Metallica Biography

Before departing for Metallica, Jason Newsted played a significant role in the writing of the Flotsam and Jetsam's debut album, 'Doomsday for the Deceiver.'

Joining Metallica in 1982—a year before the release of Kill 'Em All—former bassist Cliff Burton's impact on the metal band couldn't be more significant.

The first lead guitarist for Metallica, Dave Mustaine joined the band in 1981. Leaving his first band Panic to answer an ad placed in a local newspaper by Lars Ulrich, Mustaine never really auditioned for Metallica. "I was convinced that I should be in the band and went to rehearsal. I was tuning up when all the other guys in the band went into another room," he remembers. "They wer

In 1981, Ron McGovney got together with his friend and roommate James Hetfield to form the band Leather Charm.