Metallica is an American metal band. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1981 and has been based in San Francisco since 1982. They are one of the most successful metal bands in the world and have sold over 110 million albums to date. In the US alone, the band sold over 62 million albums, making them the seventh most successful artist group in the country.
Metallica has received a Grammy Award nine times.
In addition to Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, Metallica was one of the big four of Thrash Metal in the 1980s and is considered the most influential metal band of this decade.
During the 1990s, Metallica opened up to new musical influences such as blues rock and other rock styles, appealing to a wider audience and at the same time irritating their previous fans, before the band returned to their musical roots in 2002.