Metallica was founded in 1981 with the original members Dave Mustaine, Ron McGoveny, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. An American heavy metal band, they are considered one of the four founding members of thrash metal. The other three are Megadeath, Anthrax and Slayer.

After a slow start, they finally found success with their third album in 1986, titled: Master of Puppets. According to Wikipedia, the band has released 10 studio albums, four live albums, two extended plays, 37 singles, and 39 music videos.

What I love about Metallica is the sound, the aggression and the energy of the music. The original bass player, Cliff Burton, was a great bass player who played hot riffs. He is a big loss for the music world. While Dave Mustaine later cleaned up his act, he is one of my favorite guitar players because his guitar skills are amazing and he inspires me to work harder on guitar.

Current members

James Hetfield – rhythm guitar and singer

Born in 1963, he is a co-founder of Metallica and is one of the main songwriters for the band. Considered a shy and introverted child, his dad left when he was 13 and never said goodbye. His mum died three years later and he lived with his older half brother. The hard times of his youth are heard in some of his music, namely Dyers Eve and The God Who Failed.

Lars Ulrich – drummer

Also born in 1963, Lars is a founding member of the band. Born in Denmark, his parents were passionate tennis players and he originally moved to the US to follow the path of becoming a professional tennis player himself. However, music soon caught his imagination and he took up drums, advertised for musicians, finally meeting James Hetfield and they co-founded Metallica together.

Kirk Hammett – lead guitar

Another inspiring guitar player, Kirk was born in 1962 in San Francisco. He was the replacement for Dave Mustaine, and prior to joining Metallica, he formed a band called Exodus, also a thrash metal band. As a child, he had a passion for horror films (which I share with him), however, music soon took over and by age 15, he was firmly committed to becoming a great guitar player. His first guitar was a Gibson Flying V.

Robert Trujillo – bass guitar

Born in 1964, his full name is Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz. He joined Metallica in 2003, but before this, he was known as the bassist for a crossover trash band called Suicidal Tendencies, as well as funk metal group, Infectious Grooves. He has performed with Ozzy Osbourne, Jerry Cantrell, and heavy metal band Black Label Society. Robert Trujillo then joined Metallica in 2003 and is now their longest-serving bassist.

Previous members

Dave Mustaine – (1982 – 1983) lead guitarist. got kicked out because he was a violent drunk

Jason Newsted – (1986 – 2001) bass. resigned from the band

Ron McGoveny – (1982 – 1982) bass. resigned from the band, mainly because of Dave Mustaine

Cliff Burton – (1982 – 1986) bass. he was killed in a bus crash while on a European tour. He was the only one to lose his life

Personal reflection

While they have a reputation for being hard, they are all very nice men. They have had challenges with their fame over the years, typically with alcohol, but they have not had a reputation with drugs.

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