Govney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band. Metallica earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and won critical acclaim with its first five albums. The bands third album, Master of Puppets 1. Metallica 1. 99. United States to date, making it the best selling album of the Sound. Scan era. In 2. 00. Metallica joined with other artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the bands copyright protected material without consent a settlement was reached and Napster became a pay to use service. In 2. 00. 9, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Best Free Banner Creator Software. Metallica has released ten studio albums, four live albums, a cover album, five extended plays, 3. The band has won nine Grammy Awards and its last six studio albums have consecutively debuted at number one on the Billboard 2. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 1. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone, which ranked them at no. The 1. 00 Greatest Artists of All Time. As of 2. Metallica is the third best selling music artist since Nielsen Sound. Scan began tracking sales in 1. United States. 5HistoryeditFormation and early years 1. The classic Metallica logo, used on most of their releases. Designed by James Hetfield67Metallica was formed in Los Angeles, California, in late 1. Danish born drummer Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, The Recycler, which read, Drummer looking for other metal musicians to jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden. Guitarists James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for the labels upcoming compilation album, Metal Massacre. Slagel accepted, and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar. The band was officially formed on October 2. Ulrich and Hetfield first met. Ulrich talked to his friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine. Quintana had proposed the names Metal. Mania and Metallica. Ulrich named his band Metallica. A second advertisement was placed in The Recycler for a position as lead guitarist. Dave Mustaine answered Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him after seeing his expensive guitar equipment. In early 1. 98. 2, Metallica recorded its first original song, Hit the Lights, for the Metal Massacre I compilation. Hetfield played bass on the song, and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo. Metal Massacre I was released on June 1. Mettallica. 1. 1 Although angered by the error, Metallica created enough buzz with the song, and the band played its first live performance on March 1. Radio City in Anaheim, California, with newly recruited bassist Ron Mc. Govney. 1. 2 The bands first taste of live success came early they were chosen to open for British heavy metal band Saxon at one gig of their 1. US tour. This was Metallicas second gig. Metallica recorded its first demo, Power Metal, whose name was inspired by Quintanas early business cards in early 1. The term thrash metal was coined by Kerrangs journalist Malcolm Dome in reference to Anthraxs song Metal Thrashing Mad in Kerrangs issue 6. February 2. 3, 1. Prior to this, James Hetfield referred to Metallicas sound as power metal. In late 1. 98. 2, Ulrich and Hetfield attended a show at the West Hollywood nightclub Whisky a Go Go, which featured bassist Cliff Burton in a band named Trauma. The two were blown away by Burtons use of a wah wah pedal and asked him to join Metallica. Hetfield and Mustaine wanted Mc. Govney to leave because they thought he didnt contribute anything, he just followed. Although Burton initially declined the offer, by the end of the year, he had accepted on the condition the band move to El Cerrito in the San Francisco Bay Area. Metallicas first live performance with Burton was at the nightclub The Stone in March 1. Burton was the Megaforce demo 1. Metallica was ready to record their debut album, but when Metal Blade was unable to cover the cost, the band began looking for other options. Concert promoter Johny Z Zazula, who had heard the demo No Life til Leather 1. Metallica and New York City based record labels. After those record labels showed no interest, Zazula borrowed enough money to cover the recording budget and signed Metallica to his own label, Megaforce Records. Kill Em All and Ride the Lightning 1. In May 1. 98. 3, Metallica traveled to Rochester, New York to record its debut album, Metal Up Your Ass, which was produced by Paul Curcio. The other members decided to eject Mustaine from the band because of his drug and alcohol abuse, and violent behavior just before the recording sessions on April 1. Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett replaced Mustaine the same afternoon. Dave Mustaine went on to found rival band Megadeth after being released from the band in 1. Mustaine, who went on to found Megadeth, has expressed his dislike for Hammett in interviews, saying Hammett stole his job. Mustaine was pissed off because he believes Hammett became popular by playing guitar leads that Mustaine himself had written. In a 1. 98. 5 interview with Metal Forces, Mustaine said, its real funny how Kirk Hammett ripped off every lead break Id played on that No Life til Leather tape and got voted No. On Megadeths debut album Killing Is My Business. Business Is Good Mustaine included the song Mechanix, which Metallica reworked and retitled The Four Horsemen on Kill Em All. Mustaine said he did this to straighten Metallica up because Metallica referred to Mustaine as a drunk and said he could not play guitar. Metallicas first live performance with Hammett was on April 1. Dover, New Jersey called The Showplace 1. Anthraxs original line up, which included Dan Lilker and Neil Turbin. This was the first time the two bands performed live together. Because of conflicts with its record label and the distributors refusal to release an album titled Metal Up Your Ass, the album was renamed Kill Em All. It was released on Megaforce Records in the U. S. and on Music for Nations in Europe, and peaked at number 1. Billboard 2. 00 in 1. Although the album was not initially a financial success, it earned Metallica a growing fan base in the underground metal scene. To support the release, Metallica embarked on the Kill Em All for One tour with Raven. In February 1. 98. Metallica supported Venom on the Seven Dates of Hell tour, during which the bands performed in front of 7,0. Aardschok Festival in Zwolle, Netherlands. Metallica recorded its second studio album, Ride the Lightning, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was released in August 1. Billboard 2. 00. 2. A French printing press mistakenly printed green covers for the album, which are now considered collectors items. Mustaine received writing credit for Ride the Lightning and The Call of Ktulu. Elektra Records. A R director Michael Alago, and co founder of Q Prime Management Cliff Burnstein, attended a Metallica concert in September 1. They were impressed with the performance, signed Metallica to Elektra, and made the band as a client of Q Prime Management.