Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist and songwriter for heavy metal band Metallica, sat down with Jason Rockman to talk about the band’s new album, Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, right before playing at Toronto's Opera House.
Hammett said "Hardwired" was the perfect opener to the album because it is a “Doc Marten kick in the chin."
“It’s a trip to me because people say Metallica are going to mellow out with age," he said. "I don’t see myself mellowing. If anything it’s getting harder for me to relax.”
Hammett spoke about bassist Robert Trujillo, his open mind, and loving challenges. They get along very well musically and being adventure chasers, they also apparently surf together.
The musician revealed the band loves the dynamics of playing small venues because it reminds them of old days, and why they got into music to begin with.
Hammett also revealed that he is quite the music geek. He learned to play guitar listening to vinyl records, picking up solos and playing over and over again. “I like to be part of the process of listening to music,” he explained.
(He is a fan of Lauryn Hill and said The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of his favourite albums of all time!)
Hammett is also a horror and comic book geek. You can hear him rave about super heroes and current film and TV adaptations of old comic books he used to read, saying he is quite a fan of the Toronto-shot film Suicide Squad.