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Metallica is the one metal band that everyone has heard of; whether in a good light or not. They are the number one metal band in music history, and have held that position even through the roughest of times. Metallica had something new to bring to the table; no one will ever match it. After a nine year vacation the band is back on the stage sharing new music with fans — old and new. Their first album, since their come-back, was Death Magnetic, and was a great hit. The band is working hard at winning their fans’ loyalty back and — so far — is quite successful. They are doing it in a different manner though. They have a new bassist, and they are all sober. Seeing them live is the only way to see that the old music is still there, even with these changes.

In 1981, a man by the name of Lars Ulrich decided he wanted to start sharing his talent with the world. One problem though, he had no other band members. He; therefore, put an ad in the paper seeking others who shared his love for hard music and who, of course, had great talent. Ironic – one of the most loved metal bands, of all times, started from a simple newspaper ad. It was here that Metallica started their long journey to fame.

Dave Mustaine was one of the original band members of Metallica, which some may not know. Mustaine was banned from the band before they made their first release. The drugs and alcohol were already strong in the band, but Dave’s violence was not acceptable. He was kicked out of the band, which took him some time to move on, but move on he did. Dave is the original founder of Megadeth, another metal band that will — and already has — gone down in music history. In fact, Megadeth is right behind Metallica at #3.

It was in the 1990s that Metallica began to see some real problems. Not only did their entire sound change, but the lost fans over it too. Fans felt that the band had sold-out and were no longer the band they started following in the 80s. On the other hand, record sales began to increase with other public audiences. To make things even worse, Lars filed suit against Napster for rights infringement. This lawsuit left a bad taste in the mouths of thousands. It was at this point that people began to wonder if Metallica would ever be the same again.

The band lost a dear friend, who also happened to be their bassist. It was this turn-of-events that woke the band members up a bit. The realized it was time to focus on their families and getting sober. So, after nine years, the band is back on their feet and making their return known. They have released a new album — St. Anger — and have even been on tour since their return. While their music is not the same as it was in the 80s, its close enough that old-time fans have faith in their favorite metal band, once again.

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