With a finely crafted collage of blustering guitars, pounding drums, ripping vocals and petrifying pyrotechnics, heavy metal pioneer, Metallica, literally brought the house down during its performance Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.

With a new look and attitude to match, Metallica plowed an anger-dominated music field into an acreage of personalized, master-minded metal.

Taking stage one-by-one, the members of Metallica jogged around their figure-eight-like platform, saluting loyal fans with high fives and “fuck yeahs.”

As the house lights shined on the true faces and expressions behind the music, the band climbed into the opening rendition of “So What….”

In a high energy battle between Metallica and the crowd, it was nearly impossible to determine which party was happier to be there.

When the lights went down, the show took over in usual Metallica fashion. Moving its way around both stages and the floor, the group managed to give a complete show to the entire arena.

Lead singer James Hetfield began making friends early, asking the people if they wanted something heavy and following with an explosive lead into the anthem-like “Sad But True.”

Drummer Lars Ulrich, who stripped down to boxers, black socks and boots, showed an equal amount of adrenaline — so much he could barely stand to sit down on his stool.

Punching through songs like “Ain’t My Bitch,” Hetfield and crew had no problems satisfying their metal-hungry fans. A touch of red lighting and a creepy bass-line by Jason Newsted transformed “Bitch” into one of the more anger-powered tunes of the night.

“One,” carried by Ulrich’s strobe-lighted drum trickery, was a perfect lead into what proved to be the musically emphasized half of the show. Covering all four corners of the Hilton floor, the song was by far the best visual and audio combination of the night.

Following in similar order as this summer’s Lollapalooza set, the band went into back-to-back metal ballads of “Nothing Else Matters” and “Until It Sleeps.”

A cool guitar jam by Newsted and Kirk Hammett drove into “Wherever I May Roam,” one the many singles played from the “black” album.

But as the show came to an end, it was the oldies that proved to be the goodies. As Hetfield and Newsted strolled along the fence, many fans crowded in to get their chances to head bang with the band to classics like “Ride The Lightning.”

A special bonus giveaway concluded the regular portion of the show and consisted of Ulrich handing out a handful of drum sticks and the rest of the band launching guitar picks into the balcony.

Hetfield said the thank yous, while everyone else showed them with their smiles.

A long standing ovation returned the compliment and Metallica quickly came back for what had to have been the most memorable encore in the history of live music.

Metallica lighted the stage with an amazing, acrobatic, performance of “Enter Sandman,” complete with a host of surprises.

The group then came back with a conclusion of old-school classics, looking and sounding like a true “garage” band.

Corrosion of Conformity opened the night with a collection of Metallica-influenced tracks. Although tightness was no problem for the duo, a lack of energy left the music open-ended.

COC singer Pepper Keenan sounded great, and strong bass and drums completed a rather impressive metal sound. But with Metallica following, it was merely impossible not to become lost in a shadow.

Metallica’s tour has been dubbed by many as a sell-out. But the new Metallica, if really that new at all, is really just a more personable and creative band.

Easily the most accomplished heavy metal band ever, Metallica’s grace through Hilton Coliseum Wednesday night was nothing short of an exclamation mark to the treat the group has given the heavy metal music industry.