Lars Ulrich Biography

Lars Ulrich grew from tennis prodigy to one of the most recognized and influential drummers in the history of Metal.

Lars Ulrich: Early Life
In recent musical history the cold reaches of Europe have produced some of the biggest and heaviest bands in Metal. Before the days of the Black Metal bands and other bands like Opeth and Children of Bodom, Lars Ulrich arrived as one of Scandinavia’s iconic musicians. Lars Ulrich did not start out as a musician but as one of the top tennis prodigies in the world. The son of great pro tennis player Torben Ulrich, it was thought that Lars Ulrich’s entire life was planned for him.

Lars Ulrich’s father took him to a Deep Purple concert at the age of nine, and the effects of seeing the legendary Rock band live stayed with the young man, and he quickly picked up an interest in the drums. Going to America at an early age to work on his tennis game, Lars Ulrich had another formative musical experience when he heard the influential band Diamond Head. After meeting the band themselves, Lars Ulrich decided to form his own band and placed an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper. The ad attracted fellow Diamond Head fanatic James Hetfield.

Lars Ulrich: Metallica Early Years
James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich formed the basis for Metallica and another ad landed them guitar super talent Dave Mustaine. The trio of musicians would each have a giant effect on the future of Metal when it came to vocals, guitar, and drums. The drumming of Lars Ulrich set the base for the entire style used in the Thrash Metal movement. Lars Ulrich was not only a great drummer but also a skilled songwriter whose style jived with James Hetfield right away. With the amazing guitar abilities of Dave Mustaine, the fast drumming of Lars Ulrich, and the vocals of James Hetfield, the base was set for Metal history.

The strong creative forces and powerful personalities of Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich led to many well-known conflicts and a feud that lasts to this day. The band stayed together through these early problems and were eventually joined by bassist Ron McGovney. Metallica tickets quickly became one of the hottest commodities in the underground music scene, and the cult following of the four quickly grew. Metallica demo No Life ‘Till Leather became an underground sensation, with the drumming of Lars Ulrich causing quite a stir.

Lars Ulrich: Drum God
As Metallica continued its meteoric rise through the California Metal scene, Lars Ulrich was always recognized as one of the top reasons for the success. The replacement of the volatile Dave Mustaine with guitarist Kirk Hammett allowed for Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield to have their focused musical collaboration reach new heights. Debut album Kill ‘Em All showcased the drumming abilities of Lars Ulrich and earned him a place as one of the most influential drummers of the late 20th century. “Metal Militia” was one of the definitive songs for Lars Ulrich’s style.

As Metallica released albums like Ride the Lightning, the spotlight was shown more on the abilities of Lars Ulrich. The master of the double bass drum, Lars Ulrich drew a good crop of followers, and the instrument became a key part of all Metal music to come. The rapid fire Thrash Metal drumbeats also became an instrumental part of the soul of Metallica. The drumming of Lars Ulrich was a big factor in the growing sales of Metallica tickets and albums.

Lars Ulrich: Black Album & Beyond
Song “Enter Sandman” on the breakthrough album Metallica became possibly the best known example of the Lars Ulrich drumming style. The songwriting of James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich on The Black Album not only sold millions of albums but also helped make the album one of the iconic achievements in music history. Metallica tickets were soon sold out across the nation, and the trend of Lars Ulrich and Metallica filling stadiums continues to this day.

Lars Ulrich’s drumming on St. Anger was a big departure from his previous style and drew some criticism from longtime fans for the change. Many critics did support this new direction of Lars Ulrich and saw it as a fresh style that blended new Metal with the style that inspired it. 2008 Metallica album Death Magnetic saw Lars Ulrich return to his old Thrash style thanks to legendary producer Rick Rubin, who insured that the traditional sound got its due. The return of the classic Lars Ulrich sound has been a godsend to fans with Metallica tickets.

Lars Ulrich: Equipment
Every great musician needs an equally great instrument to play and Lars Ulrich is no different. Tama Drums provides the basis for Lars Ulrich’s touring drum kit, and fans with Metallica tickets will see the old standby of Zildjian cymbals always found on stage. Tama Drums are not only a favorite of Lars Ulrich but also a slew of other Metal legends like Tom Lombardo of Slayer and Bill Ward of Black Sabbath. The Tama Drums of Lars Ulrich have become as much an ionic instrument in music as the Jackson Guitar to Randy Rhoads or the Dean Guitars of Dimebag Darrell.

Lars Ulrich: Family
Lars Ulrich has two sons from his first wife Skylar Satenstein and has a third son with actress Connie Nielson, a fellow Dane. An interesting bit of trivia is that Lars Ulrich’s former wife Skylar Satenstein was the inspiration for the love interest of Will Hunting in the film Goodwill Hunting. Much like his good friend James Hetfield, being a family man and father has had a profound impact of Lars Ulrich as a songwriter and as a musician.