The Metallica TeamRock Archives: The Early Years

Metallica in 1984 during the photo session that would appear on the Ride The Lightning artwork
(Image credit: Fin Costello\/Redferns\/Getty)

With their wispy moustaches, fluffy hair and shiny bullet belts, who’d have thought this Californian quartet would go on to conquer the world?

With the help of brand new interviews from the band, their manager and their producer, the latest issue of Metal Hammer takes a look at how Metallica made heavy metal history with their debut album, Kill ‘Em All. Check out our archives, from their formation in 1981 right until the release of their third album, Master Of Puppets

Four kids. One album that changed the landscape of metal forever. As Metallica reissue their classic debut Kill ’Em All, Kirk and Lars reveal the stories behind the songs…

How Metallica’s Kill 'Em All changed the world

We can’t even begin to imagine what this might have been like…

Metallica considered making Lars Ulrich frontman

In 1983 Metallica released their landmark debut album. This feature, originally published in Metal Hammer in 2008, tells the story behind the release that changed everything…

Metallica: The Making Of Kill 'Em All

Are these deluxe reissues of Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning worth your hard-earned cash? Read Classic Rock’s review below…

Metallica: Kill ’Em All (Deluxe Box Set) / Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Box Set)

Music industry professionals refer to it as Difficult Second Album Syndrome, the condition whereby an emerging artist storms into the spotlight with their first album and then discovers that, after 18 months on tour promoting said release, they have no idea what to do for an encore. With Ride The Lightning, Metallica had no such problems.

In Praise Of... Ride The Lightning

31 years ago, Metallica couldn’t have been further away from the stadium-packing behemoth they are today. This is the story finds the band teetering on the edge of global stardom. Plus, there’s a look at 1985’s best metal releases…

Metallica: Garage Daze

They’re one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time and have had nothing short of a rollercoaster career. But how much do you know? Here’s the complete 26-point alphabetical guide to everything ‘Tallica related – from Alcoholica to Zazula.

The A-Z Of Metallica

You can read the new issue of Metal Hammer on TeamRock+ here.