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Succes Of Metallica

Close Look into the Successes of the Band Metallica

A successful twenty years in the music industry is an amazing accomplishment. Bands come and go all the time. They shine brightly for a while, but eventually disappear. So how has the metal band, Metallica, stayed in the running? Metallica has been able to stay in the mainstream because of its members, music, and financial stability. This legendary band has broken new ground and continues to stay one step ahead of everyone else.

In the late 70's and early 80's, there was a new wave of music that was hitting the world. This was known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Bands such as The Ramones and Motorhead influenced a young, impressionable Lars Ulrich (P Ward). After attending many live performances, Ulrich aspired to form a band of his own. In the summer of 81, Lars searched the LA area for fellow fans and musicians. After failing to find a band, Ulrich then decided to place an ad in a local magazine named Recycler (Hadland 1).

The Recycler fell into the hands of a die-hard fan of heavy metal. James Hetfield came across the ad and contacted Lars. On May 9th, Lars and James met in Newport Beach, CA ("Biography"). At first, James was not impressed with Lars's drumming. His timing was a little off and one of the cymbals on his drum set fell over every time it was struck. James did not want to pursue making a band with Lars at the time.

Three months later, James received a phone call from Lars. "I've got a track saved for my band on Brian Slagel's new Metal Blade label." (Hadland 1). James could not refuse this enticing offer. It seemed that joining forces with Lars might end up being a rather good decision for James. On October 15, 1981, Metallica was born. Hetfield and Ulrich then recruited Lloyd Grant. The three recorded "Hit The Lights" for the album "Metal Massacre". James provided vocals as well as rhythm guitar and bass guitar. Lars covered drums and Lloyd played lead guitar.

Later...