Metallica's early success was built on strong live performances and fierce thrash metal riffs. With the remarkable passion and drive of drummer/founder Lars Ulrich, Metallica became the biggest American metal band in the world and the legacy of those first four albums - Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightening, Master of Puppets and...And Justice for All - lives on to this day. American thrash metal produced four major bands - Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax - dubbed the Big Four, but out of that unholy collective, Metallica were kings. This book tells the story of how that remarkable global triumph started, with interviews with people who were there, saw those early gigs and numerous other eye-witnesses to the incredible story.