Metallica: 10 Best Lars Ulrich Drum Performances

There has been a lot of bile thrown in Lars Ulrich's direction over the past few years. From his technical screwups onstage to his public feud with Napster in the early 2000's, the man has churned quite a few stomachs in his time. What people tend to overlook though, is how Ulrich rose up the ranks as one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

Getting one thing right off the bat: has Lars Ulrich's style dipped in quality over the years? Probably, yes. Given Metallica's relentless assault, the man definitely has a compromised sense of time, especially when the adrenaline of a live show is rampant.

However, the studio recordings from the early years and even some live cuts show just how amazing Ulrich was at the best of times. Even if the beat was simpler than you were expecting, it still left you banging your head from start to finish.

Now it's time for Lars to finally get his due. Here are just a few examples of Lars Ulrich laying the groundwork for the great metal drummers that were the follow. Though he has had plenty of St. Anger-worthy moments in his day, Ulrich has never compromised when it came to bludgeoning his audience with a feral percussion assault.

And Justice For All... often gets cited as Metallica's heaviest album of their 80's run. While many hardcore fans will complain about the lack of prominent bass guitar, the guys were still putting together some of the most complex thrash metal tunes that would come out of the genre's golden age.

From a musical standpoint, the title track of the record is one of the band's greatest instrumental showcases. The different tempo changes that Lars has to employ throughout the song are some of the most confusing tasks that any drummer would touch. While the song may not have as many complex runs as a Dream Theater production, the sheer amount of sections that permeate the song is impressive for someone who is considered a second rate metal drummer.

While the song was a great showcase for the band, it also wound up being the straw that broke the camel's back in a way. Given their rigorous touring schedule, the performances of this 9 minute track became so excruciating that the band ended up dropping the song from their live show altogether. It might not have a prominent spot in the setlist anymore, but "And Justice For All" is one of the greatest musical feats that Ulrich and Hetfield have ever conjured up.