Sep 24 2008
It Pays to Be Metallica These Days
Metallica bandmates (from left to right) Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo have lots to celebrate these days- continued success of its latest album and a likely Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. (picture courtesy of Associated Press/Markus Schreiber)
Heavy metal fans have double incentive to find their favorite mosh pit and celebrate this week.
Death Magnetic- the latest album by genre maven Metallica- spends a second session atop the Billboard 200, and has sold some 827,000 units in its first 10 days, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Furthermore, the band finds itself on the shortlist of nine nominees for 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Of the Big Four Thrash Metal acts- Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer being the others- Metallica is the first to receive Hall of Fame consideration, in what is the band’s second year of eligibility (an act becomes eligible 25 years after its first recording). Anthrax and Slayer became eligible this year, with Megadeth’s eligibility arriving next year. However, none of those acts have received an amount of critical acclaim or commercial success comparable to Metallica.
Formed in 1981, Metallica didn’t enjoy great success off the bat- the band’s first studio album, 1983’s Kill ‘Em All, sold rather poorly upon release (peaking at No. 120 on the Billboard 200). But, with the band’s soaring popularity over the years came strong catalog sales, with the debut, 1984’s Ride the Lightning, 1986’s Master of Puppets and 1988’s …And Justice For All shipping more than 21 million units to date combined in the United States, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
While the first four albums had a slow start on their path to multi-platinum fortune, it was with Metallica’s 1991’s self-titled release- also known as The Black Album- where immediate success greeted the Los Angeles boys. Instantly becoming the band’s first No. 1 album (out of an eventual five), the effort has shipped more than 14 million units to date in the USA, making it one of the top-selling records of all time. Despite fan grumblings that James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and the boys had “sold out” with the album’s more polished, less underground sound, rock critics didn’t mind, citing it as one of the year’s best works.
More commercial success followed, with the last three studio albums shipping more than 10 million units in the USA. While the band’s acclaim hasn’t been as strong as it was for the first handful of albums, things are looking good for the latest album- based on 23 critical reviews, Death Magnetic currently has a 77 average out of a possible 100 at www.metacritic.com. On top of all that, early sales projections for next week have Death Magnetic hanging atop the albums chart for a third week.
With commercial and artistic relevance firmly in place after more than a quarter century, it’s almost a no-brainer that Metallica will be among the five performer inductees at the Cleveland-held Hall of Fame ceremony next March. Any bets on whether fans are e-mailing the Hall of Fame organization as I write, suggesting a mosh pit for their headbanging heroes?
Metallica’s first four albums are some of the best in the genre. Everything after, up until “Death Magnetic,” was sub-par. But it’s great to see them back at the top of their game! The album is amazing and a spot in the Hall of Fame!
The Black Album is pretty revered and acclaimed- do you not like that one? Are you one of those who think the band sold out with that record?
I do think Metallica is a shoo-in for the HOF. Many were surprised last year when it wasn’t on the list of nominees. At least Bon Jovi didn’t make the cut this year- seeing that group alongside Metallica would have looked odd. I mean, BJ has been very successful, but if Foreigner and Journey haven’t been considered, then why should BJ, ya know?