More than just help invent metal, they've grown with it

Surveying Metallica's career is like looking at one of those evolution-of-man illustrations: You see how they became what they are. It's not that the band went from dragging their knuckles to walking upright so much as they continually expanded and diversified their sound. From the thrash of Ride the Lightning to the baroque song-suites of … And Justice for All, from the blockbuster ballads of Metallica to the hard-rock revival of Load, they've synthesized their past while pushing into the future. More than just help invent metal, the band grew with it, exploring just about every variable of playing fast and loud.