There is no doubting what the Metallica discography stands for. It simply is a testament that the band is a living legend all its own. Of course, many other metal bands would argue they too deserve to occupy a legendary status. In reality though, few metal bands can claim to be as well known and esteemed as Metallica. Even people who don’t like metal music know the group.

For a group that has withstood the ravages of time, you’d think the members had a long history prior to becoming a popular band. The truth though is that, the original members hardly knew each other when they first started. Lars Ulrich got a second member in James Hetfield when the latter answered Ulrich’s advertisement for a jam buddy. The two became the first original members of Metallica in 1981. They later picked Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney for guitar and bass. Cliff Burton however soon took over from McGovney.

Like many music legends, this group was initially rejected by a number of music labels. It was only with some borrowed cash that the band was able to begin work on its first album with Megaforce Records. It was sometime at this point when Mustaine was pushed out due to drug and alcohol use. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett. Mustaine however eventually went on to start Megadeth.

By 1983, music experts already began to foresee the future of Metallica merch and CDs selling like hotcakes. On this year, the band released Kill ‘Em All. There wasn’t a lot of cash in it but it did build a rock-solid following for the metal group. This following led the way to greater acceptance for future releases. By 1986, Metallica already had a gold album entitled Master of Puppets.

With their steady rise to fame, the band started moving around more for playing engagements and promotional work. It was while they were on one of these trips that Burton died in an accident. This was to be a nearly crippling event for the band but they moved on without Burton and chose Jason Newsted to fill his place. With a new player in the group, they released …And Justice for All which took #6 in the Billboard 200. In 2001, Newsted left and Robert Trujillo was recruited in his place.

Trujillo came at an unusual moment in the band’s history. Their eighth album, St. Anger finally took the first spot in the Billboard 200 but it was to be a controversial success because it was the first piece of work that departed dramatically from the band’s signature sound. Critics noticed the lack of guitar solos, focus, differentiated tuning and a slower, rawer pace. This prompted a return to the band’s usual sound in Death Magnetic, their ninth release.

It’s clear that there is no chance that Metallica will fade into oblivion. With nine albums in the Metallica discography, nine Grammy awards, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and more than a hundred million records sold, their legend status has been etched in stone. Obviously more fans will be sporting studded belts in their honor.