Get Drawn Into the Legend of Metallica Discography

The Metallica discography should be enough proof to show that the band is the leader of the pack in the heavy metal genre. Naturally, other outstanding acts in the same category would dispute this but they’d be hard put to dethrone the group from its lead status. Ask anyone, even those who don’t listen to metal and they’d know the band.

Unlike other groups, this legendary band was not made up of childhood school or neighborhood friends. The band’s mundane birth began when Lars Ulrich advertised for musicians who wanted to jam. The one other founding member who had been with the band from the very beginning, James Hetfield answered the ad. The band was officially formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney were later recruited to complete the original line up. Burton, who was deemed the better bassist, later replaced McGovney.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for the group at the beginning. Just like other legendary music acts, they initially faced a lot of rejection. They were only able to create their first album under Megaforce Records with borrowed money. Also, band member problems already started to creep in with Mustaine getting booted out for drug use. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett. Mustaine picked himself up and jump started rival band Megadeth.

In 1983, the birth of Metallica merch and CDs became a future vision. It was on this year that they released their first album Kill ‘Em All. Although this initial release did not bring in the money, it did build a loyal fan base for the group. This paved the way for better reception of succeeding albums. Their third release, Master of Puppets in 1986 gave them their first glimpse of rising success with the album reaching gold status.

Unfortunately, success didn’t prevent tragedy from looming over the band. Burton lost his life in a road accident while the members were travelling together. This was perhaps, the group’s most difficult period but they were left with no choice but to replace Burton. They took on Jason Newsted and started work on …And Justice for All which took the sixth spot in the Billboard 200. Newsted later jumped ship and Robert Trujillo came in to replace him.

Trujillo’s introduction to the band was probably not what he expected. Metallica at this point already had an established musical style but St. Anger, the album that Trujillo first recorded with them distinctly lacked this style. Signature guitar solos, fast pacing and long instrumental introductions were distinctly missing from the body of work. A number of critics and traditional fans did not appreciate the change. Nonetheless, the album still managed to grab the number one spot in the Billboard 200.

There is just no arguing about how popular and respected Metallica is now. After putting together a Metallica discography of nine albums and selling more than a hundred million album copies, the group has garnered for itself a slew of awards including nine Grammy awards. They finally entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. From here on onwards it’s clear that more fans will be wearing studded belts in their honor.