Why Kirk Hammett Sucks (nowadays)

[@uroboric]

He said in an interview that he hates playing solo's like master of puppets or fade to black because it became boring which is why he decided to just improvise all the solos on 72 seasons. I don't like that decision because his improvisation is just playing random blues licks very fast...

[@AdamM12590]

of course he grew bored of his solos from back then...they were all mostly the same blue spentatonic licks with little variation its a wonder he didnt get bored earlier!

[@RandyBakkelund]

Probably because it's too hard, or "maybe" those old licks were inspired licks from some other player, and he's taking the easy way out despite fans thoughts. I kinda feel like something weird is going on like that.

[@Taxable_Trophy]

He doesn’t improvise puppets. He does fade to black

[@TRASHtheband]

Ok, so you’re in your mom’s basement and he’s an international superstar, but you’re better than him…ok, how’s your album doing btw?

[@Imfreehowaboutu]

@@TRASHtheband the problem with your argument is that you now must accept that Justin Bieber is a master songwriter, Katy perry is a lyrical genius and so on. And are we really going to limit the ability to criticize only to Uber successful people? That means the next time you get a bad meal at a restaurant you better go start your own restaurant before you can have an opinion about food. If we keep following this line of reasoning it quickly becomes obvious how absurd it is.

[@FadeToBlack1989]

Fade To Black outro solo is legendary.

[@metallurgico]

I bet it was crafted by Cliff

[@FadeToBlack1989]

@@metallurgico ive always wondered how he made it up, i wouldnt be surprised that Cliff did help

[@MrPaul8870]

Fade to black was actually a track made by cliff and Dave back way back before master of puppets which the track was made for but was dropped as a project and was reinspired to respect cliff after his death Fact

[@MrPaul8870]

Yes 100% ​@@metallurgico

[@tylerallenwade]

A large portion of that solo is just the pentatonic scale so it shouldn’t be hard to imagine that Kirk wrote it, it’s absolutely beautiful and I think probably the most beautiful/best use of the scale ever maybe lol but that’s all it is guys it’s not hard to figure out

[@DrewMonge]

I've been perplexed over Hammett's playing over the last few years. Like many others, I idolized KH in the early years of Metallica. He crafted solos that always complemented the songs perfectly. He never overplayed, never underplayed. Each solo was just right. Favorite of all time was Shortest Straw. Sadly, if you notice in recent years, when the song is played live- they skip it entirely. Several songs they play live, they sometimes end up skipping the solo entirely. You have to wonder- can he not play them anymore? I dunno, sometimes Hammett strikes me as a guy not feeling inspired anymore. But in his defense - most of us became fans of Metallica 30+ years ago, and we have an emotional attachment to the first 3 albums. Think about all the evolving and growing we've done over the years, with different types of music in our own personal lives. Hammett has been stuck in a particular paradigm that he's had to maintain for 40+ years. At the end of the day, Metallica may just be a costume he has to put on, and a job he has to go to at this point. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[@jennysoapdish4502]

Kirk could still play those old solos if he wanted to, but he doesn't want to after playing them thousands of times. It's a total bummer, but I can understand that he wants to be more free and improvisational.

[@kackdackel9170]

@@jennysoapdish4502 but then you have to wonder how effective your free and improv playing is, and in the case of kh, it just doesnt work

[@educatedcanadian7408]

Sorry I know this post is old. But I wonder the same thing because back in the day. His solos blew my mind. I considered him to be possibly the best guitarist in the world. The best lead guitarist. I Play guitar and I don't find Kirkham. It to be the fastest to be the loudest or to be the longest solo player. What I do find him to be is The most melodic and the most emotional. Kirk Hammond solo's back in the day took people's breath away. They were just amazing like you couldn't craft it. Any better nobody could a God himself would have to come up with that. what happened to him now? I don't know. I think he's just screwing around. You know he's bored. Honestly, what he doesn't realize perhaps is that what he created back in the day was magic time and time again. And it's probably boring for him to keep trying to do. The same thing you can only play so many chords

[@nunyabiz012]

@@educatedcanadian7408 possibly... I think back in the days he was just fresh out of Satriani’s Guitar School, so to speak. He still had some of that Satriani-esque vibe, and in the meantime, he’s lost it by playing so many other styles and possibly not keeping up with his own practice patterns from back in the days.... So it may well be possible, that he doesn’t know how to play those old solos anymore....

[@educatedcanadian7408]

@nunyabiz012 Good theory, perhaps although he certainly knows the scales he used, I'm sure. Maybe, it's the composition. I'll tell you what I really think. There was one member of the band who taught them to arrange with peaks and gullies, that was cliff Burton who taught them that and perhaps a few years go by and they forget composition arrangement as was taught by Burton. Or he has lost his blues esc fast scale and mute pick method with bends or got board. I also know he stopped using the whah peddle as much due to criticism. So yeah he lost his sound. Maybe he did forget even more than that as you say. We also know he is supposed to be clean and sober so maybe the dark demons don't visit as much to help him, lol. Cause again, his solos were God-like. Or maybe he is old, and his fingers can't move that fast anymore.

[@shred9475]

modern kirk solo: bend a note/ drown it with wah/ pentatonic dad rock/ repeat

[@reed332]

His solos were truly inspired beautiful, but everything you said is true. Sadly, he’s just lazy I guess.

[@krisdavis3888]

So true...every member of this band can be amazing when they are driven or pushed to, even Lars, but otherwise they fall into lazy habits

[@megamakabryczny]

@@reed332 He is that lazy, that he even doesn't want to play old solos properly.

[@richardspillers6282]

Everytime I hear someone take a jab at Kirk I just remember that he played that twisted solo on the thing that should not be.

[@hinjurock70]

One of his best.

[@nk1974]

@@hinjurock70he said he had to write it in like 20 minutes because they were going somewhere. Not sure the whole story but 20 minutes!

[@hinjurock70]

@@nk1974 I heard it was an hour because he had to catch a flight, but yeah - same difference pretty much. Killer solo.

[@petragroselj1133]

It really isnt that good tbh. Mostly just whammy bar stuff

[@Daniel-Lagace]

​@@petragroselj1133 But it's just the way it fits right into the songs sort of spooky/creepy atmosphere so perfectly

[@hedbngr18]

I've been saying for nearly 20 years that Kirk is the Benjamin Button of lead guitarists. He was young and excellent, putting days into crafting each of his moments to shine in each track. As he aged, he got worse with the more years of experience he gained. Around 93-94, he started saying and thinking that all of the great players he looked up to just improvised and played solely with feeling. Sadly for him, all of the musicians he is referencing were (for the most part) much more naturally talented and well versed in music theory than he is. Their repertoire was much larger than his. He has his 4 or 5 go to licks and he mostly just cycles through them these days. Of course there are a few exceptions, recently most notably the arpeggiated solo section from Spit Out the Bone. I did enjoy his work on that song. I am somewhat undecided on the 4 tracks we've heard so far from 72 Seasons. Nothing really blew my socks off, but I can't decide whether I am jaded or if he just isn't putting the effort in that I feel like he should. But who knows? The remaining 8 songs may be incredible. The saving grace is that, from day one Metallica has been very clear that they write the music that THEY want to hear. They aren't trying to please any particular person or group of people. I honestly feel like that is why they are as successful as they are. I really just care if they can play the songs live these days. I average seeing them about every other year now and I haven't walked away from a show yet where I thought their playing was subpar. Kirk could write an absolute ripper of a solo and there will always be people who still say how terrible he is. In the end, who really cares. If he and his bandmates are happy with his work, who are we to judge? We are entitled to our own opinion, but they are entitled to not want to hear it or validate it. Freedom of speech works in both directions. I'll be listening to the new album for the weekend in the garage before I form my opinion on it. I hope it's awesome.

[@kylereece1979]

I enjoyed reading that, mate. Well written and spoken from a fan thats not trying to actually bash Kirk, but offering constructive critique and knowing anslysis. I think his solos over the years are way too reliant on wah-wah, and asya said, the usual trusty licks he morphs together. Its very samey, stuck in the blues box. He had some good things going on Death Magnetic, and songs like Halo on Fire, but he then diverts back to all too familiar territory. I dont expect him to blaze out asmany notes as possible per bar these days, but losing the Wah, adding some reverb, chorus to colour things, and dipping into some familiar styles he used to use with aplomb would be incredible. That said, I cant wait for the album. Huge fan, and I just want him to play the best and inventive he can.👍

[@landajimmy]

Do you have the Cliffs notes for this comment?

[@rickl1099]

An excellent comment, couldn’t have put it better myself.

[@yogxoth1959]

So what do you think of the album now that’s it out? It’s a 5/10 for me. Not bad, not good either. I like Sleepwalk and You Must Burn the most.

[@Rhamsody]

I enjoyed most of what you said, but my gripe is the same as my gripe with Disney/Marvel/Lucas film. Who am I to judge? Well, I'm the paying customer. These aren't struggling college kids performing on a street corner. These are wealthy and established professionals who demand my money in exchange for their product. I feel that gives me the right to voice my pleasure or displeasure for the product they're giving me. Just my take. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

I think Kirk’s solos from the St.Anger album is some of his best work.

[@Woozy.0]

Based

[@doomguy8324]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaa!!!!! 😂 love it...

[@emanuelemazzoni782]

Hope you're kidding😂

[@alpahetmk]

Its the notes inbetween

[@jonlegacie]

Terrible non-metal album though

[@TomChopperGuitar]

Kirk has been phoning it in since since the black album was done recorded.

[@tranks7485]

Outlaw Torn is pretty good, so I would say since St.Anger. Thats where he stopped being inspired, you can see that in the documentaries as well.

[@panamajack5972]

I'm gonna agree with tranks and say St. Anger

[@TomChopperGuitar]

@@tranks7485 I could see that…

[@tulio.guitar]

Nah man, check the solos on death magnetic, specially the unforgiven III

[@TomChopperGuitar]

@@tulio.guitar yeah, it shows more effort, but not as much as the first 5 albums (and honestly, if it wasn’t for bob rock, his solos on the. Lack album may have been mediocre as well). And DM is over 15 years ago… Don’t get me wrong. He was my guy for the longest time, so much so that when I improvised, it sounds very much like him. It’s just disappointing knowing he’s capable of so much more.

[@landajimmy]

His Sweet Child O’ Mine solo will always be my favorite 🤙🏼

[@Tiago_007]

😂

[@realscience948]

😂

[@rogermoore4733]

😂

[@ClifftopTragedy]

I didn't know he wrote that😯. I hate that song

[@pathaleyguitar9763]

Now for the reverse video: "How in the fuck Michael Romeo hasn't had any loss of technique and plays just as immaculately at 50 as he did at 25" (title might need shortening tho lol)

[@DaveGOfield]

He didn't get filthy rich, so had to keep it up LOL... JK... I love MJR, he's obviously still very passionate about guitar and music while Kirk doesn't give a fuck

[@zbarneyz]

Not even that Romeo plays crazier now than he did back then, makes no sense

[@robertshepard2117]

I agree,but Romeos music sounds like shit.

[@Mr_Wilson_1967]

There is a BIG difference at 50 to 60 years old which Hammett is now.

[@zbarneyz]

@@Mr_Wilson_1967 eh no... Romeo is 55 and Kirks decline has not started recently... its been a whiiiiiiiile

[@neonblack211]

im sure I read somenwhere that Joe Satriani helped Kirk write the blackened solo, which would make alot of sense considering how modal it is

[@papapetrick6545]

In dave diary book??

[@sigiligus]

Kirk recently said in an interview that he hates playing his old solos and that the only good shredders are Satriani, Yngwie and Paul Gilbert. Totally coping, saying it's harder to write interesting pentatonics than to play modally. Yeah Kirk, that's why you can't do it. And am I supposed to take this guy who keeps playing babies first blues cliches seriously when he's saying "I could play like Petrucci but I don't wanna and it sounds bad"? What a joke.

[@justin.hombach]

I just read the article… this is so much bullshit talking 😂😂

[@gibsonflyingv2820]

He actually can, that’s what’s funny. If you watched the video you’d know that. Other than satriani none of those guitarists have written a. Single memorable solo or contributed to music to the extent Kirk has. MODERN Kirk is just pentatonic trash, he was once very exotic in his playing.

[@Celatra]

@@gibsonflyingv2820 he for sure can't play like petrucci. even in his prime he was still sloppy and nowhere near on the level fo the guitar gods of then and esp now.

[@guitarlair]

@@gibsonflyingv2820 nah, he's always sucked....

[@MaestroJericho]

@@gibsonflyingv2820 There's random top 10 pop country hits with better solos than Kirk and they're all like 15 seconds long at most. At this point I think new Metallica songs sound better without solos most ofd the time.

[@curtwehrmeyer124]

Kirk was hungry in the beginning or the first 5-6 albums it was the rising star syndrome. After being a star for 40 years Kirk has become complacent, we are Metallica we are the biggest metal band on the planet. This stardom has taken all the fire of the past and made it ho hum Im a blues guy now. I sure am glad their biggest rival doesnt think that way. With the pedal to the metal I gotta say Megadeth is killing it and have far surpassed anything Metallica has done in what a couple decades at least. Dystopia is outstanding and The Sick The Dying and The Dead is a master class in metal. Metallica as a whole ha been steam rolled by Megadeth and thats just reality.

[@keyboardwarria]

yea cuz Kiko was in Megadeth

[@tonyflorez703]

Perfect comment, !!!!

[@Vivi_9]

Lol Megadeth are also pumping out mediocre albums these days don't act like their recent stuff is any better than Metallica's

[@vorpalblades]

Testament shits all over both Big M bands combined.

[@ジャジー藤原]

Spit Out The Bone alone hard stomps modern Megadeth albums

[@thieveryguitars6206]

I really love his playing on the Metallica records up to St. Anger. His earlier solo structure is really influential to me even though I work more in an alt rock / singer songwriter vein. But I remember listening to hardwired and - while I like some of the individual solos - when I listened to the whole thing back to back I was all “are all the solos improvised in e minor pentatonic or something?”. I think that Metallica needs a producer that will tell them to make the songs / albums shorter and the solos more memorable and most of the problems with their modern output would be resolved.

[@nigeltufneljunior]

💯

[@Woozy.0]

Agreed. I just don't think any producer has the cajones to tell Metallica what to do for fear of being replaced

[@migionie]

I think Bob Rock should come back… as far as I remember he was removed post St. Anger. Fight me but I think for what St. Anger was, Bob Rock made hell of a good job keeping shit together while producing it with Metallica.

[@foxythedingo]

I agree as well, this guy is breaking down things he would have played if he was being produced by Bob Rock and in Metallica, but these are all famous solos, so why go after someone who could school you?

[@jennysoapdish4502]

Kirk made some amazing contributions to Death Magnetic.

[@MartinBergnerGuitar]

Love the spot on analysis. While Kirk Hammett is a meme for most of today's guitarists we gotta keep in mind that it wasn't always like that and going back listening to the old songs really makes you wonder what went wrong along the way... :/

[@andrewtschuta2627]

He became successful and wealthy and probably lost his hunger to improve.

[@shanebrady3450]

@@andrewtschuta2627 That and the white powder consumed.

[@frankspikes7858]

​@@andrewtschuta2627 More than likely. A few things. I love the first four records. Then the 90s came along.. and the black album. I don't completely hate it. There's a few good tunes on it in my opinion. Where ever I may roam, holier than thow, don't tread on me. Also did he study neo classical, jazz, jazz fusion, other instrumentalists besides guitar players.

[@andthoseotherguys]

He's probably burned out and sick of Lars trying to tell him how to do his part. Then there's James who, we all know, that it would get very old, very fast being around him. Then there's the squatting bass player. Would you be thrilled about having to be seen with a guy who thinks that squatting equals stage presence?

[@doomguy8324]

I'll tell ya what went wrong... the Rocky 3 effect. They haven't had any real competition, they got too big and famous and souled out, everyone kisses their azzes now because of who they used to be, in their minds they can do no wrong. James Hetfield could auto tune a fart and sell it for $100 mill right now. That's the level to which people are just star struck by their foolishness.

[@pchasco]

It’s called burnout. He’s had the same job for decades, doing the same thing day after day, week after week. I don’t think even people who are paid millions of dollars per gig are immune to burnout.

[@kinglord5163]

I hereby officially challenge Kirk Hammet to write and play a new guitar solo without whammy bar or wah pedal.

[@mortalcoil1541]

Or pentatonic minor

[@wahpedalabuser3495]

Whammy bar is cool tho

[@PopeyeFPV]

LOL that's a good one. He hides behind the wah 100%..... I'll add : I'd like to challenge KH to play ANY of his solo's note for note....Or at least as close to the original as possible. Idk about you, but when I go to a show, I don't want to hear improv. I want to hear the solo from the album and as close to note for note as possible.

[@hinjurock70]

Wah makes any solo better. I can do without whammy bar.

[@JamesDCornette]

I hereby officially challenge "KIng Lord" to stop being a douche.

[@harpsdesire4200]

Honestly a lot of it has to do with that as artists get more famous or well known they just don't practice as much simply because they just don't feel like it. They feel as though they've made it so practicing technique becomes an afterthought. Yngwie Malmsteen is a perfect example of this. He's gone on the record saying he only plays guitar when he's on stage or recording or in front of a camera. And in his later years this becomes quite evident with his increasingly sloppy technique. Conversely look at Tony Macalpine, I remember reading an interview of his in 2014 that he still practices at least two hours a day, and this was when he was married and working a day job when not touring. And he sounds great even in his early 60's. There are exceptions to this though. I've heard Michael Romeo in interviews saying he hardly practices technique anymore but even now he still kills it on stage and in the recording booth. But perhaps it's just a genetic predisposition to having good genetics for the fine motor skills required to play at his level and at his age. I saw him last year in their and my home state of New Jersey and he friggin murdered his parts on stage, made it look so effortless. It was truly a sight to behold. So that's my two cents.

[@galaxianexplosion5954]

He doesn't need to play like a typical self-indulgent shredder tho , music isn't a sport so no one cares how fast you play or how brilliant your technique is , I'd rather choose mediocre music than "look what I can do and what I can crams in" music

[@rvs55]

@@galaxianexplosion5954 That's fine. Mediocre music for mediocre people.

[@thisandthat1233]

Kirk was never a shredder and hardly had top level technique. Kirk's problem is quote well stated in this video. Just standard rock cliche licks though a wah every solo.

[@rvs55]

@@thisandthat1233 I believe he did make an effort early on in Metallca's life. Then they got rich after the Black Album, and like that other lazy bum Lars, he just continued on Cruise Control, while riding the name and legacy of the band's name and brand.

[@doomguy8324]

Yep. Like Rocky 3... they've "made it" so just phone it in. If only there was some "hungry" band to be their "clubber lang" and knock em out one good time.

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

The first 4 Metallica albums are still huge for me, but I can’t bring myself to care about anything they’ve done since then. It’s amazing that such an incredible band could derail so horribly and put out crap after crap.

[@peepongdingdong9208]

Yup, I blame Bob Rock (more like Bob Cock) for this. Black album is meh at best and is normie tier shit.

[@peepongdingdong9208]

Also, I like Motley Crue, and I couldn't stand the over polished bland feel of Doctor Feel Good. Too Fast for Love takes a massive shit on it despite even the production being low budget.

[@themadmattster9647]

You guys are speaking my language: first four Metallica, first two Motley Crue

[@JeremyMacias-ip5hn]

I’m glad you’re happy still happy living in the past. 😁

[@TrevyTrev-andTheFunkyPets]

I wouldn’t call it living in the past. There is a huge difference in the songwriting and performance over the years and you can either like the newer direction or not. I just don’t find the newer stuff as catchy and exciting.

[@arpeggiomeister]

The answer is simple. The phenomenon was explained perfectly in the movie Rocky III. Once upon a time Kirk Hammet was hungry. He had the "Eye of the Tiger". He composed solos and put everything he had into them. He had something to prove. His technique was not perfect but you could feel the ferocity which more then made up for it. The decline started on the Black album. They went for a more radio friendly sound and they succeeded. He started getting lazy. There are no solos post Black Album that even comes close to the solo in One. In One he was at the peak of his powers.

[@Rickkelley365]

His work on Load and ReLoad was exceptional for the kind of music they played on those albums. there are some absolutely wailing solos that are incredibly simple but effective- Bleeding Me and Outlaw being 2 of them. Incredible soundscapes he created on those albums.

[@lepermessiyah5823]

One isnt even the best solo one Justice, but that album was the top of his technical prowess.

[@mbingham666]

I honestly wonder if his old teacher Satriani didn't help him write his old solos....weird that his playing became less inspired after he stopped lessons with Joe

[@troycleek7394]

I've heard that Cliff would help him to give it some melody that would help him fit into the song. Then Kirk would throw in his own thing. Cliff had a huge impact on Metallica. His absence speaks volumes.

[@gibsonflyingv2820]

No… Joe taught him techniques. Those shredder only musicians rarely write anything very good. Cliff burton helped Kirk write solos. To hand it to Joe satriani is just delusional. He made Kirk play satriani songs, Kirks style already existed prior to Joe.

[@EL_DUDERIN0]

I think you did a very good breakdown of this. Let's also keep in mind that the whole thrash metal genre was pretty new in the early eighties and even still being invented -- and Kirk had pretty much one of the coolest guitar solo sounds out there at the time. I think his skill culminated on record at "And Justice For All..." which were ripping solos by almost any standard. But then Black album Kirk and Metallica collectively decided fast was not good and Kirk fell in love with playing blues solos. I have no idea if anything after Black album is any good even because I've never listened to an entire song since that. It's nothing about age though-- in comparison, take a look at Alex Skolnick from Testament who back in the day set the bar for thrash guitar solos and is better today then back then even.

[@gensrios1383]

I say it is all about staying passionate, inspired and hungry for succes. Kirk seems too comfortable these days.

[@barbaradascalos4411]

Alex took break from metal snd got a jazz degree I think...Kirk just kept touring and making millions..now he is too rich and lazy to dedicate himself to guitar..he just wings it now.

[@doomguy8324]

No.. the answer is no. He never played anything good again.

[@Celatra]

@@doomguy8324 that's a bit of a reach. Load has many good solos and so does reload. DM has a few really good solos and Hardwired has 1 or 2 good ones, and 72 seasons has....1.

[@doomguy8324]

@Celatra Yeah reaching for the toilet paper to wipe that shit up. Load is terrible. Has metallica opened with that in 83... you wouldn't even have heard of a metallica at all.

[@kiashangovender5221]

Just learning Kirk's old solos with KZbin videos I can see how much better his soloing was and I just don't want to learn the new ones. Well made video.

[@thanosa2206]

Yeah you think kirk sucks?? He learned all this with his ears From listening a song With no 50% speed and KZbin teacher's and tabs Now think,,,whos realy sucks Him or us? 😅

[@scaccu]

@@thanosa2206 lol, every musician does it.

[@thanosa2206]

@@scaccu i not talking about the present back in the day only a few was able to do it With your logic you tell me Pythagoras sucks because today's we have better mathematicians You are a joke Lol my ass

[@Maverick7r]

It's really funny because I was just thinking about this exact topic when the other day. This has been my biggest issue with Metallica and all their newer albums. Kirk's solo's used to have feeling and depth to them... now they're just flat and kinda lifeless. He inspired me so much when I was learning to play and solo, so sad to see that he isn't putting that much time into it anymore. 😔

[@gensrios1383]

I guess it is time for him to retire and let someone with fire and passion to fill in his position in metallica.

[@Geoff_24]

Kirk went from legend who inspired millions to an 18 year old version of me lol

[@justin.hombach]

😂😂😂😂

[@J_Braz_]

Kirk was on another level in the late 80s. Since the Load era kirks playing has mellowed. More bluesy I've been listening and learning the Four Horsemen solo lately. It's one of my favorites. Of Wolf And Man solo is badass too

[@megamakabryczny]

For Horsemen end solo is made by Mustaine. It's on original demo version too. Solos in the middle of the song are cool though.

[@BaldPerspective]

I think part of the issue is that Kirk wrote an intricate solo for "The Unforgiven," Bob Rock said it sucked, told him to improvise something, the improvised solo is the one on the record, & now Kirk is possibly tryna over-correct by just improvising all his solos, but now there's no Bob Rock to tell him what's good & what's not.

[@joseconde91]

Kirk is one of my guitar hero, but nowadays it's so sad to hear the same wah-solo noise.😅😅

[@FlipGuitarist80]

I don’t mind the wah, it’s the improvisations and changing the solos and hitting bad notes that fucking bugs me about it. It just doesn’t work for him. He’s said he doesn’t give a fuck, but maybe he should coz he sounds like shit nowadays.

[@chrisgarcia5462]

Yep!

[@FidgetMDCCLXIV]

The solo in Crown of Barbed Wire is everything bad mixed together. Poorly executed pentatonics, lazy wah wahs, just a disgusting solo.

[@yegorzakharov9649]

Bro cmon, he's in his 60s and still performing.. we should give him a credit.

[@foxythedingo]

This guy is nobody, Kirk is a Hall of Fame Guitarist, trying to knock down songs that are iconic because they aren't in his super stupid over engineered solos

[@nsmith9862]

No

[@chrisw2139]

@nsmith9862 no? Really? Sorry how may shows and album's have you sold again? GTFO!

[@kronictonic]

Yeah I agree. I love the first four records and really like some of the black album. The unforgiven solo feels like his last really powerful one. I think they just don't have anything to say anymore

[@TrevyTrev-andTheFunkyPets]

And Bob Rock really busted his balls to play that one, from what I say from the documentary.

[@parmeshgurung]

yeah glad he did. First takes of kirk were awful, glad bob pushed him. what a amazing solo.. wish there was someone like bob to push him a little. These days he just seems he goes and noodle few set of pentatonic lick in every song @@TrevyTrev-andTheFunkyPets

[@donmcglothlin841]

What I’ve deduced is this: Kirk writing solos in the old days had another musician in the band he respected greatly named Cliff Burton. Cliff was all about classical music so arpeggios and modes and scales were ingrained in his style and that bled over on the rest of the band. The last of Cliff’s influence was seen on Justice, and the solos on that album range from mild to wild which leads me to believe some was all Kirk and some with Cliff’s input. Then from the black album forward his solos became wah/whammy heavy with less and less substance. I respect Kirk for standing up to the band and insisting on solos on St. Anger (that is the only thing I respect about that album mind you) but his solos have fallen far from where he was on those first 4 albums. Also the level of success Metallica has enjoyed for decades now has, in my opinion, quenched their hunger and crushed their innovative creative spirit. I’m open to debate but that’s my take

[@honigdachs.]

And it's a complete nonsense take. Cliff hat nothing to do with Kirk's playing - if anyone had an influence on that in the early days, it was Satriani who Kirk took lessons from and you can tell that his playing was more modal back then because that's just what he was working on a lot at that time. People put Cliff on a pedestal because he's the guy who died. He had far less influence on the music in general than you think. 90% of the Metallica DNA is and always was Hetfield.

[@fedgraca6434]

I agree and I have a theory that Kirk was letting Joe Satriani come up with solo sections and obviously must have worked out an agreement for Joe not to appear on official song writing credits. So I feel the first 4 albums had Cliff Burton and Joe Satriani as key composers

[@honigdachs.]

@@fedgraca6434 The stupidity of this comment is just mind boggling.

[@cyborgar15]

Yep, that about sums it up..

[@donmcglothlin841]

@@honigdachs. go check out interviews with Kirk himself When they were writing they went to Cliff and he used music theory to write harmonies and yes, even parts of Kirk’s solos. That cool arpeggio in the intro solo of Fade to Black? That’s Cliff

[@BarrySwords]

I think when they wouldn't allow him to record solos for St Anger, it really pissed him off. After this he just didn't give as much of a damn as he used to.

[@ICantStopMakingNoise]

I love the "cover" of Bedroom Eyes by Yngwie in the backing track. It took me a few moments to place it and figure out where I knew that melody from.

[@thetransitofvenus8927]

The mortgage was paid in full in the 80's.

[@albertosotelo9969]

I grew up listening and learning from Kirk, of course, all I can do is pentatonic now... I am stuck there, maybe I should have listened to more various music or attempt other bands' solos, but anytime I attempted to play Iron Maiden, Megadeth or Deep Purple, I stopped at the solos because I never could do any of that, that's what happens with Kirk, hey that's what happens to Zakk... same licks, same scales, but they do have their own style... just as me, I do not get frustrated about it, in the end, you play what you play, and you do what you can... Kirk is not terrible, he is still influencing millions of kids getting them started in playing, and that's the most important part of his playing and his career, you have the Kirk Hammett, then you get the Synister Gates, then you have the Tim Henson... and so on, everyday I thank that Kirk is still around making music and influencing many more and more kids like me... I am a 37 year old kid enjoying listening to Metallica, I listened 72 seasons this weekend for the first time back to back... I have to say, it really rocks, it is really awesome and I felt so good listening to it, that's what it is all about.

[@robertolsen9721]

I play alot pentatonic licks also, but I don't know music theory. However I do know when notes doesn't fit. If you never tried a Ritchie Blackmore solo my suggestion is the one on Burn. It's not that hard but as always with me I take my time even if it takes one year. The number of the beast solo is great also. I have also practiced Zakks No more tears solo but got stuck on the last bars wich is fast. My long term practice solo recently was the one in Technical difficulties, but can't really master the rhythm part 💯. As for Kirk he's solos never cought me to the degree I want to learn them. I'm not a fan of wah use.

[@albertosotelo9969]

@@robertolsen9721 Yeah! I think I pulled off the Burn solo ahen I was younger and I remember now that it took me about a year to tackle "Sometimes I feel like screaming" that's Steve Morse, but what an epic piece of music, I really recommend paracticing that one, again, a lot of pentatonic, but those "tap harmonics" all around the main riff, man! that one was a tough one, gice it a listen and tell me it is not one of the greatest compositions of all time (italian hand)

[@murk4552]

​@albertosotelo9969 Bruh have you broken done Hammett's 80's work? He was extremely modal and did exotic crazy shit throughout the 1st 5 albums.

[@murk4552]

​@@albertosotelo9969forgot to add Hammett was huge on arpeggios, string skipping and really unorthodox note choices. He got boring when Reload arrived.

[@OlivvYeah]

If I'm not mistaken, the old solos and harmony parts were written with the help of Cliff Burton, who was more schooled theorywise than the rest of the band

[@ericchin739]

Here's the difference... Back then.... they were just writing songs. They wrote music they wanted to make. Now.... they write Metallica songs. Now it's boring. If that makes sense.

[@greenmantles]

That makes perfect sense. Any group that lasts long enough essentially becomes a tribute/cover band of their own material.

[@weddingvideographerireland]

I love the solos on the recent albums. It’s his own thing and what he wants to do. I don’t think he needs to listen to what anyone says. He’s where he is today because he does what he feels in the moment. I think it’s great.

[@professormonty5111]

"The notes in between are fuckin with me"

[@kronictonic]

I respect your opinion and I like Hammett but I feel it's nothing to do with playing/writing what he feels and everything to do with being lazy composition wise. It isn't simple but effective for the song, its uninspired. I don't limit this to him either I think the new songs in general have this uninspired quality. Success at their level has left them very little to say that's relevant. Just my opinion though and I do love Metallica

[@riffsNriffsNriffs]

@@kronictonicyup exactly….he’s lazy compositionally and it’s beyond clear the dude doesn’t fuckin’ practice….and for all you non-players out there, yes you need to practice even when you’ve been playing since the 70s or whatever the fuck. You never reach a place in your playing where you don’t need any rehearsal or practice. So what we get with guys like Kirk who never do, is someone that can hardly play the shit that they wrote because they don’t have the dexterity and ALSO because they are being held back by a shitload of bad habits. That’s what practice is primarily for when it’s not aimed at learning new techniques - fixing bad fucking habits.

[@marthastubbs8321]

They suuuuuck tho

[@RafaelCDet]

He is where he is because he played what Lars and Rasmussen/Bob Rock told him to play. Now that the band doesn't care, he doesn't care

[@sonjaschellenberg901]

While I really liked some of the early Metallica songs I never was that crazy about Kirk's solos on their own right. They were part of the songs and fit in there well. Still I never thought of him as an idol or be in the same league as my usual favourites (Steve Morse, Vai, Bettencourt, Satriani, etc.). I have to admit that I stopped listening to them after Reload. So can't really comment on the comparison between now and then. That being said I imagine that a band with such a huge following may have lost their steam just because because they lost their ambition to make a statement or to excel at anything. They have nothing to prove anymore. OTOH other bands are still putting out great albums. E.g. Deep Purple could also righteously rest on their laurels. But they still record and they still tour and even survive loosing a band member. The difference seems to be for me, that the Purple guys just love to make music and are passionate about it. If you lose this passion the music will naturally sound stale.

[@MN_-]

i love all his solos and the unforgiven solo was written first and they hated it so he improvised it on the spot and thats the solo you hear on the record

[@emedel5772]

For the last couple of decades I’ve felt Kirk just got lazy with soloing. I mean they released an entire album with zero solos. That was like Kiss with no make-up! I’ve been a fan of Metallica since Kill em all was their only album. Kirk was also an inspiration for me to pick up the guitar back then when I was a young teen. My favorite solo is the slow emotional felt solo in Four Horsemen which I went on to learn. One of my proudest moments in life was when I got a Kirk KH2 back in the 90s and the axeman himself autographed it. But I’m just saddened by his disappointing sloppy work today. Love ya Kirk, but Cmon Man!

[@deomartinez77]

I 100% agree. I know it's not an inability to play the complicated stuff proficiently anymore either because he can still play all of the old stuff very well. He is just literally is refusing to play anything beyond a repeating lick followed by a pentatonic scale sequence. He throws in bends and slides every so often to break up the monotony but that is really all he is doing these days. That works for certain songs and circumstances but not Metallica. Seriously when is the last time Kirk has written a solo that is longer than 30 seconds? He is better than what he has been delivering and all the fanbase knows it.

[@Blarsen780]

The lack of Solos on St. Anger upset Kirk as well. There's a clip of him in the Some Kind of Monster documentary where he complains about it.

[@221b-l3t]

Is he credited as lead guitar?

[@anthonyw5261]

Read one time Kirk USED to take 3 or 4 months to write a solo. Obviously hasn't happened in years 🙄

[@fredrikh3547]

The solo/twin lead in Fight fire with fire is a go-to whenever my mood needs improvement.

[@Queteimporta-n4k]

The most appropiate title

[@jmtims1]

Let’s not forget - these guys are 60. They are a 40 year old band. Old Men start to grow bald, they get arthritis, memories get bad… James is the only writer and Lars is the arranger. Shit gonna sound the same, riffs gonna sound the same and Kirk is gonna run out of solos when the song is in the key of E. They kicked azz on Jimmy Kimmel.

[@isfet5149]

Except Maiden, Priest, Megadeth, Vai, Satriani, Testament still play amazing on stage.

[@thecoolhunter21]

1st time watching you. Subbed right when I was your sick video intro 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@justin.hombach]

Hahaha awesome mate :) I hope my channel can help you to grow as a guitar player

[@Jordo246]

I've been a huge fan of Metallica for 15 years now, Kirk was one of the main reasons I picked up a guitar for the first time and have been playing for just over a decade now and as a person he's one of the most humble dudes out there considering how big Metallica is. That being said and it pains me to say this but I cannot stand almost every solo on Hardwired and 72 seasons and it's because he tries to improvise them all and he just doesn't have the chops for it, at least not any more. I remember when Hardwired came out there was loads of interviews of him saying how he was so proud of improvising all the solos when to me they all mostly sounded pretty bad and he's done the exact same thing again. Compared to his early work, for example 2 of my favourite solos being Ride The Lightning and Disposable Heroes the new solos are terrible. Those 2 solos really elevate the songs because they build, they have structure, they're pleasing to listen to. The ones on Hardwired and 72 Seasons sound like random noodling with no nuance because that's literally what they are. Even the tone is pretty bad, it's so dry and absolutely drowned in wah that they don't even sound good regardless of the note choice.

[@IDGAF_PLUS]

Kirk uses the lame excuse of "I do what the song needs" to avoid having to push his craft forward. There are a couple of decent solos on the new album, but on basically every solo you get what he's doing immediately when he starts any phrase because it's all stuff he's done before. You can say the same thing for a lot of other guitarists out there, but Metallica is the biggest rock band on the planet so I think he should deliver something more with each release IMHO.

[@theloner6063]

No. "Biggest band"....wtf? Fame ≠ greatness.

[@BatFan1]

It wasn't as noticeable on DM but on Hardwired you could hear the "sameness" going on with Kirk, and it has become way more obvious with the tracks released so far on 72 Seasons. It's the only thing that has held back these last two albums from being greater.

[@FlipGuitarist80]

The last record where he sounded good and seemed to have at least crafted most of his solos. I agree.

[@DavidNwokoye]

It's not just Kirk, Metallica as a whole be lacking thesedays

[@justin.hombach]

Yep, sad but true. But I can make a bit more of a professional opinion on solos than on the rest of the band. And this video is more to explain why the old stuff was so good compared to the new ones :) (Tho I think Robert is something good that we have in current Metallica)

[@maaaaaap]

Bit off topic, but i cant stand people defending Lars' playing. If you make huge amounts of money playing in full stadiums, you should have the decency to practice the songs that people are paying hundreds to see you play. Lars is a legend, but nowadays he is worse than people who have played drums for a year or something: no dynamics, no creativity, timing issues etc.

[@_ProTrax]

@@maaaaaap Ironically enough as someone who has shit on Lars a lot over the years he is in a better spot than he has been in quite some time, it really is the band as a whole being ok with putting out mediocrity in terms of their new material

[@brandonjackson5865]

James still whips out some sick riffs, I don’t think his lyrics are nearly as good as they used to be and I think they try to get too much out of some of James cool riffs now day. Lars and James peaked on and justice for all for me although I don’t hate the Black Album, but They wealthy and comfortable and Lars seemed to quit working as hard on his drumming. I think Kirk has gotten complacent or maybe he leans into his meme Wah Wah thing and it takes pressure off . I still love the part where Lars and Bob Rock were trying to get the Unforgiven solo out of him and I don’t think he was lazy or anything but under pressure to come up with something they would deem great. I can imagine early on Kirk came in playing at the edge of his skills to impress them and also on the early albums all Kirk recorded were his leads and he probably didn’t have as much stuff going on and he had to keep up with the other 80s guitar heroes right ?

[@tonycarpaccio9550]

These days as in over 25+ years.

[@PseudoIntellectual2.0]

I learned a lot from Kirk. Mainly to sloppily bend the strings of the minor pentatonic scale and hide the sloppiness with the wah pedal.

[@DanielHuman1996]

My guess is Cliff Burton and/or Flemming Rasmussen would sing or hum the solos to Kirk as he recorded the early albums, and Kirk would memorize the solos after the sessions were completed.

[@Goodx172]

Honestly, I need videos like this to learn melodies well, because I'm just a self-taught guitar player and don't understand what scale to use when making a guitar solo. Thank you very much! 🙏🏽

[@myturningpoint]

Kirk doesn't phone solo's in, they're so bad, he faxes them in. I honestly think he's either contractually obligated to stay in Metallica or he desperately needs the money coz he's clearly bored beyond all recognition and would probably love to be doing something else and not having to put up with the massive ego battle of James and Lars

[@troycleek7394]

You hit the nail on the head. Money isn't everything. He seems sad. Creativity drained.

[@TheKereberus]

Kirk has said in an interview that on their new album he came in and played 15-20 solos and had Lars and Greg (the producer) cut them up into the songs. It’s just lazy work.

[@donjoseph73]

Metallica ended with the black album for me. Megadeth ended with Cryptic writings for me.

[@justin.hombach]

Really? I think especially „system has failed“ and the last two are absolute metal mindblowing ☺️

[@Communism.is.a.cancer]

For me it ended with ...And Justice For All for Metallica and Rust In Peace for Megadeth.

[@joem2457]

Dystopia is a goated album though

[@guitaratfourty]

To me it endet 1942.

[@MichaelSmith-ti6qc]

@@Communism.is.a.cancer Megadeth countdown to extinction with Marty Friedman solos on that album is a masterpiece

[@vince1229]

Joe Satriani said Kirk was probably the student with the most natural talent.

[@chronicon5616]

Brutal, but I gotta say it: sad but true. There's a reason why everyone wants to learn those early solos, and I think you articulated the reason quite well.

[@blunderless]

tbf, i’m not really baffled by yngwie malmsteen, but he hit the nail with a hammer when describing kirk in general james has such tight and strong melody, while kirk… he’s always been an amateur… i’m really just not a fan of anything other than his fight fire with fire, ride the lightning, and first orion solo. he’s got no melody, new metallica fans are so delusional and high off copium.

[@averagecomrade5072]

@@blunderless just because they have different opinions doesn’t mean they’re delusional.

[@blunderless]

@@averagecomrade5072 and justice for all has somewhat changed my opinion, but i still think you are objectively wrong if you think kirk is any better than james (aka 90% of metallica subreddit)

[@nikitaprosin3025]

he started his new style on the black album mostly. And it sounded great on that album cause it was new and although wah heavy, it was used to paint such emotion that I’ve yet to hear from another wah solo from another guitarist. And while there are stand outs solos on load (king nothing), reload (devils dance) several tracks on death magnetic (unforgiven 3, 1st track, cyanide, etc), several on hardwired but def more sparse, and on 72 seasons I was blown away by how recycled and one dimensional his solos were. He has started to freestyle his solos as of last 2 albums and that’s a bad decision on his part. But yes it pisses me off how people forgot that they picked up the guitar cause of him in the first place!

[@robseppala]

Without disparaging Kirk or his success, and without getting into the technical minutia of his playing, the main reason there's such a major difference in his style between the early days and everything really after Justice...though I think it started to show on that album, is due to the fact that when he jumped in after Dave's departure, he had to study and play note for note Daves solos and riffs...so, that sound and those original licks were the driving force behind the early Metallica albums, which was some of the best true thrash produced in the 80s....after that he just needed to take his playing a different direction, for personal growth.

[@brunofreitas9314]

No... no... dont be that person, all the solos in Ride are different of anything Dave would do if he was the lead in Metalica. Ride the Lightning and fade solo are clear Kirk style. If it was Dave, those solos would be more shreded (dont know if the word exists) and less melodical and less attached to the song. Kirk he wrote a riff that was used for Creepind death with 16. He had is style, very clear. At least give some credit to Satriani, with whom Kirk learned a lot until the Justice album. And in that album, specially the Justice for all song, one of the solos has a clear Satrianish vibe. Now, he doesnt seem to really want to be doing solos, seems happy on doing the rythmic stuff.

[@robseppala]

@@brunofreitas9314 agree to disagree. i think what you're hearing on ride the lightning is the orchestration, music theory and direction that cliff burton was taking the band in as a whole. aside from that, kirk brought in the tube screamer and wah pedal. there isnt any satriani influence to speak of here accept perhaps the tone he was experimenting with, but perhaps that wasn't his call but flemming rasmussens. his phrasing, riffs, licks, solos...still very thrashy, especially in comparison to satriani and his other students. skolnick, timmons, cadogan. they were still heavily influenced by dave in both rhythm and solo, which is why at the end of the day they were force to cede him writing credits on that album, but not all of them. ✌

[@myekuntz]

lots of points you thought about no one else did and the rest yes i feel the same ,whats funny is i get a lot of my influence doing solos from kirk ,funny to see how he was influenced and never put much thought about it ,thanks

[@lashtal]

Blackened: Kirk doesn't have a writing credit on this song.

[@jerelli]

Please stop yapping - get to the point my man, just some constructive criticism

[@6oLsh0i6o0z3]

I have kind of come to terms with the fact that Kirk is simply getting older and his capacity for creativity is no longer there, especially when you've already amassed millions of dollars. It still made me awe at the fact that many of his iconic solos were done back then, when he was still a very young man in his prime. I could only dream of creating such amazing solos at that age. His current solos haven't left me with any enduring impressions as a listener. It's just there to get it over with and complete the songs. I'm not really expecting much from Metallica these days. Still enjoying their 72 Seasons, though. Anyway, has anyone tried to supplant Kirk's solo in their most recent record with one of their own? Although there has been a lot of justifiable & valid criticism, no one has yet tried to improve upon his version. I'm genuinely interested in hearing it, so I know it's definitely doable.

[@EYE7SS]

This guy put in words what I've been feeling about this new Metallica. I think it started to worsen by the time Trujillo joined, they focused on their felling and shit. They just became comfortable, they became soft. Let's see if the next album is a little better with Hetfield's divorce affecting the lyrics and riffs. Although I belive Kirk is a lost cause, he is too happy and having so much fun with Trujillo outside Metallica to even care...

[@nethbt]

I think it had something to do with his wealth and motivation ... When he became a multi millionaire (Load era and beyond)... His solos were just improvised repetitive garbage mostly drawn from the 1st position of the PENTATONIC box.. Obviously, who needs practice when you have money already

[@pastorofmuppets9346]

He lost his soul when he lost his phone

[@mdub2000]

He learned improvisation though in the 90’s he was even taking courses on jazz improve at San Francisco State University … well he was trying to learn more when I was still going there. So its not like he doesn’t know how to improve. I blame Larz… cause when he solos Larz is listening to everything and he tells him how he wants it quite often in other vids so I can imagine Larz basically telling him to dumb down the solos because he basically wants to get rid of solos like back in the st anger album.

[@thelukoflove]

I agree with ur perception. I think sometimes Kirk just doesnt care anymore.

[@221b-l3t]

Someone needs to challenge him. He's capable of much more.

[@MM20104ever]

in the Blackened he used modulation which is quite normal...changed the scale for the solo and then returned to the original key, nothing wrong or bad with it.

[@martinjakab]

Who said its bad?

[@jeremystanton382]

Kirk is one of my top 5. But, I think it's that he has played so many good ones especially on the first 5 albums and some really good ones spread out through some of the new stuff that he set the bar for himself so high from the very beginning that he kept trying out do solos that weren't really beatable. My biggest thing about Kirk is that on his live stuff after the first 5 albums is he would add one or two notes, out of boredom or something and they just don't fit the solo. He's never been technical but he puts so much emotion into the solos that can give you goosebumps which o prefer over technical values. There are some technical gods out there that a lot of people put on a pedestal but do they really make you feel the song? A big help is having James making up rhythms that can set the tone of the song and Kirk's style fits it perfectly. Would he have solos in his portfolio that match up if he was in another band? Probably not. But, that's how those elite bands are, it's just a group of guys who's personal sound compliment each other. The whole band was just getting bored and they swung for the fences on new stuff and struck out. He started playing with different effect sounds too and I think it was boredom. And when the first song of the first album is Hit the Lights, that bar was set super high from the very first song. Then you have Horsemen right after it. Thank God Kirk got in there, I don't think they would have sounded near as good with Dave and as a bonus, we got two really good bands instead of one.

[@hissinghed]

I think Kirks solos sound like somebody who just needs to put the guitar down for a bit, then try to pick it up again when he feels inspired. When you are forced to create, it's a different animal than creating when you feel inspired.

[@SILVERCHARGEDS]

You said it very well! Kirk either doesn't have or isn't putting in the time or he's just run out of ideas and maybe doesn't care as much anymore. It's one of these, possibly all of the above.

[@gensrios1383]

He doesn't care anymore that is why he isn't putting in the time. Ideas are everywhere only if he put his focus and energy on the art

[@mattm7798]

+1 for the awesome video, and +1 for the Solaire tattoo!

[@JPBotero717]

What a beautiful guitar

[@codyjarrett8274]

As long as you are lucky enough to be a real artist who has taken the time and the frustration and everything to develop your own sound fame and millions of dollars don't mean anything cause just knowing that you can do something that is truly original and completely your own you'll never lose your identity which is what I think has happened to Kirk. My favorite Kirk Hammett solo is Ride the Lightning

[@leesimmons373]

You bring up some very good points. Although, if you ask yourself. Would his older style of writing solos really work with their new style of song writing? I believe not. He'd be treading on old ground already covered by himself before. Of course the older solos were more superior and more well constructed. But they also took on a more prominent and upfront position in the song writing back then. These days I believe he's attempting to just add color and feel to the overall song. As opposed to technical skill and virtuosity like he's done in the past. Personally, I would not want to hear a puppets or justice solo on their new songs. I don't believe it would work.

[@Jordo246]

No one's saying he should just copy his old solos. We're saying the problem now is that he is just improvising and he's not particularly good at it. Him sitting down and actually writing the solos out and adding some structure so that it flows with the composition would absolutely improve them as opposed to the random noodling that he's done on the last 2 albums. I don't understand how you could possibly think the way he's doing it now works better, just listen to the solos, it clearly doesn't.

[@leesimmons373]

@@Jordo246 I understand what you're saying. What i don't understand is. What is he particularly not good at?

[@Jordo246]

@@leesimmons373 "he is just improvising and he's not particularly good at it" What part of that is confusing you?

[@leesimmons373]

@@Jordo246 Everyone has their own style and opinion I guess. What's bad to some may be perfectly fine to others.

[@elduderinoii1434]

Didn’t he have tendinitis in his left hand? I always figured that’s what had him goin the soulful route on load and reload and his subsequent efforts with Metallica. I enjoyed load and reload, it’s not old Metallica, but I’m glad fuel came out of there and hero of the day.

[@TuomasLustig]

You're right. They need someone to produce Kirk Hammett's solos.

[@RandyBakkelund]

If Kirk just used more arpeggios, and less pentatonic scale, and more of a 7 note Minor Scale. He would sound much better, but even then that is some real basic advice. He's from Metallica though, so he must know what he's been doing (just kidding). I find it interesting also that lately Kirk has been saying he's bored of playing the Master Of Puppets solo and would rather just improvise. Like why, so he can just improvise some stock blues licks with a wah wah pedal?!?! Metallica used to be my favorite band back in the early 90's, and man dude I checked out all of their recent singles for 72 seasons, it's really bad (especially to a musician or a fan of the old era).

[@Quinceps]

The C# in Blackened solo is a Dorian, yes! You took long to say it. I’ve always thought that’s one of the best Hammett’s solos. I’d still let him improvise on it, but with sense and taste.

[@FlipGuitarist80]

Yup nothing wrong using his wah and improvising as long as he’s hitting the right notes. Improvising just for the sake of improvising ain’t it for Hammett, he sounds like a big mess when he does. improvising is not his strong suit.

[@svenroever1738]

Absolut korrekt, auf den Punkt. Sehr ausgewogen und fair rübergebracht 👍

[@berylmgage09]

I know there are a lot of people that suggest Kirk Hammett’s playing really went downhill after the Black Album. I really think that his work on Load, Reload, Garage Inc, and Death Magnetic is also really good. It just gets overlooked for the most part. His style fit the new sound change perfectly with Load and Reload in my opinion. Those are some of his best.

[@yogxoth1959]

Agreed completely, Justin. Good analysis.

[@Ibanezguy2007]

Kirk will always be remembered for being one of the most influential lead metal players ever. His work is stellar and those that are hating on him aren't hearing the early days stuff that was really ahead of his time. It wasn't the shreddiest ever and yes there were players miles better than him but he really knew how to play for the song. Listen to his leads on Kill Em All compared to what Mustaine did and you'll hear how much better Kirk is. His intro solo to No remorse is still one of my favourites ever! Let's not forget Fade to Black as well and arguably his best - Master Of Puppets. That chaotic, frenzied solo really encapsulates what the song is all about. - Patrick Bateman

[@lempuujjj2877]

LOVE THIS IN DEPTH EXPLANATION !!!

[@neonblack211]

I just realised he kinda looks a bit like kirk haha

[@MT-pg4pi]

What about spit out the bone solo. There are plenty of solos of decent solos

[@mattwhitfield9850]

Who produced Metallica's first 4 albums...? Find those people, and Bob Rock, and make Metallica actually TRY to write Metallica songs... damn that would be amazing to hear again after all of these years!!!

[@Woozy.0]

Bob Rock fell off, man. He produced St. Anger for Christ's sake

[@mattwhitfield9850]

@@Woozy.0 ohh geez, didn't know that, well then they should get Dave Otero then!!

[@xSinaatra]

Correct if I'm wrong, Bob Rock insentivized Kirk to give a bit more feel and improvisation to his solos, which Unforgiven was born out of that philosophy. After that, Kirk improvised more and used the wah way more than ever before. In Kirk mind he's just trying to make a equation work that only worked a couple of times. I still think Kirk has that "dog" in him, he´s a live performance monster, very captivating live wise, but he needs to look further to his past and work more on his solos. Kirk is still my favorite guitarist and he'll always be, and he's the sole reason many of us picked up the guitar in the first place.

[@MeTooMan]

It is obviously because Dave Mustaine stopped writing Kirk’s solos.

[@marcinmcula99]

A very weird thing is that Kirk completely abandoned tapping. He used tapped licks on every one of the first albums but I don't think there was a single bit of tapping on any album past 1991. It's strange to me because his most famous solo starts with a tapping lick

[@justin.hombach]

I think on the dead magnetic there is some tapping here and there. But this was a „back to the old days“ kinda record which confirms your theory

[@satrah101]

Maybe too hard to tap and wah at the same time. 😅

[@TheRonZombie]

Facepalm yourself while Kirk cashes checks!

[@SteelStringJedi]

👍🏻🤘🏻

[@shanewilliams247]

I sometimes wonder how much Cliff Burton told him what to play. Kirk says in interviews he helped Kirk heaps. As soon as Cliff died Kirk's solos weren't as creative. I think even for kill em all he had help with some of the solos from Satriani, his teacher at the time

[@1122stardust]

I think its great that Kirk just does what he wants. He is looking for random wildness. Rebelling. Kirk is clearly annoyed with the high class intellectual shredder guitarists. Its all about not thinking yoo much about making a perfect record.

[@tekinmustafamusic6223]

100% not only did you hit the nail on the head. You educated on how to write a solo. You are so write about lazy soloing. For me. It’s always been slash

[@221b-l3t]

Don't cop out you are absolutely right and that is why I never play the pentatonic, especially not over the blues. It has no flavour, no tension. All the "masters of the pentatonic" constantly mix in notes from other scales even jusr going into aeolian briefly adds a lot of needed colour. Eric Johnson often ads the "2" back in on pentatonic runs which gives it some colour and also a few more notes to shred so he doesn't have to stick to two notes per string which I find harder to shred, than 3 per string. Often the blues scale or harmonic minor are mixed in. Really the masters of pentatonic playing know that you can only use it briefly before adding some notes in or it becomes very bland.

[@django-unchained]

Using the word "good" next to Kirk Hammett is wrong in itself. The only few melodic riffs he ever played is obviously sprung from James. Extra fun that Kirk recently hammered down on "scale run players" while he does exactly the same himself, only very bad :) In the end of the day it doesn't matter for the band in itself. But reality is where it is.

[@preston2636]

Anybody else notice fade to black solo is the e minor scale but im b minor positions. I kept wondering why he used the 8th fret instead of the 9th fret on the high e when hes in b minor. Its the e minor scale but in the the fret position of b natural minor.

[@justin.hombach]

I don‘t know if he is aware of what he is doing there but, the section is a faster one. In faster sections your ear don‘t recognize each individual note as a scale note, so you can squeeze in some „outside“ notes from different scale (often used with the b5 for example in the blues scale, or all the chromatic enclosures in the bebop scales). In this case the C does not clash with any other note because it happens to fast to be recognized as a „wrong“ note. Blues players like Steve ray Vaughn loves to you use this „playing the b9 over a natural minor situation“ thing as well a lot :))

[@Imfreehowaboutu]

I think another factor is that he ran out of licks he learned from Satriani. His old solos are filled with them.

[@gensrios1383]

That's the problem with kirk. Unlike other guitarists, kirk stopped evolving after Reload era.

[@jaimemoscoso]

cool video, and cool Xiphos guitar! how do you keep it from neck-diving when playing standing? can you share that on a video?