Metallica: A Brief History of...  1981  Lars Ulrich, a Dane abroad in Los Angeles and would-be tennis pro meets up with James Hetfield, a.k.a. "The Angriest Kid in the World." The pair form a band and call it Metallica (so old people wouldn't mistake them for an old-time jazz ensemble).

 1983 After two years of sticking out like a sore thumb on the scuzzy LA glam metal scene, Metallica relocates to San Francisco to hook up with a new band member, eccentric bass genius Cliff Burton. The band then boots Mustaine and moves to New York with new guitarist Kirk Hammett in tow to record their debut LP, appropriately entitled Kill 'Em All. Marked by speed, energy, and twisted innocence, Kill 'Em All blows the tired, brain-dead heavy metal genre all to hell.

1984 Metallica's much-awaited second album, Ride the Lightning, is released. The album--all rage and black fury--begins, shockingly, with acoustic guitar. (Afterward, 3,000 other bands steal this idea and follow suit.) Despite a solid wall of disinterest from commercial radio, Ride the Lightening goes gold and spends 50 weeks on Billboard's Top 200.

1986 The good news: Metallica's third release, Master of Puppets, redefines "thrash metal" (an unfortunate appellation) with its inexorable, intense, melodic sound. Without the dubious benefit of singles or videos--vanities Metallica remains uninterested in--Master of Puppets sells a million copies in the U.S. alone.

The bad news: While on their first headline tour of Europe, Metallica's tour bus skids off an icy Swedish road. Cliff Burton is killed instantly. Despite the grief shared by remaining members of the band, there is no doubt that Metallica will carry on. "Cliff would have been the first one to be pissed off if we didn't," says Lars. Weeks later, a new bassist is found in Jason Newsted.