11/09/2026
Tomorrow night thanks to Through The Never weāll tip our hats to without doubt one of the greatest bands of all time, Metallica
Hereās a few Metallica stories Iāve always thought were pretty cool.
The band was born after Lars Ulrich famously placed an ad in The Recycler in 1981 looking for musicians to jam with. James Hetfield answered, setting up the partnership that became Metallica. Simple beginnings became a massive juggernaut.
Cliff Burton joined the band after Lars & James saw Burton playing with Trauma and were blown away by his bass playing. They eventually persuaded him to leave Trauma and join them, with Burton reportedly insisting that the band relocate to the Bay Area. (San Fransisco)
Cliff Burton, tragically died in a tour-bus crash on September 27, 1986, while the band was touring Sweden in support of Master of Puppets album. He was only 24 years old.
The story is particularly tragic because of what happened just hours before the crash.
The band had been traveling overnight when their bus encountered icy conditions on the road near Ljungby, Sweden. According to accounts from the surviving band members, the bus lost control and overturned. Burton was thrown from the vehicle and died in the crash.
There is also a famousāand disturbingāstory about where Burton had been sleeping. Earlier that evening, Burton and Kirk Hammett had drawn cards to decide who would get the better bunk. Burton won and chose the bunk where Kirk had been sleeping. Burton reportedly joked that he had picked the better spot. That bunk was on the side of the bus that ended up against the ground.
The surviving membersāJames Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammettāwere devastated. Hetfield later described walking for miles in the darkness after the crash, initially struggling to understand what had happened and eventually finding a house from which he could call for help.
Metallica returned to the United States and held Burtonās funeral on October 7, 1986. His death left a huge hole in the band, but his influence remained central to their music. Jason Newsted joined Metallica in 1986 as his replacement.
One of the most haunting things about Burtonās death is that Master of Puppets, released only months earlier, would become his final studio album with Metallicaāand is now regarded as one of the greatest metal albums ever made.
Who can forget The infamous Black Album pressure ā After the massive success of Master of Puppets and ā¦And Justice for All, Metallica deliberately changed direction. The Black Albumās simpler, heavier production shocked some longtime fansābut ultimately made them one of the biggest bands on Earth.
This album was released in 1991 the year that so many classic albums were released, perhaps with tracks like Enter Sandman, Unforgiven, Sad but true, Holier then thou and of course Nothing else matters this could be the best of them all.
The band has reached enormous heights including 9 Grammy Awards ā including Best Metal Performance for āOneā (1990), āEnter Sandmanā (1992), and āMy Apocalypseā (2009).
They were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, with former members Jason Newsted and the late Cliff Burton recognized as part of the bandās history.
And if there most recent tour is anything to go by they are still going strong!
Letās get together tomorrow night and pay homage to in my opinion, the greatest metal band of all time! Metallica!
