Get Drawn Into the Legend of Metallica Discography

There is no doubting what the Metallica discography stands for. It simply is a testament that the band is a living legend all its own. Of course, many other metal bands would argue they too deserve to occupy a legendary status. In reality though, few metal bands can claim to be as well known and esteemed as Metallica. Even people who don’t like metal music know the group.

The original band members did not come together in the same way that members of other famous bands did. Metallica was not composed of long time friends but of strangers. Lars Ulrich started the ball rolling when he posted an ad for jam partners. Jams Hetfield took on Ulrich’s invitation and Metallica was born in 1981. Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney came in later to handle guitar and bass. McGovney however was later egged out in favor of Cliff Burton who exemplified the group’s definition of excellent bass playing.

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.

By 1983, music experts already began to foresee the future of Metallica merch and CDs selling like hotcakes. On this year, the band released Kill ‘Em All. There wasn’t a lot of cash in it but it did build a rock-solid following for the metal group. This following led the way to greater acceptance for future releases. By 1986, Metallica already had a gold album entitled Master of Puppets.

It was unfortunate that on the year the group first had a taste of excellent album sales they lost Burton in a bus accident. Although the incident jarred the group, they eventually decided to move on and settled on Jason Newsted to fill in Burton’s shoes. It was with him that the group recorded …And Justice for All which was the first of the band’s work to reach a prime spot in the Billboard 200 at number 6. By 2001 however, Newsted decided to leave the band and was replaced by Robert Trujillo.

Trujillo came at an unusual moment in the band’s history. Their eighth album, St. Anger finally took the first spot in the Billboard 200 but it was to be a controversial success because it was the first piece of work that departed dramatically from the band’s signature sound. Critics noticed the lack of guitar solos, focus, differentiated tuning and a slower, rawer pace. This prompted a return to the band’s usual sound in Death Magnetic, their ninth release.

It’s clear that there is no chance that Metallica will fade into oblivion. With nine albums in the Metallica discography, nine Grammy awards, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and more than a hundred million records sold, their legend status has been etched in stone. Obviously more fans will be sporting studded belts in their honor.