Metallica is an American Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band formed in 1981 from Los Angeles, California. Metallica consists of lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter James Hetfield who is also co-founder of the band along with the drummer Lars Ulrich, while Kirk Hammett is lead guitarist and Robert Trujillo is bassist. Before this lineup Metallica consisted of Ron McGovney as the original bassist from 1981 until he left the band in 1982 and then Cliff Burton joined the band as a bassist in 1982 and played until his death in 1986. After his death, Jason Newsted worked as a bassist from 1986 until his departure from Metallica in 2001 and he was replaced by Robert Trujillo in 2003. The other American heavy metal band Megadeth's front man Dave Mustaine, actually was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983 and was replaced by present lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.
The band has released eleven studio albums: Kill 'Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984), Master of Puppets (1986), ...And Justice for All (1988), Metallica (1991), Load (1996), ReLoad (1997), St. Anger (2003), Death Magnetic (2008), Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), and 72 Seasons (2023). All of the albums were released by the now-dormant Elektra Records, except for Death Magnetic (2008), released by Warner Bros. Records and for 72 Seasons, released by their very own record company Blackened Recordings. One of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands, Metallica has sold over 66 million albums in the United States.
Metallica has received nine Grammy Awards; seven were for Best Metal Performance in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2024. The song "Enter Sandman" has been particularly successful for the band; it was nominated for Best Rock Song at the Grammy Awards, and it won Best Metal Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1992. The group also won Best Rock Video in 1996 for "Until it Sleeps". Metallica has been nominated four times for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist at the American Music Awards, winning it in 1993 and 1997. They have also received ten nominations from the Billboard Music Awards, winning all five. The band has also been nominated for three Juno Awards. Overall, Metallica has received 104 awards from 187 nominations.
American Music Awards The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Metallica has received two awards out of seven nominations.
| align="center" rowspan="2"| || Metallica (The Black Album) || Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album || |- | Metallica || Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist || |- | align="center"| || Metallica || Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist || |- | align="center"| || Metallica || Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist || |- | align="center"| || Metallica || Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist || |- | align="center"| || Metallica || Favorite Concert Artist || |- | align="center"| || Metallica || Favorite Alternative Artist ||
ARTISTdirect Online Music Awards
|rowspan="5"| 2000 || S&M || Favorite Turn-It-Up-Loud CD || |- |rowspan="4"| Metallica || Most Talked About Artist || |- | Favorite Group || |- | Best Fan Website || |- | Best Official Website ||
ASCAP Pop Music Awards The ASCAP Pop Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony sponsored by The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
| 2004 || Metallica || Creative Voice Award ||
Bandit Rock Awards The Bandit Rock Awards are an annual ceremony held by the Swedish radio station of the same name.
| 2018 || Metallica || Best International Group ||
Billboard Music Awards The Billboard Music Awards is sponsored by Billboard magazine and held annually in December. Metallica has received five awards.
| align="center"| 1988 || Cliff 'Em All || Top Music Videocassette of the Year || |- | align="center"| 1997 || Metallica || Rock and Roll Artist of the Year || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| 1999 || Metallica (The Black Album) || Catalogue Album of the Year || |- | Metallica || Catalogue Artist of the Year || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| 2017 || Metallica || Top Rock Artist || |- | Hardwired... to Self-Destruct || Top Rock Album || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| 2020 || Metallica || Top Touring || |- | Metallica || Top Rock Tour || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| 2023 || Metallica || Top Duo/Group || |- | Metallica || Top Rock Duo/Group ||
Billboard Touring Awards The Billboard Touring Awards is an annual meeting sponsored by Billboard magazine which also honors the top international live entertainment industry artists and professionals.
| 2010 || Metallica || Eventful Fans' Choice ||
California Music Awards Beginning in 1978 and continuing until the magazine ceased publication in 1999, BAM magazine presented the Bay Area Music Awards, also known as the Bammies, in an annual awards ceremony honoring accomplishments of the Bay Area music community. The awards ceremony continued for a couple more years with its name changed to the California Music Awards and absent its prior focus on the music of the Bay Area.
| 1989 || ...And Justice for All || Outstanding Album || |- | 1990 || Metallica || Outstanding Group || |- | 1992 || Metallica || Outstanding Album || |- | 1992 || Metallica || Outstanding Heavy Metal Album || |- | 1992 || "Enter Sandman" || Outstanding Song || |- | 1993 || Metallica || Outstanding Group || |- | 1997 || Metallica || Outstanding Group || |- | 1999 || ReLoad || Outstanding Hard Rock Album || |- | 2000 || S&M || Arthur M. Sohcot Award for Excellence || |- | 2004 || Kirk Hammett || Outstanding Guitarist ||
Classic Rock Awards The Classic Rock Roll Of Honour is an annual awards program established in 2005 by Classic Rock magazine. Winners of the awards are chosen by the awards team and voted on by readers of the magazine. Winners are announced at an annual awards show and featured in the magazine.
| 2008 || KEA, RTL and MOP || Best Reissue || |- | 2014 || Metallica: Through the Never || Film Of The Year ||
Echo Music Prize Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO) is an accolade by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry.
| 2017 || Metallica – Hardwired... to Self-Destruct || International Band ||
Emma Gaala Emma Gaala is a Finnish music gala arranged yearly by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland, awarding the Emma Muuvi or Emma Awards to the most distinguished artists and music professionals of the year. It has been arranged annually since 1983.
| 2009 || Death Magnetic || Top-Selling Album Of The Year ||
ESPN Action Sports & Music Awards In April 2001, ESPN held its Action Sports and Music Awards ceremony where "celebrities in the fields of extreme sports and popular music" were honored.
| 2001 || Metallica || Artist Contribution ||
GAFFA Awards Denmark GAFFA Awards Delivered since 1991, the GAFFA Awards are a Danish award that rewards popular music by the magazine of the same name. Metallica has received one award out of seventeen nominations.
! |- | rowspan="4"| 1991 | Metallica | Band | | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="16"| |- | Metallica | Album of the Year
| rowspan="2"| "Enter Sandman" | Song of the Year
| Music Video of the Year
| rowspan="2"| 1992 | rowspan="5"| Metallica | Concert of the Year
| rowspan="2"| Band
| rowspan="2"| 1993
| Concert of the Year
| rowspan="2"| 1996 | Foreign Live Act
| Load | Foreign Album
| rowspan="4"| 1997 | rowspan="2"| Metallica | Foreign Band
| Foreign Live Act
| "The Memory Remains" | Foreign Song
| Reload | Foreign Album
| 1999 | rowspan="3"| Metallica | rowspan="2"| Foreign Live Name
| 2003
| 2016 | Best Foreign Band | | style="text-align:center;" |
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Metallica has received 9 awards out of 26 nominations.
| align="center"| || ...And Justice for All || Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental || |- | align="center"| || "One" ||rowspan="3"| Best Metal Performance || |- | align="center"| || "Stone Cold Crazy" || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| || Metallica (The Black Album) || |- | "Enter Sandman" || Best Rock Song || |- | align="center"| || "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ||rowspan="2"| Best Metal Performance || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| || "Better than You" || |- | "Fuel" ||rowspan="2"| Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | align="center"| || "Whiskey in the Jar" || |- | align="center"| || "The Call of Ktulu" || Best Rock Instrumental Performance || |- | align="center"| || "St. Anger" || Best Metal Performance || |- | align="center"| || "Some Kind of Monster" || Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | align="center"| || "The Ecstasy of Gold" || Best Rock Instrumental Performance || |- | align="center" rowspan="3"| || Death Magnetic || Best Rock Album || |- | "My Apocalypse" || Best Metal Performance || |- | "Suicide & Redemption" || Best Rock Instrumental Performance || |- | align="center"| || "The Unforgiven III" || Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | align="center"| || Through The Never || Best Recording Package || |- | align="center"| || Metallica Through the Never || Best Music Film || |- | align="center"| || "Hardwired" || Best Rock Song || |- | align="center" rowspan="2"| || Hardwired... to Self-Destruct || Best Rock Album || |- | "Atlas, Rise!" || Best Rock Song || |- | align="center" rowspan="3"| || 72 Seasons|| Best Rock Album|| |- | "Lux Æterna" || Best Rock Performance || |- | "72 Seasons" || Best Metal Performance || |- | align="center"| || "Screaming Suicide" || Best Metal Performance ||
Heavy Music Awards
| 2018 || Metallica || Best International Band ||
Hungarian Music Awards The Hungarian Music Awards have been given to artists in the field of Hungarian music since 1992. The awards were known as the Golden Giraffe Awards until 2003. The award is presented by Mahasz, the Hungarian music industry association. The current official name is Fonogram – Hungarian Music Awards.
| 1997 || Load || Rock Album of the Year || |- | 1997 || Load || International Album of the Year || |- | 1998 || ReLoad || Rock Album of the Year || |- | 1998 || ReLoad || International Album of the Year || |- | 2004 || St. Anger || Rock Album of the Year || |- | 2009 || Death Magnetic || Hard Rock/Metal Album of the Year || |- | 2017 || Hardwired... to Self-Destruct || Hard Rock/Metal Album of the Year ||
iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is an international music awards show founded by iHeartRadio in 2014.
| 2017 || Hardwired... to Self-Destruct || Rock Album of the Year || |- | 2018 ||Metallica ||Rock Artist of the Year||
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers.
| 2004 || Metallica: Some Kind of Monster || Best Documentary Feature ||
International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society's Creative Arts Awards
| 2014 || Metallica: Through the Never || Best 3D Documentary ||
Juno Awards The Juno Awards are presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Metallica has received three nominations.
| align="center" rowspan="2"| || Metallica || Best Selling Album by a Foreign Artist || |- | "Enter Sandman" || Best Selling Single by a Foreign Artist || |- | align="center"| || Death Magnetic || International Album of the Year ||
Kerrang! Awards The Kerrang! Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by Kerrang!, a British rock magazine. Metallica has received seven awards.
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 2003 || rowspan="2"| Metallica || Best International Band || |- | Kerrang! Hall of Fame || |- | align="center"| 2004 || Metallica || Best Band on the Planet || |-