Kirk Hammett Appreciation Thread

[gabito]

James Hetfield / Kirk Hammett are a massive influence on me. Like MASSIVE.

I love everything Kirk did until the Black Album. Wah, pentatonics... I don't care, I love it. Afterwards... uh, no. He got really sloppy, and his improvisation / soloing skills are subpar. I still can't understand how a professional musician, who plays his own band's songs almost every day, can be so sloppy.

But anyway: "Appreciation thread", so, I love him for that 8-year period or so. He did more in those 8 years than I or most people do in their whole lives.

 

[bostjan]

Do people really hate on Kirk nowadays? In the early 2000's, he was #1 on a lot of guitar magazine lists of greatest players.

Anyone saying he was sloppy is probably tainted by modern production standards. I would never say he was ever the cleanest player, but considering Kerry King was another influential metal lead guitarist from the same era, well, I rest my case.

The solos on MoP and AJFA are definitely top shelf stuff. RtL to some extent as well. His playing style changed after that, but it's not like he lost the plot. In fact, some of his work from the next three albums shows moments of the same modal style of playing here and there.

At any rate, Kirk's playing inspired a lot of people. Count me as one of them.

 

[RevDrucifer]

The Kirk hate/claims he’s sloppy is certainly taken on one of those internet things where people just repeat shit they read everywhere else.

I’ve certainly heard him on off days, but I was pretty impressed when I caught them twice in the same weekend at Rockville. Just an example, he nails the “One” solo spot on, to the point the little dynamic stuff is even dead on-



My favorite Kirk solo and even Metallica song is “The Outlaw Torn”, it has an awesome off the cuff feel to it and might be the most ‘feeling’ I’ve ever heard Kirk play with. I love pretty much everything he did back in the 80’s and when I joined my first band in high school, learning those solos note for note had a huge positive effect on my playing overall. And I still fuck up that little sweep bit in “Creeping Death”.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

Count me in as another who was greatly inspired by Kirk Hammett and Metallica in general.

Metallica was basically my gateway to harder music, and Hammett's early solos were godly to me. I learned every song from Kill to Black note for note and learned so much from it. He had a lot of awesome classic rock influences, which got me to check out Michael Schenker and took Hendrix more seriously. And learning that he got lessons from Joe Satriani made he check him out too, in turn got me into a ton of others, Vai, Skolnick, Larry LaLonde...

His solos are memorable too. Shortest Straw may be his finest moment, but as stated, all his Justice and Puppets solos are legendary. I do think Creeping Death and Call Of Ktulu is also high up there.

OP has already mentioned his riff contributions and they're all monumental, but I need to reiterate that the bridge on Damage Inc is one of the most badass thrash riffs ever written. Back when I was doing Metallica tribute shows, playing that riff was one of my favorite parts of the gig.

 

[Mboogie7]

Kirk and James were/are the foundations of my musician journey and passion.

When I first started playing, Kirk was who I idolized. The cunning stunts DVD got played multiple times a day. I just couldn’t get over Kirks smoothness. James has this ultra aggressive, commanding presence with the guitar, whereas Kirk is just… smooth as fuck. It was and is to me, the perfect blend of styles.

While I’ll admit I don’t really care for his lead work the last several years, he will always be a key foundation in my life.

 

[tedtan]

Anyone saying he was sloppy is probably tainted by modern production standards. I would never say he was ever the cleanest player, but considering Kerry King was another influential metal lead guitarist from the same era, well, I rest my case.

I think the complaints about Kirk being sloppy are about his live playing rather than the recordings. I haven’t seen them since the early 90s, but didn’t notice anything that distracted from the show any time that I saw them, but we all have off days, so who knows.

 

[Kolaniak]

They do play stuff slower live and even James cheats on some of the downstrokes. It's pretty established now that the early metallica recordings were sped up, which explains why the tempos are all over the place when you put the songs in a DAW. (Tried it for a cover, song was accelerating or slowing for the whole duration)

I especially like the solos from Ride the lightning. What he did afterwards has some nice moments but nothing coming close. I think a part of his bad rep isn't the wah but the fact that he regularly blew up whole lines live, I mean, the Harverster of Sorrow solo in the Moscow concert is a disgrace. I've seen Metallica live quite a bit and he always was like that. As soon as it stops being shred and there's a sustained note, disaster happens.

Any sources on the recordings being sped up?

 

[bostjan]

Any sources on the recordings being sped up?

Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' at 30: 'We Were Just Kids'

Metallica reflect on the 30th anniversary of their third album, 'Master of Puppets,' telling Rolling Stone, "We were just kids."

www.rollingstone.com

To tighten up the sound, the producer remembers asking the band to tune their instruments slightly lower than usual so they could mix with the tapes running faster so it sounded like it would be in tune.

 

[zappatton2]

I think the first stab I ever took at playing solos were generally his solos, particularly the more melodic but less ultra-shreddy ones, like the Sanitarium opener. Hell, I think the first riff I ever learned was probably Enter Sandman, as I first picked up a guitar shortly after the Black album.

I've gotta imagine the same it true of countless guitar players my age. A lotta folks have slagged on Metallica over the years, but I don't think there's any possible way to understate their, or Kirk's, influence.

 

[Rosal76]

Feel free to post any others from any era, I just chose the ones I knew. Of course this isn't just a riff thread, talk about your favorite solos or guitar designs too.

There is one guitar that I would equally love to own and be scared to own at the same time. The ESP/LTD Kirk Hammett Ouija guitar. When ESP announced that they were going to release limited numbers of the LTD versions of that guitar, 500 purple sparkle and 500 red sparkle, respectively, I was like, "I'm gonna freaking get one of those!!!". The reason I chose not to get one is because, 1. I believe in the paranormal and 2, I know I'll do something stupid like use the guitar as an actual Ouija board because as anyone can see, the front of the guitar is the design of a Ouija board, though, the pickups are blocking some of the letters of the alphabet. I'd be practicing using that guitar one day and then use the guitar pick as a pointer. Asking questions and s__t. LOL. I still think the guitar looks cool but I played it safe.

This is why I didn't buy one. Pazuzu possessed the s__t out of Kirk. I blame the Ouija guitar. LOL.

ESP also released his Demonology guitar in a LTD version that I think looks cool. But unfortunately, like his Quija guitar, I decided not to get one for "safe paranormal reasons". LOL.

 

[KailM]

It was always more about James’s riffs for me, but Kirk’s playing on the first four albums was everything it needed to be. Such great interplay between James and Kirk on those albums. Those albums shaped my life.

I’ve never understood the hate for Kirk. Dude has literally never had an attitude or ego and comes across as a gentle, chill man. His playing might not be at the top of the world in terms of technique, but he’s certainly no slouch and wrote some of metal’s most iconic anthems.

 

[Louis Cypher]

Ive never understood the Kirk hate tbh, become fasionable and "cool" to bash him I guess. Some of the sloppy live stuff, their offical YT channel posts up alot of pro shot concert footage and most of what I have watched Kirk is always on point for me personally.
I love his playing always have, much prefer his work up to and inc the Black album but there is some good stuff on the later songs from him, always loved his solo on that mission impossible song, I disappear. Aside from that every interview Ive seen he is just such a laid back relaxed bloke, love his obsession with horror movies, especially all the old Universal ones, I even have his book, Too Much Horror Business which shows off his horror memorabilia, he has a mental collection of stuff as well as all his awesome horror movie poster themed guitars.

 

[Harry]

I don't think it's case of 'hate' for the most part.
For me it's a case of being frustrated and saddened that he just never really got better over the years (post AJFA or Black Album) and never really tried to push himself.
No reason why he couldn't have butter smooth bends and vibrato by now with all that time, but ah well.
Ride the Lightning is my 2nd favorite thrash album of all time (Rust In Peace at top spot) and certainly Kirk's contributions are part of what makes it so.

Any sources on the recordings being sped up?

No source needed. Pick up a guitar tuned to 440Hz and play along to Ride the Lightning and you wont be in tune with it. It's been a while since I've played along and checked, but using Reaper's pitch shifting tool I think I had to decrease the pitch by 0.2 or 0.3 of a semitone to get it to match close enough. Using a guitar tuner, I think it's something like setting it to 445Hz, but again I haven't checked in some time.
Another obvious example is Paranoid (Black Sabbath).
Pantera is in the other direction (flat), but that's more a deliberate choice by Dimebag. I'd have to increase the pitch of Cowboys from Hell by 0.3 of a semitone to get it to match to an E standard 440Hz tuned guitar from memory.

 

[Perge]

It was probably Kirk going with what he felt was right for the songs. Bob Rock helped with the Unforgiven solo on TBA, but there's not a lot of discussion surrounding pushing Kirk into a direction other than that. James wasn't really into the Load/Reload stuff, it was more of a Lars and Kirk thing. Apparently it was a passion project of theirs, so again, I think that was the moment for Kirk to tap into blues influences more than usual

Bob rock changed kirks solo style. He had Kirk stop writing them out before hand, and improv them instead. He's done that since the black album, and IMO it's been to his detriment.

 

[setsuna7]

Wouldn't be here without Kirk. I first heard 'Tallica in the school bus, the driver would always blasts Sandman(the entire Black Album too) when it came out or around the time it came out. It was either that or GnR.
But it never made me wanted to play guitar until I was 17(yep that late,I know), when I saw Seattle '89 on my friend's VHS. KH's outro solo for Bellz, got me wanted to start playing.. bought my first guitar after that via jobs during school breaks, a Strat Copy by Yamaha (EG 303). I divebombed like ass and wondered why my divebombs sucks!! hahhaha. Turned out I need to learn how to play chords first and tune the goaddamn thing!!

 

[Wiltonauer]

Demonology guitar in a LTD version that I think looks cool. But unfortunately, like his Quija guitar, I decided not to get one for "safe paranormal reasons". LOL.
View attachment 105798

Just got the LTD Demonology. Very nice.

 

[Shawn]

Kirk was an influence for me growing up which got me into Satriani, etc.....

 

[soul_lip_mike]

I loved watching all his takes of the struggle within solo on the year and a half documentary

 

[OmegaSlayer]

I don't like Kirk's taste in Merallica and I hate Wah Wah, but I must say that I really liked his solo effort, really liked the songs.

 

[cardinal]

Kirk's leads are generally fun and fit the vibe; I've always been a fan. His vibrato is not the best but he's in a thrash band come on.