Metallica is an American
heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in
Los Angeles,
California. Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of
drummer Lars Ulrich,
rhythm guitarist and
vocalist James Hetfield, and
lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of
bassists. Currently, the spot is held by
Robert Trujillo. Metallica's early releases included fast
tempos,
instrumentals, and aggressive
musicianship. The band earned a growing fan base in the
underground music community and critical acclaim with the 1986 release
Master of Puppets, described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with its
self-titled 1991 album, which debuted at #1 on the
Billboard 200. In 2000, Metallica was among several artists who filed a lawsuit against
Napster for sharing the band's copyright-protected material for free without the band members' consent. Despite reaching #1 on the
Billboard 200, the release of
St. Anger alienated many fans with the exclusion of
guitar solos and the "steel-sounding"
snare drum. The group has won seven
Grammy Awards and has had five consecutive albums peak at #1 on the
Billboard 200, making Metallica the only band to top the chart five consecutive times. Metallica is the fifth highest-selling music artist since the SoundScan era began tracking sales in 1991. (
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