“I see some of these younger guitar players and I’m like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’”: Metallica’s Kirk Hammett admits he “should be a lot better” at playing guitar

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By ( Metal Hammer ) published

Metallica’s lead guitarist offers an honest appraisal of his own playing during an interview with Metal Hammer

Kirk Hammett performing with Metallica, playing his Les Paul guitar Greeny
(Image credit: Mark Horton/Getty Images)

Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett thinks he “should be a lot better” at playing his instrument.

The 62-year-old, who joined Metallica in 1983, makes the admission during an exclusive interview with Metal Hammer, when asked how he feels about the state of modern guitar playing.

“I see a lot of [people on YouTube] and I’m frigging impressed,” he answers. “There are some amazing players out there, where I’m just shaking my head like, ‘Why aren’t these guys working? Why aren’t they recording?’ But then I think… maybe they can’t. Maybe they have jobs, or families, or something they can’t leave behind.”

The guitarist then turns to his own talents. “I should be a lot better than I am,” he admits. “I see some of these younger guitar players and I’m like, ‘Where did I go wrong?’ Ha ha!”

He continues, explaining that his approach to playing is based more on feel than music theory: “It’s hard for me to be objective or subjective for where I stand in all of this. I just know that I like playing the way I do; I know if I keep on playing from my cajónes, somebody is going to be able to relate to that.

“I don’t need to show off or get egotistical by being like, ‘Hey, check out this three-octave arpeggio with tapping in the middle.’ I can’t be fucking bothered! I have a bombastic way of playing – I’ve always been that way, even when I was just in my room.”

Despite Hammett’s self-deprecating take on his ability, he’s frequently featured on ‘best guitarists in metal’ lists. Hammer ranked the lead player and his bandmate James Hetfield as the genre’s joint third-best guitarists in 2019. Interviewed for the piece, Phil Demmel (Kerry King, ex-Machine Head) called Hammett “the master of the memorable solo”.

Hammett released a coffee table book based on his extensive guitar collection, The Collection: Kirk Hammett, last month via Gibson Publishing. He’s currently touring North America with Metallica. See the remaining dates below.

Metallica 2025 North American tour dates:

May 01: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN*
May 03: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN+
May 07: Blacksburg Lane Stadium, VA*
May 09: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 11: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 23: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA+
May 25: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA*
May 28: Landover Northwest Stadium, MD*
May 31: Charlotte Bank Of America Stadium, NC*
Jun 3: Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA*
Jun 6: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL+
Jun 8: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL*
Jun 14: Houston NRG Stadium, TX*
Jun 20: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA+
Jun 22: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA*
Jun 27: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO+
Jun 29: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO*

* Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies support
+ Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills support

Matt Mills
Matt Mills
Online Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.