THE A TO Z OF METALLICA
AHEAD OF THEIR MONUMENTAL AUSTRALIAN STADIUM TOUR THIS OCTOBER, WE’RE BRUSHING UP ON OUR PANORAMIC KNOWLEDGE OF METALLICA (‘CAUSE WHEN YOU’RE AS BAD AT MATH AS OUR EDITOR, YOU’VE GOTTA MAKE UP FOR IT SOMEHOW).
Ahead of their monumental Australian stadium tour this October, we’re brushing up on our panoramic knowledge of Metallica.
Ais for Awards, of which Metallica have won a truly jaw-dropping amount. In addition to their obligatory induction into Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame – solidified in ’09, virtually as soon as they were eligible – the Californian thrash Gods have landed such lucrative wins as nine Grammys (with a further 14 nominations), over 40 magazine-sponsored trophies (including all 14 of their nominations by
MetalEdge), and the prestigious MusiCares Stevie Ray Vaughn Award, which was handed to frontman James Hetfield in 2006 for his efforts in helping those struggling with addiction fight their way to recovery. In total, Metallica’s ever-crammed trophy room hosts a total 82 wins out of 123 nominations.
Dis for Damage, Inc. – the fittingly titled world tour Metallica embarked on in support of their 1986 classic, MasterOf Puppets. The most notable blowout of it came with the death of founding bassist Cliff Burton, who was crushed by their tour bus when it spun out of control on an icy Swedish highway. In Burton’s honour, however, Metallica trucked on, enlisting Jason Newstead as his temporary fill-in (though he’d go on to slap bass with the band until 2001) and slamming through the remainder of the tour’s mammoth 144 shows. Elsewhere along the jaunt, Hetfield managed to break his wrist twice (both in skateboarding accidents), and drummer Lars Ulrich came resoundingly close to being fired; the band only put their plans to oust him on ice after
Gis for Glastallica, the name tenderly adorned to Metallica’s headlining performance at Glastonbury 2014, which critics (and other billed artists) denounced in vitriol for their supposed dissonance from the rest of the lineup. The show itself was absolutely mental, though, with a two-hour long, career-spanning set packing out the paddocks with music lovers spanning the full gamut. The performance was also introduced with a seven-minute short film by renowned filmmaker Julian Temple – a solid watch in its own right, but one we’d imagine would’ve spurred goosebumps aplenty when it was beamed onto the curtain hiding Metallica’s exorbitant mainstage production.
Jis for Johny
Zazula, the man who helped kickstart Metallica’s career after hearing their 1982 demo, No
Life’TilLeather. Zazula shopped the band around to a handful of labels based in New York, but after they all turned their noses up at Metallica’s gritty, breakneck-paced thrash metal, Zazula cashed in some favours and paid for their studio sessions himself, signing them to his own Megaforce Records label and releasing their debut album to a level of critical acclaim and commercial success that most major-signed metal bands only dream of tasting.
Eis for El Cerrito, California, where the legendary ‘Metallica Mansion’ still reigns as an emblem of metal history. Though hailing from the rock ‘n’ roll utopia of Los Angeles, the band moved to El Cerrito in ‘82 at Burton’s request – it was the only condition he leveraged over them before agreeing to join the band – and it was there, in his dingy, dim-lit garage that they would hash away at their two breakthrough records: RideThe
Lightning (1984) and MasterOfPuppets (1986). Of course, there were plenty other moments in Metallica history made at their El Cerrito palace – we’re not sure if many of them are suitable for this family-friendly publication, though…
Kis for Kill‘EmAll , the aforementioned debut album that catapulted Metallica to the top of the heavy metal food chain. Almost titled MetalUpYourAss – because
ofcourseitwas – the 51-minute shredfest was an instant hit with critics, and gave Metallica prime real estate in the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement – y’know, despite being an American band. To this day, jams like “Seek & Destroy” and “Whiplash” remain essential cuts for any metalhead worth their patch-strewn denim, and staples of the band’s live show.
Cis for Cinemas,
which Metallica conquered in 2013 with the release of their debut feature film, ThroughThe Never. Inspired by earlier movie-music crossovers like Pink Floyd’s TheWall and YellowSubmarine, the 90-minute epic combines an original thriller narrative – somewhere between MadMax and
TheTwilightZone, as bassist Robert Trujillo once described – with live footage of Metallica’s 2012 performances in Vancouver and Edmonton, Canada. Though wickedly polarising (there’s almost no dialogue, and the story beats take at least a couple of replays to really click in the mind) it remains a must-see for all Metallicaholics and film buffs – especially in 3D.
Fis for the Future, which, as the band have teased in recent interviews with local rags
TheMusic and Mixdown, holds the elusive 11th Metallica album. In a chat with the latter, Hetfield declared: “I have a ton of material. I’ve over-compensated, so I’m ready to go anytime.” As for exactly when the album will make it to shelves, Trujillo has remained optimistic that we’ll be wrapping our ears around some new ‘Talica ASAP, telling The Music, “We’ve all vowed to get this one going sooner than later.” We’ve got our fingers crossed for some sort of release in 2020, though it’s likely we’ll be waiting until at least 2021 for a proper LP.
Iis for Injuries, of which the members of Metallica have sustained more than any one band realistically should. None more than Hetfield, of course; alongside the two shattered wrists he endured on the Damage, Inc. run – which resulted in a legal clause in his contract with the band’s management that forbids him from skating while they’re on tour – the frontman has fallen down his fair share of stage doors (one, during a 2017 show in the Netherlands), herniated several discs in his back in a 2000 jet-skiing accident, and most notably, copped some walloping third degree burns to his hands, arms, legs and face when he inadvertently walked into a 12-foot blast of pyrotechnics during a 1992 co-headliner with Guns N’ Roses. In case you need a visual cue, Newstead described his view of Hetfield’s skin as “bubbling like on TheToxicAvenger.” Yum.
Lis for Lulu, a collaboration with proto-punk prodigy Lou Reed that stands as Metallica’s objective biggest misstep, and one of the most divisive records of all-time. It’s the antithesis to everything Kill‘EmAll represented – obnoxious, overlong and punishingly weak; released in 2011, its legacy has been relegated to occasional mentions in articles like this, and led to extremist Metallica fans attacking Reed in droves. On a positive note, Lulu showed Metallica’s willingness to experiment, and even if it ultimately didn’t pay off, the concept of an avant-garde metal epic was undoubtedly solid.
Mis for Monsters Of Rock, the all-star 1991 tour where – on a lineup featuring fellow guitar lords in AC/DC, The Black Crowes and Pantera – Metallica played to a recordshattering 1.6 million Russians. Held in Moscow – right in the midst of the Soviet Union’s demise, no less – the free daytime festival was an immediate entry into the annals of rock history; a Russian Woodstock, where the hippies, acoustic noodlers and copious amounts of acid were subbed in for mosh-staved metalheads, fretboard warriors desperate to wreak havoc, and an ungodly volume of vodka.
Ois for Overproduction, which marred the 2008 release of DeathMagnetic with its sloppy mix and ruinously compressed dynamic range. A direct result of the ‘Loudness War’ – “an ongoing industry effort to make recordings as loud as possible,” as described in The Guardian – the record’s initial release featured all instruments cranked well beyond their breaking point, which led to a muddy, convoluted sound. Fans turned to Guitar
Hero for a cleaner mix of the LP (as developer Activision had their own set of stems to work with), and in 2015, a distortion-free remaster hit digital platforms for wider consumption.
Qis for Quintana – Rob Quintana, to be specific – who owns the distinct credit of having come up with one of the most distinguished band (and brand) names in the world… Second only to The Beatles, maybe.
Metallica was one of the two titles Quintana was mulling over for a fanzine he was developing in 1981 – the other was MetalMania, which Ulrich convinced him to run with when the drummer realised how sweet Metallica sounded for the underground jam project he was tinkering away on at the time.
Ris for Record labels, the politics of which Metallica have the privilege of avoiding with their own Universal imprint, Blackened Recordings. Launched in 2012 and operated by the members themselves, Blackened allows Metallica full control over their masters and release plans – so no cheap, soul-sucking cash grabs or half-assed remasters (unless the band stoop so low on their own accord). They’re yet to sign any other artists to Blackened, but we can only imagine how many up-and-coming acts could benefit from the support of a label driven by none other than Metallica.
Sis for Signature guitars, of which Hetfield and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett have enough to fill a goddamn warehouse. Working closely with ESP, the two have crafted some of the most aesthetically striking (and sonically massive) guitars known to mankind, from Hammett’s idiosyncratic Ouija board design to Hetfield’s bold iron cross-flourished beast.
Vis for Video
games, the soundtracks for which have been a popular vessel for Metallica’s non-traditional marketing since the late ‘90s. They’ve popped up on games ranging everywhere from HotWheelsTurboRacing to TonyHawk’s Underground2, and, naturally, the GuitarHero and RockBand series of performance sims. In fact, there’s an entire GuitarHero title dedicated to Metallica, with almost 30 of their cuts – spanning Kill‘EmAll through DeathMagnetic – playable. The entire tracklist for the latter album was also available as a downloadable add-on for the OG GuitarHero.
Yis for the Youth, who, despite being two (or even three) generations behind, have embraced Metallica with open arms. Alien Weaponry and Unlocking The Truth – both of whom made breakthroughs before their oldest members graduated high school – are leading a new class of Metallica-channelling thrash bands, taking what Hetfield and co. established in their prime and g alvanising it with a distinctly modern flair.
Tis for Tributes, which Metallica have shown a distinct soft spot for in 38-year tenure. In 1998, Metallica released the two-disc GarageInc. compilation, which saw them tackle everything from hardcore to pop with their signature thrashy spark. On the flipside, there have been dozens of Metallica-centric tribute albums released – look to Apocalyptica’s debut LP, Plays
MetallicaByFourCellos, for one of Team AG’s favourites (and a stunning record in its own right). Or for those in search of something a little more quirky, there’s Beatallica, the Ulrich-endorsed stroke of genius that sees Metallica jams smashed together with Beatles hits. It doesn’t always work, but goddamn, is it a load of fun.
Wis for Whisky a Go Go, the venue where Ulrich and Hetfield first discovered Burton. Metallica already had a bassist at the time – Ron McGovney, who also played with Hetfield in a hard-rock band called Leather Charm – but they were eager to kick him out, as he “didn’t contribute anything, he just followed”. The band were enamoured by Burton’s unique use of a wah-wah pedal, and after one set of Burton tearing to his heart’s content as a member of Trauma, they were desperate to snatch him up for themselves.
Zis for Zillionaires, which if any band’s members would be, it’s Metallica’s. They’re the third best-selling act since Nielsen SoundScan started racking up musicians’ sales numbers, with over 58 million records sold in the US alone. Add to that the fact that their world tours consistently draw profits in the nine-figure ballpark, it’s clear they can afford to live the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle without breaking a sweat. Of course, Metallica aren’t just using that dosh to fuel their lavish rockstar lifestyles – in addition to their bespoke charity, All Within My Hands, the band have been known to funnel huge cheques over to charities around the world, many of which in secret.
Uis for the Underground, where, like most bands of their caliber, Metallica cut their teeth in the early ‘80s. After dropping their first original song, “Hit The Lights”, on the Metal Blade Records compilation MetalMassacre, Metallica garnered an early following through word-of-mouth. Their first shows were at dive bars and metal hubs where, by virtue of their angular, rampageous playing and unf***withable attitude, they were an immediate hit. And though they quickly graduated to theatres and arenas, Metallica remained a cornerstone of the underground metal scene throughout the ‘80s – mostly as a gateway for budding metalheads to discover more obscure, DIY-learning acts.
Xis for Xylophone, the instrument best comparable to the blunt, tinny drum tone that Ulrich managed to conjure on Metallica’s underrated 2003 opus, St.Anger. The album itself is redeemed by some of Hetfield and Hammett’s strongest and most spine-rattling guitar work to date (not to mention the former’s sharp, open-hearted lyrics), but upon release, its spate of drum tracks – which don’t sound too unlike a pair of metal bin lids being clanged together – had fans and critics alike in a raging tizzy.