They’ve sold over 120 million records, played to crowds measured in the millions, and set fire to their own frontman. Over four decades of chaos, tragedy, and riffs that changed music forever, Metallica have built a legacy that no other metal band can touch. Here are ten facts about the kings of metal.
1. They Played a Concert in Antarctica Through Headphones
In December 2013, Metallica played a one-off show called Freeze ‘Em All inside a transparent dome at the Carlini research station in Antarctica. The audience? Just 120 people, a mix of scientists and competition winners who’d sailed there on a week-long cruise. Because Antarctic environmental protocols forbid traditional amplification, the entire gig was transmitted through headphones, essentially making it the most metal silent disco in history. The show earned them a Guinness World Record as the first band to play on all seven continents, and they did it all within a single calendar year.
2. They Once Played to 1.6 Million People in Moscow
On 28 September 1991, just weeks after the failed Soviet coup, Metallica took the stage at Tushino Airfield in Moscow as part of the Monsters of Rock festival. The free, open-air concert drew an estimated 1.6 million people, making it one of the largest rock concerts ever held. Footage shows Russian soldiers ripping off their uniforms to headbang alongside civilians. Lars Ulrich later described it as some of the most surreal footage the band has ever captured, with military helicopters hovering directly over the crowd as Metallica opened with ‘Enter Sandman.’
3. James Hetfield Was Engulfed by Flames Onstage
During a show at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium on 8 August 1992, while co-headlining with Guns N’ Roses, James Hetfield walked into a pyrotechnic charge during ‘Fade to Black.’ He suffered second- and third-degree burns to his left hand, arm, and part of his face. His double-neck ESP guitar actually shielded the right side of his body from the worst of it. Bassist Jason Newsted later said that if Hetfield had been breathing in at the moment the flame hit, he would have been killed. Hetfield was back onstage just 17 days later, on vocals only, with a stand-in guitarist. The incident then triggered a riot when Guns N’ Roses cut their own set short.
4. Dave Mustaine Was Fired Weeks Before They Recorded Their Debut
Metallica sacked their original lead guitarist Dave Mustaine on 11 April 1983, while the band were in New York preparing to record Kill ‘Em All. The reason? His drinking and behaviour is said to become too much, leading to repeated clashes with his bandmates. Kirk Hammett, then playing with Bay Area thrashers Exodus, was brought in as his replacement. Hammett learned the songs on his flight to New York and started recording with the band barely a month later. Mustaine went on to form Megadeth, channelling his fury into one of metal’s greatest rivalries. He also co-wrote several tracks that appeared on Metallica’s first two albums, including material on Ride the Lightning.
5. They Teamed Up with Lady Gaga at the Grammys and Everything Went Wrong
At the 2017 Grammy Awards, Metallica and Lady Gaga performed ‘Moth Into Flame’ together, a pairing that came about after Lars Ulrich met Gaga at a dinner at Bradley Cooper’s house just weeks earlier. The rehearsal was flawless. The live performance was anything but. First, presenter Laverne Cox forgot to mention Metallica in her introduction. Then, a stagehand accidentally unplugged Hetfield’s microphone just before the band took the stage. Left with no audio for much of the song, Hetfield was forced to share Gaga’s mic, which he later said actually made it feel more like a genuine collaboration. Still, Ulrich described Hetfield as the angriest he’d seen him in 20 years once they got backstage.
6. Cliff Burton Was Lost in a Tragic Tour Bus Accident
On 27 September 1986, while touring in support of Master of Puppets in Sweden, Metallica’s tour bus skidded on a patch of ice and flipped. Bassist Cliff Burton was thrown through a window and tragically lost his life. He was just 24. Burton’s influence on the band’s musical direction had been enormous. He brought a knowledge of music theory and an experimental approach that shaped Metallica’s sound during their most critically acclaimed period. Jason Newsted was recruited from Flotsam and Jetsam to replace him, and would go on to serve as bassist for 14 years.
7. The Black Album Is the Best-Selling Metal Record of All Time
Released in August 1991, Metallica’s self-titled fifth album, universally known as The Black Album, has shifted over 30 million copies worldwide. On 28 May 2025, the RIAA announced the album had been certified 20x Platinum, officially achieving double Diamond status after passing the 20 million sales mark in the US. That makes it the first metal album in history to reach that milestone. It’s also the highest-selling album of the entire SoundScan era, which began tracking sales in 1991. The album spent over 750 weeks on the Billboard 200 and spawned five hit singles, including ‘Enter Sandman,’ ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ and ‘The Unforgiven.’
8. Lars Ulrich Nearly Became a Professional Tennis Player
Before he ever picked up drumsticks, Lars Ulrich was training to become a professional tennis player. It ran in the family. Both his father Torben and his grandfather Einer were accomplished players, with the elder Ulrich representing Denmark at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Lars moved from Denmark to Newport Beach, California at 16 to pursue the sport, but after seeing Deep Purple live as a child, his passion for music had already taken root. He placed an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper looking for musicians to jam with, and James Hetfield answered it. The rest, as they say, is history.
9. ‘Master of Puppets’ Got a Second Life Thanks to Stranger Things
In July 2022, the season four finale of Netflix’s Stranger Things featured the character Eddie Munson shredding ‘Master of Puppets’ on his guitar in the Upside Down to fend off a swarm of demonic bats. The scene sent the 1986 track surging back up the charts, with on-demand streams increasing by over 650% in the week following the episode’s release. Metallica praised the Duffer Brothers’ use of the track, calling it an incredible honour. Actor Joseph Quinn genuinely learned the guitar riff for the scene, and the Master of Puppets album itself has since been certified 8x Platinum in the US.
10. They Sued Napster and Changed the Music Industry Forever
In April 2000, after discovering their unreleased track ‘I Disappear’ had been leaked on the file-sharing platform, Metallica filed a landmark lawsuit against Napster. Lars Ulrich even testified before a US Senate committee about copyright infringement. The case made Metallica deeply unpopular with parts of the internet at the time, but it fundamentally shaped the conversation around digital piracy and artists’ rights. Napster eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2002, and the legal precedent set by the dispute paved the way for the licensed streaming services we use today.
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