Metallica Through the Years

A person’s choice of wardrobe can say a lot about them. From a business suit to a bathing suit and the entire range of styles in between, what one wears speaks volumes about them, ranging from their occupation to their social status. In the music industry appearance is often thought of as paramount. In the case of the band Metallica, shifts in the band’s appearance also signaled a shift in their style of music.


Metallica formed in the early 1980’s, which was a time when glam metal ruled the rock scene. Glam metal bands had a distinctive look. This look almost always consisted of long styled hair, like that of a woman, lots of makeup, and elaborate extravagant clothing. Glam metal bands also had a distinctive sound. The music was rooted in hard rock, but also often included softer songs known as power ballads. Some examples of power ballads are “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison and “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue. Both Metallica’s appearance and music differed largely from these popular styles of the time. Metallica’s appearance consisted of tight jeans, tank-tops, and long hair. They seemed not to care about how they looked, which was a sharp contrast to the popular bands of the time. Their music was also a sharp contrast to the popular music of the time. Instead of glam metal, Metallica was characterized as thrash metal. Thrash metal had no ballads, and instead focused on fast, intense, and technical instrumentals supplemented by harsh vocals. Because of this, Metallica’s music was rarely heard on popular radio.


In the 1990’s Metallica’s appearance changed as did their music. Their appearance became more like the mainstream artists of the time. They cut their hair, and even donned some mascara. With their change in appearance also came a change in musical style. Gone were the amazingly fast and aggressive riffs, and in was a more hard rock sound. They even had power ballads with songs like “Nothing Else Matters” and “Bleeding Me.” With this more mainstream style, Metallica got unprecedented play on the radio.


In the 2000’s Metallica’s appearance and music changed once again. Both their appearance and music became a sort of mix from the previous two decades. Their appearance went back to consisting of jeans and t-shirts. Two members of the band, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, have short hair while the other two members of the band, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo, are back to sporting long hair. Their music is also a pleasant mix from the past 20 years. They still have some thrashy songs such as “All Nightmare Long,” but they also have some softer songs mixed in such as “The Unforgiven III.”

As you can see, Metallica’s shift in appearance also indicates a fundamental shift in their musical style. Through the decades, their style of music and clothing has evolved, changing with the times. It seems as though in the present day, Metallica has found a balance linking their different styles together.