Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the 80s. Responsible for bringing the genre back to Earth, the bandmates looked and talked like they were from the street, shunning the usual rockstar games of metal musicians during the early 80s. Metallica also 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. To complete the package, Lars Ulrich s thunderous (yet complex) drumming clicked in perfectly with Cliff Burton s innovative bass playing.

Beyond Magnetic is a digital/CD EP released by Metallica. The EP was released to coincide with the band’s 30th anniversary shows, in which they released a new song for all 4 days of the shows; it was released as a download on iTunes on December 13, 2011.[1] The four songs featured on the EP were all recorded during the Death Magnetic sessions but were never released.