AS LEAD GUITARIST of one of the biggest-selling bands in history, Kirk Hammett needs little in the way of an introduction. While Metallica have been teasing fans with the promise of a new album since last summer, Hammett has emerged as the first band member to step from the mothership and fly solo with his new four-track horror movie-influenced EP, Portals.
Originally conceived as background music to accompany his It's Alive! exhibition of horror-flick posters and memorabilia, the self-produced Portals, as Hammett explains, evolved to become a collection of "soundtracks to the movies in your mind." The EP contains four high-concept instrumental tracks: "Maiden and the Monster," "The Jinn," "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation," each inspired by a different era in horror movie history. The latter two tracks were co-written by conductor Edwin Outwater, whom Hammett met while working on Metallica's 2020 live release, S&M2. Outwater leads orchestral players from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to give Portals its baroque-meets-metal aesthetic.
Speaking from his home in San Francisco, Hammett discussed the origins of his new music and his go-to gear for these new recordings. And tellingly, he dropped a hint about the next Metallica album.
How did Portals come about?
The first couple of songs - "Maiden and the Monster" and "The Jinn” were my attempt to write background music for my museum show of horror movie posters. Then I met Edwin Outwater. He's a big horror fan as well, so I said, "Let's collaborate on something and make it horror movie-influenced and cinematic." That's where "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation" came from. It's funny: I have these four pieces of music, and I still don't have any background music for the exhibition. I just realized that!
Which came first, your love of guitar or your love of horror?
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Guitar Player.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av Guitar Player.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"
AI Stewart reflects on his beguiling hit, some 10 years in the making.
UAFX
Teletronix LA-2A Studio Compressor
LINE 6
POD Express
MAN OF STEEL
He brought the Dobro to centerstage with his dazzling talent. As he drops his first album in seven years, Jerry Douglas reflects on his gear, career and induction in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
HIGH TIME
The new MC5 album took more than 50 years to arrive. The band members have all passed on, but the celebration is just beginning.
58 YEARS OF GUITAR PLAYER
As Guitar Player moves full-time to its online home, we look back at some of its greatest stories in print.
DRAGON TALES
In a Guitar Player exclusive, Jimmy Page sheds light on the amplifiers behind his Led Zeppelin tone and how they live again in his line of Sundragon signature amps.
CLOSER TO HOME
Rehearsal space, studio, vessel and abode Diego Garcia's boat is the home base for his new album, as well as his musical life as the seafaring Spanish guitarist Twanguero.
Funk Noir
With The Black Album, Prince made his greatest-and most infamousmusical statement.
Medium Cool
Striking the middle ground between its Thinline brethren, Gibson's ES-345TD remains a versatile, if underrated, gem.
