Metallica..

Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, Metallica's original line-up consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and bassist Ron McGovney. McGovney and Mustaine were later ejected from the band, in favor of Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett, respectively. The ejection of Mustaine resulted in a feud between him and Metallica, which further led him to form Megadeth! In September 1986, Metallica's tour bus skidded out of control and flipped, which resulted in Burton being crushed under the bus and killed. Jason Newsted replaced him less than two months later. Newsted left the band in 2001 and was replaced by Robert Trujillo in 2003.

Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "Big Four" of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community, and some critics say the 1986 release Master of Puppets is one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with its self-titled 1991 album Metallica, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Some critics and fans believed the band changed its musical direction to appeal to the mainstream audience. With the release of Load in 1996, Metallica distanced itself from earlier releases in what has been described as "an almost alternative [rock] approach", and the band faced accusations of "selling out".

Metallica has released eight studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, nine videos, and has finished recording their upcoming ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. The band has become one of the most commercially successful and influential heavy metal acts. With 100 million records sold worldwide, including 57 million in the United States, the band has won seven Grammy Awards, and has had four albums peak at number one on the Billboard 200.

Current member :
* James Hetfield – lead vocals & rhythm guitar (1981–present)
* Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)
* Robert Trujillo – bass, backing vocals (2003–present)
* Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion (1981–present)

Former members :

* Lloyd Grant - lead guitar (1981)
* Ron McGovney – bass (1981-1982)
* Dave Mustaine – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983)
* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals (1982–1986)
* Jason Newsted – bass, backing vocals (1986–2001)

Metallica's latest and most publicised album "Death Magnetic" is due to realease this year(exact date still not released) after much delay!
I dearly hope its not crap like St. Anger!

st. anget wz not that crap. i liked a few songs of it.

Actually the album St Anger was pretty un-metallica-ish.. Wasnt what we expected out of the band.. With no solos and all.. thats y the their latest 3 albums faced criticism...