In the more than twenty years since their emergence onto the heavy metal scene, Metallica has become legendary, racking up almost 100 million album sales worldwide during their existence. Metallica is often considered one of the top heavy metal bands of the 1980s, having taken heavy metal into a louder and faster direction. Add to that their spot at number 18 on the list of best selling acts ever in the United States, and Metallica has certainly earned their respect and superstardom.

Like many enduring bands, Metallica went through its share of lineup changes through the years, though they started with the quartet of Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Lloyd Grant, and Ron McGovney.

Metallica was first formed in 1981 and by 1983 the metal outfit had secured a recording contract with Megaforce Records. Their debut album, “Kill ‘Em All,” appeared in 1983, and the band was quickly hailed as the pioneer in thrash metal. “Kill ‘Em All” produced two singles, neither of which made the charts, “Whiplash,” and “Jump in the Fire.”

Following the release of their debut album, Metallica signed with Elektra Records and quickly released “Master of Puppets” in early 1986. Lauded as one of the best heavy metal albums in history, “Master of Puppets” was quickly certified gold, having sold more than six million copies worldwide. By this time, Metallica had fans around the world, and Metallica concert tickets sold out in seconds.

Instead of celebrating the success of “Master of Puppets,” Metallica would find themselves mourning the death of bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed when the band’s tour bus crashed in Sweden.

Burton’s death would lead to a two year hiatus, but Metallica would be back – this time with Jason Newset on bass – with “And Justice For All,” which would go on to sell a stunning eight million copies.

The follow-up to “And Justice For All” was a massive hit. The self-titled album soared to the top spot on the charts and when all was said and done, more than seven million copies would fly off store shelves in the United States. “Load” would follow in 1996.

By the turn of the century, Metallica was battling the music service Napster, claiming that by allowing fans to download Metallica’s music for free, both Napster and the fans were violating copyright law. By the end of 2001, however, Metallica took a step back from their scathing criticism – and dropped their lawsuit – against Napster.

Metallica continued recording music throughout the decade, their latest an EP, “Some Kind of Monster,” released in 2004.