Which fanzine name did Lars Ulrich suggest Ron Quintana use instead of Metallica? The answer is MetalMania, also commonly styled Metal Mania.
In the early 1980s, Bay Area metal figure Ron Quintana was considering names for a heavy-metal fanzine. Two of the options were Metallica and Metal Mania. Lars Ulrich, who was already planning a band, encouraged Quintana to use Metal Mania for the magazine while retaining Metallica for his own group.
That conversation became one of the most famous origin stories in heavy-metal history. Quintana went on to publish Metal Mania and helped document the emerging San Francisco metal scene. He was also associated with KUSF radio, where his work helped connect local musicians, fans, and underground bands.
The spelling can cause minor confusion: sources often write the fanzine’s name as “Metal Mania,” while trivia references may use the closed form “MetalMania.” Both refer to the same publication. Metallica itself formed in 1981 when Ulrich and James Hetfield began developing the band that would become one of the defining acts of thrash metal.