| Song Name - | "One" |
| Artist - | Metallica |
Metallica was one of most influential metal bands of the 1980s. Their roots in biker culture and British hardcore separated them from 1970s arena rock and the perceived pretensions of metal bands of that decade, and they introduced speed metal—which married the virtuosity of British blues rock and the propulsive energy of punk—to the American mainstream. However, Metallica added to speed metal a complexity and depth that led them to be viewed as more serious and musically ambitious than their predecessors, and they achieved what no heavy metal band ever had: favorable reviews and critical respect. Metallica was started by drummer Lars Ulrich, who fell madly in love with the music of Deep Purple at the age of ten; he soon became an avid heavy metal enthusiast. He did some jamming around the Los Angeles music scene after high school, but found his musical calling when he traveled to England in 1981 to hear Diamond Head, an English group he discovered through tape trading with other metal enthusiasts. He ended up living with band for a time, and was exposed to a new generation of British heavy metal bands like Motörhead, which had absorbed the energy of punk and the sophisticated musicianship of progressive rock. When Ulrich returned to Los Angeles, Brian Slagel of Metal Blade records (with whom he had exchanged tapes) invited him to contribute to an anthology of local metal bands; Ulrich accepted, even though he wasn't part of a band. He recalled jamming with guitarist and singer James Hetfield, who happened to be between bands when Ulrich called. They complemented each other nicely. Ulrich had an encyclopedic familiarity with heavy metal, and Hetfield had extensive practical experience; he had been playing in bands and writing songs since his pre-teens. They added a guitarist and bass player, but found neither satisfactory; Metallica relocated to San Francisco in 1982 in pursuit of bassist Cliff Burton, who joined the group shortly before Kirk Hammett replaced guitarist Dave Mustaine. Both had extensive and stylistically diverse knowledge of music and backgrounds in music theory, and both liked jazz, blues, and classical music. The band's first album, Kill 'Em All, landed them deal with Elektra, and Ozzy Osbourne—one of biggest metal stars of early 1980s—asked Metallica to open for his Ultimate Sin tour. They built an extensive following, which grew into a legion of devoted fans in 1986, after the release of Master of Puppets, considered by many to be their masterpiece. The album introduced a form of speed metal that placed less emphasis on blitzkrieg tempos and more on the hardcore riffs, intricate song structures, and complex textures that harkened back to bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. The lyrics also eschewed Lovecraftian horrors in favor of inner demons, subjects more relevant and immediate to most listeners. In 1991 Metallica crossed over to a mainstream pop audience with radio hits like "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters," which were lighter in texture yet in no way compromised the band's overall aesthetic. |
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"Enter Sandman"
