Metallica Arguably the biggest and most successful heavy metal band that will ever exist, Metallica was formed in 1981 by then budding tennis player Lars Ulrich. After advertising for likeminded musicians in a Los Angeles newspaper, Ulrich teamed up with guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, bassist Ron McGovney and second guitarist Dave Mustaine (later of Megadeth fame) to form the band’s earliest incarnation. Releasing their debut album Kill ‘Em All two years later, the band eventually recruited Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Cliff Burton in place of Mustaine and McGovney respectively, producing two of their finest moments in Ride The Lightning and the classic Master Of Puppets. After just five short years, Metallica had begun to look unstoppable. Tragically, their success was to be momentarily halted following a bus crash in Sweden towards the end of 1986, resulting in Burton’s death. Following months of uncertainty, Metallica recruited fan Jason Newsted to fill the void, producing the album …And Justice For All in 1988. Newsted would remain in the band for the next 14 years, recording three more studio albums including the mega-selling ‘Black Album’. It was a period that would see various controversies rear their head; not least the distinctly ‘un-metal’ approach taken on the albums Load and Reload in the mid-nineties, while Ulrich suffered much abuse for his role in the band’s decision to tackle file-sharing giant Napster in 2000. Soon after the band recorded St. Anger, an album that many have dubbed the worst of their career, while Ulrich’s deteriorating relationship with Hetfield – documented in the 2004 film Some Kind Of Monster – once again threatened the band’s very existence. Having recruited former Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo shortly after the album’s completion, the band has since enjoyed a healthy relationship, with last month’s stunning Death Magnetic topping charts on both sides of the Atlantic, reinforcing their reputation as the finest heavy metal band on the planet. Name: Master of Puppets Label: VERTIGO Year: 1986 Buy from Amazon Find on iTunes Review: Following the break through success of Ride The Lightning two years prior, the quartet delivered what is commonly known as one of the finest metal albums ever made. Blending their raw thrash prowess with a song writing formula that was beginning to look unbeatable, Master Of Puppets changed the music world on its head, allowing Metallica to take their rightful place as the kings of heavy metal. Name: Metallica Label: VERTIGO Year: 1991 Buy from Amazon Find on iTunes Review: Though its release was met with cries of ‘sell-outs’ the world over, it’s easy to overlook the quality of Metallica’s biggest selling album. Though the immortal smash known as Enter Sandman would overshadow much of their 90’s career, Metallica – commonly known as the Black Album due to its cover – is a solid, no-frills metal album in its purest form, perfectly capturing a band that was about to hit its peak. Name: Ride the Lightning Label: VERTIGO Year: 1984 Buy from Amazon Find on iTunes Review: While Kill ‘Em All had made Metallica’s intentions of world domination clear, it wasn’t until Ride The Lightning surfaced some 18 months later that such plans started to become reality. From the startling fury of Fight Fire With Fire right through to the epic Call Of Ktulu, this was the album that announced their arrival into the big leagues. Name: Reload Label: VERTIGO Year: 1997 Buy from Amazon Find on iTunes Review: The second of Metallica’s ill-fated double salvo, Reload arguably had the edge on its predecessor. Favouring a largely straightforward, blues-driven rock and roll approach, it undoubtedly possesses a cluster of top notch songs. While it was Reload and its sister album that stripped the ‘metal’ from ‘Metallica’, one thing it never took was their ability to evolve regardless of the outside world. Name: St. Anger Label: VERTIGO Year: 2003 Buy from Amazon Find on iTunes Review: Although it perhaps seems an easy album to bash, it only takes a proper listen to the band’s highly controversial eighth album to see that such treatment is largely justified. Recorded during a period that saw Metallica’s very existence hanging by a thread, the result was an unimpressive and sloppy mess of an album, offering absolutely no redeeming features either musically or lyrically. Key Metallica Tracks ALL NIGHTMARE LONG With a defiant chorus of ‘we’ll hunt you down without mercy/hunt you down all nightmare long’, the world once again had reason to fear Metallica after a decade of indifference. Find on iTunes Find It: DEATH MAGNETIC, 2008 BATTERY At just over five minutes in length, Battery represented the shortest of Puppets’ eight tracks. With a pulse that rarely drops below the brink of collapse, it was also the most dangerous. Find on iTunes Find It: MASTER OF PUPPETS, 1986 BLEEDING ME Eight minutes of emotional, heartfelt music that sees James Hetfield confronting his inner demons once and for all. For sheer passion alone, they don’t come much better than this. Find on iTunes Find It: LOAD, 1996 CREEPING DEATH A grand and dramatic introduction makes way for one of the most intense opening riffs of a generation, cementing Metallica’s position at the top of the heavy metal pyramid. Find on iTunes Find It: RIDE THE LIGHTNING, 1984 ENTER SANDMAN Quite possibly the most famous hard rock song ever written, the chances of at least one middle-aged family not knowing this seemingly immortal anthem are slim at best. Find on iTunes Find It: METALLICA, 1991 FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS Kick-started by possibly the most distinctive heavy metal bass line ever written, it sees Metallica straying into slower, darker territories for the first time, with spectacular results. Find on iTunes Find It: RIDE THE LIGHTNING, 1984 FUEL A full-throttle rock and roll hurricane that puts its foot firmly to the floor and refuses to budge it. A rare highlight from an otherwise patchy period in Metallica’s history. Find on iTunes Find It: RELOAD, 1997 HARVESTER OF SORROW Never pushing beyond third gear, this hefty slab of metallic brilliance stomps along with a menacing purpose. Proof that being heavy doesn’t always mean being fast. Find on iTunes Find It: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, 1988 HELPLESS THE FIRST track on the 'Garage Days Re-Revisited' EP that introduced bassist Jason Newsted to Metallica's loyal fan-base, this is a clattering cover of an old Diamond Head tune. And it kicks arse. Find on iTunes Find It: 'Garage Inc', 1998. HIT THE LIGHTS The first song that Metallica ever wrote, the track features punk influences that are pushed to the forefront by a series of hyperactive riffs and double-time drum bursts. In just four minutes, metal had changed forever. Find on iTunes Find It: KILL 'EM ALL, 1983 MASTER OF PUPPETS A combination of red-hot riffs, percussive precision, beautiful classical interludes, soaring solos and disturbing cackled outros; all of which clock in at just under nine unstoppable minutes. Find on iTunes Find It: MASTER OF PUPPETS, 1986. NO LEAF CLOVER Written especially for the band’s performance alongside the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the song has recently begun to work its way into Metallica’s live set. Worth it for the dramatic climax alone. Find on iTunes Find It: S&M, 1999 ONE Arguably the most haunting song in the Metallica arsenal. Opening with a delicate spine-chilling guitar line, it soon evolves into a raging beast, spawning one of the band’s most infamous guitar solos Find on iTunes Find It: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, 1988 SAD BUT TRUE Thick, crunchy and deceptively dark; like most good chocolate bars. That chart-bothering pleb Kid Rock would go on to sample its base riff years later shows the size its unmistakable impact. Find on iTunes Find It: METALLICA, 1991 THE JUDAS KISS Packed full of meaty guitars and with one of the finest solos of Kirk Hammett’s career shining brightly, this was yet another reminder that the beast was well and truly back. Find on iTunes Find It: DEATH MAGNETIC, 2008 WELCOME HOME (SANITARIUM) Dark and brooding right to its very core, Welcome Home was a reminder not only of Metallica’s superior song writing ability, but that they were pushing the boundaries of thrash like few others. Find on iTunes Find It: MASTER OF PUPPETS, 1986

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