Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the ’80s. Instead of playing the usual rock star games like the metal stars of the early ’80s, the band looked and talked like they were from the street. After releasing their masterpiece Master of Puppets in 1986, tragedy struck the band when their tour bus crashed while traveling in Sweden, killing Cliff Burton. When the band decided to continue, Jason Newsted was chosen to replace Burton and two years later, the band released …And Justice for All, which hit the Top Ten without any radio play and very little support from MTV. But Metallica completely crossed over into the mainstream with 1991’s self titled Metallica, which found the band trading in their long compositions for more concise song structures. It was a number one album that sold over seven million copies in the U.S. alone.

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