)sad But True

19)One

20)Enter Sandman

21)Battery

Garage Inc. (1998)

In 1998, Metallica compiled a double album of cover songs titled Garage Inc.. The first disc contained newly recorded covers by bands such as Diamond Head, Killing Joke, The Misfits, Thin Lizzy, Mercyful Fate, and Black Sabbath. The second disc featured the original The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited, which had become a scarce collectors' item. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number two.

Garage Inc.

1)Free Speech For the Dumb

2)It's Electric

3)Sabbra Cadabra

4)Turn the Page

5)Die Die My Darling

6)Loverman

7)Mercyful Fate

8)Astronomy

9)Whiskey in the Jar

10)Tuesday's Gone

11)The More I See

13)Helpless

14)The Small Hours

15)The Wait

16)Crash Course in Brain Surgery

17)Last Caress / Green Hell

18)Am I Evil?

19)Blitzkrieg

20)Breadfan

21)The Prince

22)Stone Cold Crazy

23)So What

24)Killing Time

25)Overkill

26)Damage Case

27)Stone Dead Forever

28)Too Late Too Late

Reload (1997)

During early production of the album, Load, the band had produced enough material for a double album. It was decided that half of the songs were to be released, and the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year. This resulted in the follow-up album, ReLoad. The cover was created by Serrano, this time using a mixture of blood and urine. ReLoad peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, and number two on the Top Canadian Album chart.

Reload

1)Fuel

2)The Memory Remains

3)Devil's Dance

4)The Unforgiven II

5)Better Than You

6)Slither

7)Carpe Diem Baby

8)Bad Seed

9)Where The Wild Things Are

10)Prince Charming

11)Low man's Lyric

12)Attitude

13)Fixxxer

Load (1996)

After almost three years of touring to support Metallica, including a headlining performance at Woodstock '94, Metallica returned to the studio to write and record its sixth studio album. The band took a break in the summer of 1995 and played three outdoor shows which included headlining Donington Park in the United Kingdom, supported by Slayer, Skid Row, Slash's Snakepit, Therapy?, and Corrosion of Conformity. The short tour was titled Escape From The Studio '95. The band spent roughly one year writing and recording new songs, resulting in the release of Load in 1996, which entered the Billboard 200 and ARIA Charts at number one, marking the band's second number one. The cover of Load was created by Andres Serrano, and was called Blood and Semen III. Serrano pressed a mixture of his own semen and bovine blood between sheets of plexiglass. The release marked a change in musical direction for the band and a new look with band members receiving haircuts.

Load
1)Ain't My Bitch
2)2 X 4
3)The House Jack Built
4)Until It Sleeps
5)King Nothing
6)Hero Of The Day
7)Bleeding Me
8)Cure
9)Poor Twisted Me
10)Wasting My Hate
11)Mama Said
12)Thorn Within
13)Ronnie
14)The Outlaw Torn

Metallica (1991)

In October 1990, Metallica entered One on One studio in North Hollywood to record its next album. Bob Rock, who had worked with the bands The Cult, Bon Jovi, and Mötley Crüe, was hired as producer. Metallica (also known as "The Black Album") was remixed three times, cost $1 million, and ended three marriages. Although the release was stalled until 1991, Metallica debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with shipments exceeding 650,000 units in its first week. The album was responsible for bringing Metallica to the attention of the mainstream and has been certified 15 times platinum in the United States, which makes it the 25th highest-selling album in the country. The making of Metallica and the following tour was documented in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. Dubbed the Wherever We May Roam Tour, it lasted 14 months and included dates in the United States, Japan, and England.

Metallica

1)Enter Sandman

2)Sad But True

3)Holier Than Thou

4)The Unforgiven

5)Wherever I May Roam

6)Don't Tread On Me

7)Through The Never

8)Nothing Else Matters

9)Of Wolf And Man

10)The God That Failed

11)My Friend Of Misery

12)The Struggle Within

...And Justice for All (1988)

…And Justice for All, the group's first studio album since Burton's death, was released in 1988. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200, the band's first album to enter the top 10. The album was certified platinum nine weeks after its release. Newsted's bass was purposely turned down on the album as a part of the continuous "hazing" he received, and his musical ideas were ignored (However, he did receive a writing credit on track one, "Blackened"). There were complaints with the production; namely, Steve Huey of Allmusic noted Ulrich's drums were clicking more than thudding, and the guitars "buzz thinly". The Damaged Justice tour followed to promote the album.


...And Justice for All
1)Blackened
2)...And Justice for All
3)Eye Of The Beholder
4)One
5)The Shortest Straw
6)Harvester Of Sorrow
7)The Frayed Ends Of Sorrow
8)To Live Is To Die
9)Dyers Eve

Cliff Burton's Death and his replacement, Jason Newsted (1986 - 1987)

During the European leg of the Damage Inc. tour in support of Master of Puppets, the band had complained that the sleeping cubicles on their tour bus were unsatisfactory and uncomfortable. Kirk was arguing with Cliff about who was getting the pick of the bunks, so as a solution they drew cards. On the evening of September 27, 1986, Burton had won the game with an Ace of Spades. Around dawn near Dörarp, Sweden, the bus driver lost control and skidded, which caused the bus to flip several times. Ulrich, Hammett, and Hetfield sustained no serious injuries; however, bassist Burton was pinned under the bus and was killed. Hetfield recalls, "I saw the bus lying right on him. I saw his legs sticking out. I freaked. The bus driver, I recall, was trying to yank the blanket out from under him to use for other people. I just went, 'Don't fucking do that!' I already wanted to kill the guy." Burton's death left Metallica's future in doubt. The three remaining members decided that Burton would want them to carry on, and with the Burton family's blessings, the band sought a replacement.

Roughly 40 people tried out for auditions including Hammett's childhood friend Les Claypool of Primus, Troy Gregory of Prong, and Jason Newsted, formerly of Flotsam and Jetsam. Newsted learned Metallica's entire setlist, and after the audition Metallica invited him to Tommy's Joynt in San Francisco. Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett decided that Newsted was the one to replace Burton, and Newsted's first live performance with Metallica was at the Country Club in Reseda, California. The members took it on themselves to "initiate" Newsted by tricking him into eating a ball of wasabi.

A video titled Cliff 'Em All was released in 1987 commemorating Burton's three years in Metallica. Footage included bass solos, home videos, and pictures.

Master Of Puppets (1986)

Metallica's third studio album, Master of Puppets was recorded at Sweet Silence Studios and was released in March 1986. The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200, and spent 72 weeks on the chart. The album was the band's first to be certified gold on November 4, 1986, and was certified six times platinum in 2003. Steve Huey of Allmusic considered the album "the band's greatest achievement".


Master Of Puppets
1)Battery
2)Master Of Puppets
3)The Thing That Should Not Be
4)Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5)Disposable Heroes
6)Lepper Messiah
7)Orion (Instrumental)
8)Damage, Inc.

Ride The Lightning (1984)

Metallica recorded its second studio album, Ride the Lightning, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. Released in August 1984, the album peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200. A French printing press mistakenly printed green covers for the album, which are now considered collectors' items.

Ride The Lightning

1)Fight Fire With Fire

2)Ride The Lightning

3)From Whom The Bells Tolls

4)Fade To Black

5)Trapped Under Ice

6)Escape

7)Creeping Death

8)The Call Of Ktulu

Kill 'Em All (1983)

In 1983, Metallica traveled to Rochester, New York to record its first album, Metal up Your Ass, with production duties handled by Paul Curcio. Due to conflicts with the band's record label and the distributors' refusal to release an album with that name, it was renamed Kill 'Em All. Released on Megaforce Records in the United States and Music for Nations in Europe, the album peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 120, and although the album was not initially a financial success, it earned Metallica a growing fan base in the underground metal scene.

Kill 'Em All

1) Hit The Lights

2)The For Horsemen

3)Motorbreath

4)Jump In The Fire

5)(Anesthesia)--Pulling Teeth

6)Whiplash

7)Phantom Lord

8)No Remorse

9)Seek & Destroy

10) Metal Militia

Members

Current Members

James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981–present)

Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion (1981–present)

Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)

Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)

Former Members

Ron McGovney – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981-1982)

Dave Mustaine – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983)

Cliff Burton – bass guitar, backing vocals (1982–1986)

Jason Newsted – bass guitar, backing vocals (1986–2001)

Introduction

Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists. Currently, the spot is held by Robert Trujillo.

Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "big four" of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax.

Metallica has released nine studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, twenty-two music videos, and forty-three singles. The band has won seven Grammy Awards, and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the only band ever to do so.