Naming the Band

In the Spring of 1981, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich were looking for a name for their newly formed band. Lars explains, "I met a bunch of really cool San Francisco kids, one of them was named Ron (Quintana). He told me he wanted to start his own fanzine...He asked me whether he should call the fanzine 'Metallica' or 'Metal Mania,' so I suggested that he call it 'Metal Mania.'" ​

​This notebook contains a page of potential band names. Contenders "Blitzer," "Ripshifter," and "Phantomlörd," were given their own logo treatments, but "Metalica," (note the singular "l,") was circled and deemed the winner (thanks to Ron Quintana). 

From the Collection of Lars Ulrich