How Many GRAMMYs Have Metallica Won? Ahead Of New Album ’72 Seasons’: 6 Questions Answered

On their new album, ’72 Seasons,’ Metallica take inventory of their past while forging ahead into the future. Here are answers to six questions about the eight-time GRAMMY-winning band.

On their new album, 72 Seasons, Metallica circle the wagons and consolidate all the elements that make them… well, Metallica. Which, granted, many bands tend to do when they cross the four-decade mark. But for these eight-time GRAMMY winners, it’s entirely a new look.

“There was this strange thing for many years in our band,” drummer and co-founder Lars Ulrich told The New York Times in 2016. “We were in such a hurry to move forward, and in such a hurry to move away from certain perceptions about us, that we kept chasing something that we didn’t really need to chase.”

Much like its predecessors, 2008’s Death Magnetic and 2016’s Hardwired… To Self Destruct, 72 Seasons eschews any detours they’ve taken in the past. The songs sprawl; guitar solos are firmly back; there are no NWOBHM covers or symphonic collaborations. The title is backward-looking in a different way — a reference to the years between birth and age 18. And the ouroboros nature of 72 Seasons applies to the lyrics, too.

“Full speed or nothin’,” founding vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield barks in lead single “Lux Æterna,” a direct quote of “Motorbreath” from their 1983 debut album, Kill ‘Em All. In “Room or Mirrors,” he quotes “broken, beat and scarred” from Death Magnetic. Those 42 years together — approximately 168 seasons? — are clearly on these four men’s minds.

With 72 Seasons tantalizingly close to release, take a look back, just as Metallica do on record — and find answers to six key facts about the world-dominating thrash titans.

Who Used To Be In Metallica?

While Metallica has maintained its current lineup since 2003 — Hetfield, Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — the band has some famous former members.

The spirit of their early bassist, Cliff Burton, hangs heavy in the rearview; he died in a touring van accident in 1986, right as they hit a zenith with 1986’s Master of Puppets.

In a spat that honestly deserves its own article, Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine was the original lead guitarist of Metallica; he’s credited as a songwriter on a handful of songs on Kill ‘Em All and their celebrated second album, 1984’s Ride the Lightning.

Other past members include their original bassist, Ron McGovney, and mid-period bassist, Jason Newsted, who left the band in 2001 to focus on his band Echobrain.

How Many Albums Has Metallica Sold?

Metallica have sold more than 125 million albums worldwide — 67 million of those stateside.

At press time, their best-selling album is 1991’s Metallica, or The Black Album — the one with indelible hits from “Enter Sandman” to “Nothing Else Matters” — with a whopping 17 million sales.

How Many GRAMMYs Has Metallica Won?

As of 2023, Metallica have won eight GRAMMYs and been nominated for 18.

In order, those eight wins were for…

Best Rock Performance (“One”)
Best Metal Performance (“Stone Cold Crazy”)
Best Rock Performance (Metallica)

Best Metal Performance (“Better Than You”)
Best Hard Rock Performance (“Whiskey in the Jar”)
Best Rock Instrumental Performance (“The Call Of Ktulu”)
Best Metal Performance (“St. Anger”),
Best Metal Performance (“My Apocalypse”)

Check out Metallica’s complete GRAMMY stats here!

What Is Metallica’s Biggest Song?

By the standard of the Billboard Hot 100, Metallica’s most successful song was “Until It Sleeps” from their 1996 album Load — their sole top 10 hit, which peaked at No. 10 and remained on the chart for 20 weeks.

(As per the Billboard 200, their most successful album is The Black Album, which peaked at No. 1, hung there for four weeks, and spent an incredible 706 weeks on the chart.)

Song-wise, though, a look at more granular Billboard categories provides a clearer picture.

“Master of Puppets” is their biggest track in the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart; it peaked at No. 5. It’s also their most successful song in the Rock Digital Song Sales chart, at No. 2; Hot Rock Songs chart, also at No. 2; Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, Hard Rock Streaming Songs, and Hot Hard Rock Songs, all at No. 1; and Rock Streaming Songs chart, at No. 3.

As per the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, “Lux Æterna” leads the pack, with a peak position of No. 2. And while one can go much deeper into the Billboard archives for further information — and factor in non-stateside success — it’s clear “Master of Puppets” comes out on top.

Does Metallica Have A New Album?

They certainly do. As stated, 72 Seasons will be released April 14 via Blackened Recordings. It was teased via four singles: “Lux Æterna,” “Screaming Suicide,” “If Darkness Had a Son,” and the title track.

Early reviews are strong: Rolling Stone called it “some of the deepest, hardest-hitting music of their career.” Opined Consequence: “It’s the sound of a band having fun, laying into a ton of riffs and embracing its own legacy as metal masters.”

When Is Metallica Going On Tour?

Metallica will embark on the M72 world tour starting in late April. The trek, which stretches in 2024, will bring the foursome across Europe and North America.

Check here for their complete tour dates, and be sure to take a dive into 72 Seasons — the perfect impetus to consider the metal heroes’ past, present and exceedingly bright future.