Metallica is easily the best, most influential heavy metal band to emerge from the ’80s and is one of the founding “big four” of thrash metal alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. They formed in 1981 and earned a growing fan-base in the underground music community and critical acclaim from its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), described as one of the most influential and “heavy” thrash metal albums. Metallica achieved substantial commercial success with their eponymous fifth album (also known as The Black Album), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Despite reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger (2003) alienated many fans with the exclusion of guitar solos and the “steel-sounding” snare drum. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band has won nine Grammy Awards and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the first band to do so. The band’s 1991 album, Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies in the United States, and 28 million copies worldwide. In December 2009, it became the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. The band has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. They released a live album, “Quebec Magnetic,” in 2012. In 2016, Metallica will release their tenth studio album. Metallica continues to rock the world.
