Metallica is a heavy metal group renowned for its aggression and volume. In 1981, it was founded in Los Angeles, with Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo as the active band members today.. Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield were also among the band's early members. They have gained tremendous reputation in the music industry and have a vast fan base. Since 1981, their music career has been more or less, stable - and so is their income streams.
There's no better way to describe Metallica but as a really successful band, therefore it is not surprise that their albums have set new sales records.
From 1983 to 2016, 121 million copies of their albums were sold. They have an approximate net worth of $900 million. Metallica was placed on Forbes' 2019 "World's Highest-Paid Celebrities List" The band is one of the wealthiest and most successful music groups, with nine Grammy Awards.
But this is not always the cause. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian talked to Louder Sound and said that there was raw and pure talent right from the beginning, no one really believed Metallica can become as massive as it is now, or even bigger than Iron Maiden.
"Look, I'd be lying if I said I knew they'd become the most popular band in the world. No one ever stated this. Nobody predicted that Metallica would one day surpass Iron Maiden in popularity. Understand what I mean? That was not something that people were saying. But everyone knew they were ahead of the competition," he said.
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But it did not take long for them in the industry to note that Metallica truly has something to offer.
"We were acquainted with Exodus and Slayer at one point. Even Dave Mustaine, moving forward with Megadeth, believed they had an advantage over everyone else. I believe James' hands and brain are also involved," he added.
Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden himself recently revealed why he thinks his band did not achieve the same level of success as Metallica.
In a recent interview with Classic Rock, Dickinson praised Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, popularly known as the "Black Album," claiming that no other metal band at the time "had the balls" to do what Metallica did.
"Ourselves, Judas Priest, and Pantera all reached a crossroads where we had the chance to really step up to the next level. But none of us had the balls to do it," he shared. "Metallica did, though. You have to give them huge credit for grabbing the opportunity when it came up, taking the risk, and deservedly reaping the enormous rewards. You cannot underestimate their achievement with this album," he added.
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