| Group Members | James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett Robert Trujillo |
| Past Group Members | Dave Mustaine Ron McGovney Cliff Burton Jason Newsted |
| Music Genre(s) | Heavy metal thrash metal speed metal hard rock |
| Music Genre | Hard Rock Pop/Rock |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Year(s) Active | 1981–present |
| Record Label | Megaforce Elektra/Warner Bros. Vertigo/Mercury/Virgin EMI/Universal Blackened Elektra Vertigo Warner Bros. |
| Official Websites | metallica.com |
| Associated Acts | Megadeth Guns N' Roses Lou Reed Ozzy Osbourne Leather Charm Spastik Children |
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding "big four" bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Metallica's current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from the band, and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.
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