KirkHammett
The wah-soaked lead voice of the world's biggest metal band
Kirk Hammett
The wah-soaked lead voice of the world's biggest metal band
Kirk Hammett was born in San Francisco in 1962 and grew up in the East Bay suburb of El Sobrante. He came to the guitar at about fifteen, pulled in by his older brother's records by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and UFO. His first instrument was a cheap mail-order model, soon replaced by a Stratocaster copy and then a 1974 Gibson Flying V. In 1979 he co-founded Exodus, one of the earliest Bay Area thrash bands, and during those years he took lessons from a young Berkeley teacher named Joe Satriani.
In April 1983 Metallica fired Dave Mustaine and sent for Hammett, who flew to New York and was offered the job after a single run-through of Seek and Destroy. Within weeks he was recording Kill 'Em All. Ride the Lightning followed in 1984 and Master of Puppets in 1986, records on which his solos grew more melodic and more carefully composed. The band's rise was shattered in September 1986 when their tour bus crashed in Sweden, killing bassist Cliff Burton, who had swapped bunks with Hammett shortly before.
Metallica pressed on with ...And Justice for All in 1988 and then the self-titled 1991 album, whose polished production and hits such as Enter Sandman made them a global mainstream act. Across Load and Reload in the mid-1990s Hammett leaned into blues and textured slide and wah playing, and he studied film and Asian arts at San Francisco State. The 2003 album St. Anger famously contained no guitar solos at all, a decision he later said he disagreed with.
Hammett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica in 2009 and has kept touring stadiums around the world. Outside the band he became one of rock's best-known horror collectors, publishing the book Too Much Horror Business in 2012 and launching a horror convention in 2014. In 2014 he acquired Greeny, the 1959 Les Paul once owned by Peter Green and Gary Moore. His first solo release, the instrumental EP Portals, arrived in 2022.
The 10 greatest Kirk Hammett solos
- 1Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1988
- 2Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1986
- 3Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1984
- 4Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1991
- 5Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1991
- 6Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield · 1986
- 7Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1984
- 8Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1984
- 9Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1988
- 10Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1986
The sound
Hammett's playing mixes a thrash rhythm guitarist's tight, down-picked attack with a lead approach rooted in blues-rock pentatonics and the melodic shapes of European hard rock. He favors fast alternate-picked runs, wide bends and a vocal, aggressive vibrato, and his wah pedal is so central that it acts almost like a filter on his whole lead voice. On classic tracks he composed solos as memorable mini-melodies, often with harmonized passages, rather than purely improvised shred. The result is a raw, emotional, slightly unhinged sound that fans recognize within a few notes.
- ESP KH-2 signature series (guitar) His main touring platform for decades, including the skull-and-crossbones Skully and the Boris Karloff Mummy graphic models.
- 1959 Gibson Les Paul 'Greeny' (guitar) The legendary Peter Green and Gary Moore Les Paul, which he bought in 2014 and has used on stage and on record.
- 1974 Gibson Flying V (guitar) An early serious instrument from his Exodus days and the start of a lifelong love of the V shape.
- Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ (amp) The heart of Metallica's crushing tones from the Master of Puppets era onward.
- Randall signature amplifiers (amp) He partnered with Randall from 2007 and helped design a signature amp line.
- Dunlop KH95 Cry Baby wah (effect) His signature wah, launched with Dunlop in 2008; he reportedly owns around 200 wah pedals.
- Ibanez Tube Screamer (effect) An overdrive he has relied on since his teens to push his amps into sustain.
- KHDK Electronics pedals (effect) The boutique pedal company he co-founded in 2012, releasing its first series in 2015.
Covers
- Am I Evil?, originally by Diamond Head Metallica turned a New Wave of British Heavy Metal deep cut into a thrash anthem, with Hammett tearing into the extended solo sections.
- Last Caress / Green Hell, originally by Misfits A gleefully sloppy punk medley that shows the band's garage roots.
- Stone Cold Crazy, originally by Queen They sped up Queen's proto-thrash track and made it a Grammy-winning metal ripper.
- Whiskey in the Jar, originally by Thin Lizzy Hammett nods to the twin-guitar Irish rock of Thin Lizzy while adding extra heft.
- Turn the Page, originally by Bob Seger A moody road ballad reimagined with heavy guitars and brooding lead fills.
- Astronomy, originally by Blue Öyster Cult An epic, atmospheric cover that gave Hammett space for expansive melodic lines.
Timeline
- 1962 Born in San Francisco on November 18
- 1979 Co-founds the thrash band Exodus
- 1983 Replaces Dave Mustaine in Metallica and records Kill 'Em All
- 1986 Master of Puppets released; Cliff Burton killed in a tour bus crash in Sweden
- 1991 Metallica's self-titled album makes the band global superstars
- 1999 Performs with the San Francisco Symphony for S&M
- 2003 St. Anger released with no guitar solos
- 2009 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica
- 2014 Acquires the 'Greeny' 1959 Les Paul and launches his horror festival
- 2022 Releases his first solo EP, Portals
Facts
- Hammett took guitar lessons from Joe Satriani while he was still a member of Exodus.
- He was offered the Metallica job after playing Seek and Destroy with the band just once.
- Hammett had given up his bunk to Cliff Burton shortly before the 1986 bus crash that killed Burton.
- His love of horror began at age five after watching The Day of the Triffids.
- His book Too Much Horror Business showcases three decades of his horror memorabilia collection.
- He reportedly owns around 200 wah pedals.
- He once lost a phone holding roughly 250 riff ideas intended for a Metallica album.
- Hammett owns the Les Paul known as Greeny, previously played by Peter Green and Gary Moore.
- He co-founded the effects company KHDK Electronics in 2012.
- Rolling Stone ranked him jointly with James Hetfield at number 23 on its 2023 list of the greatest guitarists.