10 Biggest Breakups In Rock And Roll History
8. Metallica
Over the course of heavy metal history, Metallica is one of the most truly unstoppable bands of their genre. After lawsuits with Napster, losing band members to bus accidents, and even James Hetfield catching on fire, there's nothing that's going to bring the Metallica train to a halt. For a brief time in the '00s though, Metallica were on the verge of collapse, and it was captured on film for all to see.
During the making of what was supposed to be promotional material for the band's new album St. Anger, Metallica started to implode after years of tension in the band. Since he had been treated like trash since his start with the band, Jason Newsted was the first to leave, distilling them down to a trio. Just when it looked like a life coach would help patch things up, James Hetfield's addictions ended up getting the better of him, leading to him storming out of the studio one day in a fit of rage.
James wouldn't even step into the studio for nearly a year, causing the band to start from ground zero yet again once he finally decided to return. Though the release of St. Anger ended up leaving a horrible impression on most of us, you can at least pay it one compliment. Without that album, there was no way Metallica could have survived.