Metallica: Classic Rock & Metal Hammer Special Edition - out now!

Metallica bookazine

The rise of Metallica from metal-obsessed, booze-fuelled long-hairs to multi-million-selling, box-office busting, stadium-filling rock gods is captured in a new special edition from Classic Rock and Metal Hammer. Metallica: The Complete Story is onsale now and available free to all TeamRock+ members.

From their very beginnings, through the inside stories behind the making of their classic albums, the death of Cliff Burton and their rebirth as world conquering game-changers, Classic Rock and Metal Hammer’s writers and photographers have been with them every step of the way. Metallica: The Complete Story collects years of exclusive interviews and features into one bumper volume.

“It’s a remarkable story,” says Editor In Chief Scott Rowley. “Outrageous, funny, boozy, tragic, cruel, dirty, inspiring – the Metallidrama was played out in public and it’s credit to the band’s various members that they’ve been so open over the years.

“But what’s really amazing is what they did. Because, as grandiose as it sounds, Metallica actually changed the world. The rise of Metallica proved that metal was a force to be reckoned with. In 1983, when their debut album was released, the biggest-selling records of the year were Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Lionel Ritchie’s Can’t Slow Down and the Flashdance soundtrack. Faced with that banality, a record called Kill ’Em All struck a chord. Over the following years, this once tiny subculture and its brutal music connected like-minded people all over the world, creating an alternative to the mainstream that was as big as the mainstream itself.

“This is the story of how that happened…”

Metallica: The Complete Story is in the shops now. You can buy it directly from us. TeamRock+ members get it – and digital editions of all our print magazines – as part of their membership.

Contents:

The Early Years

The beginnings of the metal legends, as Lars and James put the band together…

The Making of Kill ‘Em All

1983 and a young band in San Francisco are about to turn the metal world on its head…

The Making of Ride The Lightning

From thrash wannabes to superstars-in-the-making…

The Making of Master Of Puppets

12 months in the life of a band on the edge of glory.

A Tribute to Cliff Burton

A salute to the man who was the heart and soul of Metallica’s early years.

Cliff Burton’s Last Kiss

Could the last photo in Metallica’s Damage Inc tour programme have hidden a final farewell from their bassist?

The Big Four

Inside 1986: The Year That Thrash Broke.

The Making of …And Justice For All

After the success of Master Of Puppets and the death of Cliff Burton – what next?

The Making of Metallica, aka ‘The Black Album’

The tortured birth of the album that turned them into the world’s biggest metal band.

The End Of Thrash

How the success of The Black Album, and the rise of grunge, killed the thrash movement.

The Making of Load and Re:Load

Inside the much-and-unfairly-maligned albums, designed to make them the U2 of metal…

The Making of St. Anger

Post-rehab, post-counselling, and with a new bass player, metal’s biggest band return!

The Making of Death Magnetic

Geoff Barton grills all four band members as they return with album number nine.

Metallia Go Supernova!

With a number 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic and a sold out 02 Arena, Metallica were back. Where could they go from here?

Meet The Real James Hetfield

Metallica’s frontman like you’ve never heard him before: on bust-ups, tragedy, alcoholism and breakdowns.

Meet The Real Lars Ulrich

Metallica’s drummer (and band leader?) in his most personal interview ever.

Flesh For Lulu: The Lou Reed/Metallica interview

Lou Reed and Metallica on their sex, death and revenge album. “It’s not a party album…”

Diary Of A Madman

Up close and personal with Lars Ulrich.

Through The Never

Inside the Metallimovie. PLUS: Have Metallica blown it? Two CR writers discuss.

Metallica in China

They’ve conquered the western world? Next stop, China. We go on the road in the Far East.

Metallica 2017

On the road with Metallica on the biggest tour of 2017.

The A-Z of Metallica

An alphabetical guide to them blokes. All the pub quiz ammo you need.

Metallica: The Complete Story is in the shops now. You can buy it directly from us. TeamRock+ members get it – and digital editions of all our print magazines – as part of their membership.