Who’d have thought on October 28th 1981, when drummer Lars Ulrich made guitar player/singer James Hetfield an offer he couldn’t refuse, that Metallica would become a household name and go on to become the 7th biggest selling act in American music history.

The two recorded their first track on a cheap recorder with James performing singing, rhythm guitar and bass guitar duties. Lars pounded the drums, helped with musical arrangements and acted as manager. The duo adopted the name Metallica and began gigging in the Los Angeles area opening for bands like Saxon. Eventually Lars and James recorded a fullyfledged demo called ‘No Life Til Leather’, and Metallica’s first demo quickly became a hot commodity, with San Francisco and New York particularly receptive.

read the complete article in DRUMscene Issue 62