22/1/2007 - Metallica
Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the
'80s, responsible for bringing the music back to Earth. Instead of
playing the usual rock star games of metal stars of the early '80s, the
band looked and talked like they were from the street. Metallica
expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume not for their own
sake, but to enhance their intricately structured compositions. The
release of 1983's Kill 'Em All marked the beginning of the
legitimization of heavy metal's underground, bringing new complexity
and depth to thrash metal. With each album, the band's playing and
writing improved; James Hetfield developed a signature rhythm playing that matched his growl, while lead guitarist Kirk Hammett became one of the most copied guitarists in metal. Lars Ulrich's thunderous, yet complex, drumming clicked in perfectly with Cliff Burton's
innovative bass playing. After releasing their masterpiece Master of
Puppets in 1986, tragedy struck the band when their tour bus crashed
while traveling in Sweden, killing Burton. When the band decided to continue, Jason Newsted was chosen to replace Burton;
two years later, the band released the conceptually ambitious ...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 Metallica,
which found the band trading in their long compositions for more
concise song structures; it resulted in a number one album that sold
over seven million copies in the U.S. alone. The band launched a long,
long tour which kept them on the road for nearly two years. By the
'90s, Metallica had changed the rules for all heavy metal bands; they
were the leaders of the genre, respected not only by headbangers, but
by mainstream record buyers and critics. No other heavy metal band has
ever been able to pull off such a trick. However, the group lost some
members of their core audience with their long-awaited follow-up to
Metallica, 1996's Load. For Load, the band decided to move toward alternative rock in terms of image -- they cut their hair and had their picture taken by Anton Corbijn.
Although the album was a hit upon its summer release -- entering the
charts at number one and selling three million copies within two months
-- certain members of their audience complained about the shift in
image, as well as the group's decision to headline the sixth
Lollapalooza. Re-Load, which combined new material with songs left off
of the Load record, appeared in 1997; despite poor reviews, it sold at a typically brisk pace through the next year. Garage Inc.,
a double-disc collection of B-sides, rarities, and newly recorded
covers, followed in 1998. In 1999, Metallica continued their flood of
product with SM, documenting a live concert with the San Francisco Symphony; it debuted at number two, reconfirming their immense popularity.
The band spent most of 2000 embroiled in controversy by
spearheading a legal assault on Napster, a file-sharing service that
allowed users to download music files from each other's computers.
Aggressively targeting copyright infringement of their own material,
the band notoriously had over 300,000 users kicked off the service,
creating a widespread debate over the availability of digital music
that raged for most of the year. In January 2001, bassist Jason Newsted announced his amicable departure from the band. Shortly after the band appeared at the ESPN awards in April of the same year, Hetfield, Hammett, and Ulrich
entered the recording studio to begin work on their next album, with
producer Bob Rock lined up to handle bass duties for the sessions (with
rumors of former Ozzy Osbourne/Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez
being considered for the vacated position). In July, Metallica
surprisingly dropped their lawsuit against Napster, perhaps sensing
that their controversial stance did more bad than good to their "band
of the people" image. In late summer 2001, the band's recording
sessions (and all other band-related matters) were put on hold as Hetfield
entered an undisclosed rehab facility for alcoholism and other
addictions. He completed treatment and rejoined the band and they
headed back into the studio in 2002 to record St. Anger, released in
mid-2003. The recording of St. Anger was capped with the search for a
permanent replacement for Newstead. After a long audition process,
former Ozzy Osbourne/Suicidal
Tendencies bass player Robert Trujillo was selected and joined
Metallica for their 2003/2004 world tour. The growing pains the band
experienced during the recording process of St. Anger were captured in
the celebrated documentary Some Kind of Monster which saw theatrical
release in 2004. Stephen Thomas Erlewine Greg Prato
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22/1/2007 - LinKin ParK
Old-school hip-hop, traditional classic rock, and spooling electronic
vibes were the initial factors behind the building of the alternative
metal quintet, Linkin Park. The band's southern Californian musical
roots were also an underlying basis, for drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist
Brad Delson, and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda formed a tight friendship
while still in high school. Shortly after graduation, art student and
DJ Joseph Hahn hooked up with bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and
Shinoda for the band, Xero. Hybrid Theory came later, but the band
opted on the name Linkin Park when singer Chester Bennington was the
last piece added to the band in 1999. Soon the band became a noticeable
face at the Whisky as well as favorites in and around Los Angeles.
Zomba Music's Jeff Blue was one of the few who didn't turn the band
down for a contract at the turn of the millennium - Linkin Park signed
to Warner Bros. after being turned down three times in late 1999 and
got to work on their debut album. Taking a piece from their past, they
named the album Hybrid Theory. It was released in fall 2000 and it
showcased their likes for fellow alternative acts such as the Deftones,
the Roots, Aphex Twin, and Nine Inch Nails. The Dust Brothers also
collaborated on the record, as well as producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam,
Eve 6, Tracy Bonham). Singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer"
were massive radio hits and video favorites among the TRL crowd on MTV.
Joint tours with Family Values and the Project: Revolution Tour with
Cypress Hill led the band to play 324 shows in 2001. Linkin Park was in
demand. Come January 2002, Hybrid Theory received three Grammy
nominations for "Best Rock Album" and "Best New Artist." A month later,
Linkin Park walked away with an award for "Best Hard Rock Performance"
for "Crawling." They spent the remainder of the year hold up in the
studio, again working with Gillmore, recording a follow-up to their
eight times platinum debut Hybrid Theory.
Linkin Park's sophomore effort Meteora was released in March 2003; the
first single "Somewhere I Belong" was an instant hit. The second annual
Projekt Revolution tour got underway in spring 2003 with Linkin Park
joining Mudvayne, Xzibit and Blindside; Summer Sanitarium dates with
Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and the Deftones followed in July and
August. Results of the latter appeared by the end of the year on Live
in Texas. In late 2004, Linkin Park embarked on their most ambitious
project yet: Collision Course, a collaboration with
king-of-the-mountain rapper Jay-Z which introduced the commercial world
to the concept of mash-ups (remixes that sample heavily from at least
two popular songs). ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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