Kirk Hammett wasn’t always thrashing it out with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Before achieving metal god status with METALLICA, Hammett co-founded another Bay Area thrash legend: EXODUS.
But the road to becoming a metal icon wasn’t paved without a few bumps. In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Hammett has opened up about the guilt he felt when leaving EXODUS to join METALLICA as a replacement for Dave Mustaine.
As he explains in the interview, some of the riffs intended for EXODUS ended up on METALLICA‘s debut album Kill ‘Em All.
“The [riffs] came from songs that I had written, music that I had written,” Hammett said. “I consider them my parts. I didn’t feel guilty about that, but I did feel guilty about leaving the band I started in high school.
“I have known [EXODUS drummer] Tom Hunting since I was 16 years old, I’ve known [EXODUS guitarist] Gary Holt since I was 17. We’re all close to this day, but there was a lot of guilt there for a while. A little bit of remorse. But I really felt that METALLICA was my calling. I feel more comfortable playing in METALLICA than I ever did in EXODUS, so go figure.”
Hammett‘s comments hold particular weight considering his lack of official songwriting credits on Kill ‘Em All. The album primarily credits James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with Dave Mustaine recognized for “The Four Horsemen,” “Jump in the Fire,” “Phantom Lord,” and “Metal Militia.”
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.