Today Marks 25th Anniversary Of METALLICA Debut

The Pulse of Radio reports: Friday (July 25) marks the 25th anniversary of the release of METALLICA's debut album, "Kill 'Em All". Originally issued on July 25, 1983 through the independent label Megaforce Records, "Kill 'Em All" was recorded in two weeks on a miniscule budget in upstate New York. Although only 1,500 copies were initially pressed, the album was reissued by Elektra Records after the band signed to that label in 1984 and has since been certified triple platinum for sales of more than three million copies.

The original title of "Kill 'Em All" was "Metal Up Your Ass".

The album's opening cut, "Hit the Lights", was the first song that frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich wrote together after forming METALLICA. An early version of the track appeared on the 1982 compilation "Metal Massacre".

Lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was replaced by Kirk Hammett shortly before recording commenced, although Mustaine still has several writing credits on the disc and went on to form MEGADETH.

A number of songs from the album are still part of METALLICA's set list to this day, including "The Four Horsemen", "Seek and Destroy" and "No Remorse".

METALLICA has since gone on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world, selling tens of millions of copies of its eight studio albums, including 15 million alone of 1991's self-titled "black album." The band's ninth effort, "Death Magnetic", is slated to arrive in September.

As for how long the group can continue to play, drummer Lars Ulrich told The Pulse of Radio that he feels good about METALLICA's future. "It's still fun and there's still a lot of people that get off on it, and, you know, you're playing to 50,000 people in Norway and most of them weren't born, not when 'Kill 'Em All' came out, but, like, when the 'black album'came out! You know what I mean, it's like a whole new thing. The question mark is, I just don't know physically. The physical element is just the unknown. If we can find a way to deal with that, then I think we could stick around for a while."

With this anniversary, METALLICA is now eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Metal Blade Records owner and CEO Brian Slagel recently conducted interviews with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich to coincide with the 25th anniversary of "Kill 'Em All". Watch the six-and-a-half-minute clip below.