Introduction

Back in the early 1980s - before Metallica released their first album, "Kill 'Em All" - a young fan from Oregon, K.J. Doughton, ran their fan club. He was recently reminiscing about the good old days with a friend he met through their mutual love of metal, Brian Lew, who was one of Metallica's first photographers.

Lew had a good laugh recalling one particular occasion. Back in the day, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was just a scrappy little kid with big dreams. The band hadn't been together that long, but he was already thinking big: "when we tour Europe...when we put out our first record...when we get big..." For Ulrich, it was never a case of if big things would happen, it was always when.

The underground was a world within a world where Metallica and countless other metal bands were able to build their fan bases and thrive. Long before the Internet, e-mail or even fax machines, a band could reach a worldwide network of dedicated fans that promoted them through snail mail, phone calls and good old word of mouth.

With the help of the underground, Metallica built a strong foundation of fans long before their music ever became commercially viable or acceptable. Now TwitchGuru takes a look back at when Metallica was plotting to take over the world, from the underground up, with the help of a large volunteer army.

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