In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett opened up about the album he feels best showcases his playing abilities. When asked which record from his career he thinks he truly nailed his guitar work on, Hammett pointed to METALLICA’s iconic 1991 self-titled release, commonly known as The Black Album.
“It’s weird, because my opinion of that changes all the time,” Hammett admitted. “I don’t sit around listening to METALLICA, so sometimes something comes on and I’m like, ‘I haven’t heard this in f***ing five years. I forgot about that sound.’ I don’t look in the rear-view mirror too often. The whole band is like that — we just move on. What’s the next cool thing we can do? It’s just how we are.”
However, reflecting on The Black Album, Hammett revealed a moment of confidence in his guitar work. “I will say, there was a period where I thought my playing was f***ing spot on, and that was The Black Album. Those solos wrote themselves. Almost all of them worked out instantly.”
He did acknowledge a couple of moments where things weren’t as straightforward. “There were only a few things I wasn’t prepared for, and that was ‘The Unforgiven’ solo, which is pretty well documented,” Hammett said. “And the solo for ‘My Friend of Misery.’ But because the solo for ‘The Unforgiven’ ended up being so spontaneous, that made me want to do them all like that from that point on.”
The Black Album continues to make waves decades after its release. Recently, it was certified 20-Times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), marking sales of 20 million copies in the United States. It remains the biggest-selling album of any genre in the SoundScan/Luminate era.
Released on August 12, 1991, The Black Album marked a shift in METALLICA’s sound, moving from the band’s earlier thrash metal style to a slower, heavier, and more polished approach. The album produced five hit singles—“Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad But True”—all of which are now among METALLICA’s most iconic and enduring tracks.
With both critical acclaim and massive commercial success, The Black Album has left an indelible mark on the landscape of rock and metal music, and Kirk Hammett’s “spot on” guitar work remains an essential part of its legacy.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.